Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope that you have great plans to celebrate this special day. This is a wonderful holiday to help break up the winter months. My late husband, Jim, and I loved Valentine’s Day. We gave each other heart-shaped Valentines and crazy and useless romantic gifts. It was fun!

This year, my daughter, Carissa, and I will be joining my sister, Pam, and her daughter, Kristina, in the Wine Country in Napa. This is the first time that just the four of us have taken a mother/daughter trip…and we just happen to be going over Valentine’s Day.

My son-in-law, Ken, will stay home with the girls. Savannah will be 7 on January 27, and McKenna will be almost 6 months old by that time. Ken is a great dad, and he will be kept quite busy taking care of the two of them.

Carissa and I took a trip together when Savannah was about McKenna’s age. We took a short “girl cruise.” I remember the first night on the ship, Carissa slept so hard…and long…that I found myself checking to make sure that she was still breathing! (We will always be mothers.) Carissa was exhausted from the pregnancy, getting up several times a night with Savannah, and working full-time. A lot of what she did on the cruise was sleep.

Savannah was over 18 months old before she slept through the night. McKennna has been a better baby. She is already sleeping through the night and has been doing so for several months. I’m convinced that part of the difference in the two girls is that Carissa has done this before. She is not nearly as nervous as she was with her first, and I know that babies pick up on this.

My sister’s husband, Ken, will get his wife and daughter back late on February 14th since they are heading back a couple of days before we do. It should be a fun trip for the four of us. Napa is not particularly warm during this time of year. The average temps typically hit 60 degrees, or “sweater weather,” as Jim used to call it. We might get lucky though, as it’s gotten as high as 80 degrees some years. (Years ago Jim and I were there in February and experienced absolutely beautiful weather.)

The vineyards are quite brown, but I love how laid-back this part of California is. My best guess is that Carissa will catch up on her sleep, we’ll visit a few wineries, we’ll eat some great food, and maybe we’ll treat ourselves to a massage. Sounds like fun to me!

Hope your month of February is great. Next month we get to look forward to the coming of spring, which is my favorite season. We’ll talk next month.

Special Notes

This is the month with a day set aside just to dwell on the subject of love! Check out what our many advertisers have to offer that could be the perfect way to show your love to someone special.

Massage could be the perfect gift! Frank Epstein, LMT is offering Women’s Edition readers a special any Valentine would love. Visit his Web site at www.StopPainStartLiving.com and see his ad on page 3.

Consider buying Fair Trade gifts for your Valentine. Stop in at Zumi for unique clothing, accessories, home décor, and gifts from Africa, Asia, and South America, many of which are Fair Trade items. See their ad on page 7 and, read more about Zumi in our Business Style story on page 12.

A gift certificate for a facial or skincare treatments and products will make anyone smile! Call Ericka Mayes today! See her ad on page 19 for contact information and her latest special.

Have you agonized over how to lighten the load of caring for the everyday needs of your loved ones so they could remain in their home? Seniors Helping Seniors® perhaps has an ideal solution. See their ad in the Market Place column on page 27, and read more about them in our Healthy Living story on page 24.

Positive Thought of the Month

“A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in.”
—Robert Orben