(*This post is sponsored by one of my faves, Sole Society!  Thanks for supporting the brands that help support this blog!)

V-Day Q+A with Sole Society!

To celebrate the Month o’ Love (and my birthday month!), I’m teaming up with Sole Society to do a little Q+A about Valentine’s Day!  Now that we have a household of four little daughters, Valentine’s Day has sort of become one of my favorite holidays as it means I get to watch them “date” their sweet Daddy.  He’s teaching them what a good man looks like and how one should act, and it’s beyond precious to watch the girls primp and preen for their Daddy/Daughter Date each year.  💞  It’s still important to me and Mr. Cotton Stem to date EACH OTHER though, too, so read on to hear a little bit more about us, my picks for date night outfits, our very FIRST date, and what romance looks like these days….

SOURCES:

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Question 1: What would be the perfect scenario for spending Valentine’s Day?

The perfect scenario would be to emulate our very first date ever on Valentine’s Day fourteen years ago on the 14th!  It’s funny how things come around…. On that date, we were a brand new couple, and, while we’d been friends for many years, we were just getting to know each other in this new way.  For our very first date, we picked Valentine’s Day (after I’d bought him at a fund-raiser date “auction”…that I was in charge helping to put on and thus rigged.  😉  Nobody was gettin’ their hands on my man!).  Nerves and hearts a-flutter, we went out for a very long dinner with multiple courses, providing the perfect backdrop for a lot of exciting new conversation.  We talked for hours while munching in a candlelit restaurant, playfully holding hands and doing a little footsy under the table. 😉 At the end of the date, he laid a big one on me…our first kiss.

While that part was something I’ll treasure always, I honestly keep going back to the idea of a long diner as the perfect way to date for us.  Easy, relaxed, slow…lots of time for get-to-know-you conversation then…and now?  Now that slow pace lets us gradually shed the role of “co-parents” and remember the many sweet, small things that made us fall in love in the first place.  A get-to-know-you of a different sort…and equally as important.  💞

SOURCES:

[SHOES: fit true to size | SWEATER: oversized, size down | BRALETTE: I’m 34/36B and wear the M]

Question 2: Based on that scenario, what would your go-to outfit be for that?

On our very first February 14th date 14 years ago, I wore a skin tight strapless black dress with sky high heels and no coat, because….duh.  Gotta show off that dress, man!  Ahhhh….the good ol’ college years pre-baby-leftovers. 😉

These days, I still like to look spiffy for my forever-date, Mr. Cotton Stem, but…I like to be comfortable, too.  He always tells me I’m my prettiest when I am confidently comfortable in my own skin (read: he likes me with no makeup and in his sweats….😂), so it’s not too hard to dress to impress these days.  Pictured here are a few ways I like to dress up a bit for date nights while also feeling comfortable: faux leather leggings with sleek greys, pretty pink skirt and comfy button down with easy heels, and distressed denim with a cozy sweater and cute accessories!  These are easy, comfortable looks that I wear often, and while I sometimes get gussied up to the nines, both he and I prefer comfortable confidence any day. 😉

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[BAG: absolutely gorgeous in person! | LEGGINGS: if between sizes, go up one]

Question 3: Gift to give yourself on Valentine’s Day?

If I could give myself any gift, it would be the gift of QUIET ALONE TIME in my OWN (pre-cleaned) HOUSE.  😍😂  Is it sad that this was literally the first thing that sprang to mind when I read the question??!  I know, I know, this is an outfit-related post, but man….  Being alone in my home that is already clean so I don’t lounge around feeling guilty for NOT cleaning it is truly the greatest gift right now in this phase of life with four littles running all around!

On the complete flip side, the other type of gift I love most is time.  Far and above things or stuff, I crave experiences with my people: a fun family (or couples’) trip, a membership to the zoo or the aquarium, season passes to the theater or tickets to a fun local event.  Now hey…I love a new bag or a new pair of earrings as much as any girl, but if you really want to know the way to my heart on Valentine’s Day, give me a quiet house for a few hours, and then, once my scrambled egg brains are all clear, take me to a musical and out for a family dinner!
(Oh…and book me a massage, too.  Because mama be tired. 😉)

SOURCES:

[CLOGS: fit true to size and SO comfortable | BAG: beautiful and zips across top for easy access]

What do you guys think about my perfect Valentine’s Day gift to myself?  😂 Sad??  Meh, it sounds pretty darn perfect to me!  What do your date night outfits look like?  Anyone else prefer a long, slow dinner to a fast-paced night on the town?  Let me know in the comments and have a great day, buddies!
❤ERIN