Monday means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Here, it means it’s time to meet this week’s Monday’s Momma.

Megan Strickland from Frugal Finds During Naptime joins us. Megan is a frugal, couponing, stay-at-home mom to two girls {ages 5 and 1}. She started Frugal Finds During Naptime in January 2014 as a way to help others learn how to use coupons, save money, and live a more frugal lifestyle. She enjoys finding deals, and breaking it down to small, easy-to-do scenarios to help others learn how to save money.

Today, Megan talks about the craziness of trying to keep up with Pinterest around Valentine’s Day. I really love this post. Do you have your kids make valentines or do you buy them?

“Cutesy Cards and Craziness? Or Store Bought and Sanity?”

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. I see the “cutesy hearts” every time I go grocery shopping. Then, I get on Pinterest (my weakness) and I see SUPER cute Valentine’s Day Treat/Card Ideas. {You know the ones I’m talking about. The “I’m ‘toad-ally’ yours” and “You ‘blow’ me away” with cute treats and bubbles.}

I see them and think “I could ‘toad-ally’ do that!” So I do, then I overwhelm and stress myself out. I become irritable while trying to make the perfect Valentine’s Day treats. Towards the end of making treats, I’m gluing eyes, curling ribbons, and putting on tags thinking “they better ‘love’ these!”

It’s a little ironic, isn’t it?

I started evaluating why I continue to do little projects like this that stress me out, and I’ve come to the conclusion it’s because I feel like I need to “keep up with Pinterest moms”. I see what others are pinning and think they are actually making those things (when in reality how many of us actually make everything we pin?), and I feel like I have to “keep up”.

It’s crazy, and insane. Instead of keeping up with the Jones’, I’m keeping up with Pinterest. All it does is make me crazy and irritable. That’s not how I want my holidays spent is feeling irritable because of a Pinterest project.

Moms, it’s OK if your kids have store bought cards for holidays instead of hand made “cutesy” things from Pinterest. I would rather have my sanity with store bought cards, than the cutesy ones I made and be stressed.

In the end, your kids will remember how you spent the time with them during different holidays. Chances are, those late nights you put into those Pinterest gifts for your child’s friends, they aren’t going to remember it or care {What child says, “Thank you for staying up late and crafting this perfect, heart-shaped Valentine for me”?}. So, pin away, but don’t stress yourself out making everything. Buy some store bought cards, store bought cookies, let your kid scribble his/her name on them, and be done. Then you might have some time to work on that really big project you’ve been wanting to. . . or just spend time with those you love. After all, it’s “love day”.