Okay so the title of this post actually sounds a lot more sad than I thought it would when I first titled it… except I never went back and changed the title. I came in and added a little forethought about how sad the title is when really this isn’t a sad post! Today, as I’m sure you’re all aware, is the biggest commercial “holiday” I can think of outside of Christmas. And Valentine’s Day isn’t even a holiday! Anyone else think we should be petitioning for a day off today if the entire marketing department of basically every shop is working up to today? Just me? Okay, I’d better get a move on then. Only joking of course! I’m still actually really enjoying my work, and I can’t believe I have completed a full 5 Mondays in the office – they’ve flown by!

But yes, St Valentine has a lot to answer for. So today, whether you’re in a relationship or not, there is someone you’ve got to show a little love to, and that person is you.

Too often we are all caught up in the fast moving world in which we live. Bouncing between several screens (Says she writing this on her laptop, phone on her knee, and iPad playing yet another movie beside her), flitting from one task to the next, not even sure if the previous one was finished but oops we don’t have time to check it was because there are another fifty one million things to get done before we can sit down and relax. Well today I say enough!

It’s time today to Treat yourself to a nice quiet evening doing what you want to do because you want to do it and not because you have to! Unless of course your significant other (or even just a friend!) wants to take you out for a nice meal and/or drinks or whatever, then I say get your glad rags on and go out there. But only if you really want to. If you don’t, hit me up haha!

Tonight, my parents will be out for dinner together, leaving me all alone in the house to fend for myself. In fact, I cannot wait. Not that I don’t love being back home and really appreciate everything they have done and are doing for me, but we all need a little private time every once in a while.  And so with that in mind, I wanted to share my top 5 ways to have a Valentine’s Day on your own!

1. Pamper night
   Well we had to start with the stereotypical one, didn’t we? Get the bath running, your favourite bath bomb or other products, a face mask, some candles, and maybe even a glass (or bottle…) of wine! Soak and enjoy your evening. Or if baths aren’t your thing, then have a long relaxing shower that you don’t normally get to have. Even better if you get washing your hair tonight so can have a lie in in the morning!
2. Movie Night
   Is this another stereotypical idea? I know for me there are fewer things better than a movie night. Imagine: a fire roaring in the fireplace (I’ll settle for a gas or electric fire!), a fluffy blanket, cosy pyjamas, wooly bed socks, some snacks, a glass (or bottle) of wine, and whatever films you fancy. Whether it’s your classic rom-com (anyone else keep their Bridget Jones DVDs specifically for tonight? Nah neither do I…) or a good old horror to have you hiding behind the cushions, there are so many different films you can watch!
3. A Cook-In
   Get some friends around and have a pot-luck dinner! The idea of this is everyone either contributes 1 or 2 ingredients and you all try to make a meal from what you have, or everyone bring some sort of dish – be it a side, a starter, a main or a dessert! Okay it’s not the me-time I was talking about before, but it’s a good excuse to socialise during the week.
4. Fine Dining for One
   Love to cook but never really have time to treat yourself? Or is your idea of treating yourself ordering from a different takeaway because your local is beginning to worry about your bank account? Then why don’t you look up some quick and simple recipes and treat yourself to a 3 course meal? It’ll probably cost you a third of what you would spend out in a restaurant tonight! A really simple menu for fine dining mid week could be as simple as soup or prawn cocktail starter,  chicken and chorizo chilli pasta, and a meringue nest with fresh fruit. Or if you’re in work all day, throw a duck breast into a slow cooker with some hoisin sauce, leave on a low heat all day, shred it when you get in, slice up some cucumber and spring onions, and serve in a wrap! It can be really simple, but it’s not something you would do every day.
5. Have an early night with a good book
   Sometimes the best way to treat yourself is to curl up in bed with either your favourite book that you’ve read a million times already, or a new book that you really wanted to read and has been on your to be read pile for months. I know I will be jealous of anyone doing that today!

So while I’ll probably aim to follow steps 1, 2, 4, and 5, I’m going after work to visit my granny, and I doubt my parents will be out long enough to allow me to do all 4 steps. To be honest I’m not even sure what order I would do them in if given the chance! The last time I got doing all 4 was Valentine’s Day 2014… wow…

How are you spending your evening tonight? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Alone on Valentine’s Day? appeared first on Life With Ktkinnes.