Happy Valentine's Day

For my Valentine's Day, I'm spending it in bed. I wish the experience was as tawdry and indulgent as it sounds, because it's hard to get your mojo on when you've been throwing up since the wee hours of the morning while nursing your sick, teething baby. Sexy, no? What is sexy is that my husband stayed home from work to hang out with Baby Girl and has brought me liquid gold, also known as Gatorade. He even got me the red flavor, because it's Valentine's Day, after all. And he's romantic like that.

Because it's V Day, most news outlets have offered the typical round up. How no one knows if there really was a St. Valentine or perhaps there were three. We're reminded that the day was originally a pagan fertility holiday that involved naked men running through the streets. Here's a roundup of how different cultures celebrate the day. Here is some yummy font And how it all comes down to how you look in them genes.

And what of that mischievous roustabout Cupid who is responsible for getting us worked up into a Whitmans sampler frenzy every February? Because I am forced to take care of myself and lavish attention on me today, here's a little self promotey goodness from the book!

THE MOTHER IN LAW FROM HADES: THE TALE OF CUPID AND PSYCHE…AND VENUS

Psyche, the youngest daughter of a King, possessed a beauty so great that mortal men abandoned the altar of Venus, the Goddess of Love and beauty, to worship her instead. Consumed with jealousy, Venus sent her son Cupid to enchant her and cause her to fall in love with a monster. Startled by her beauty, Cupid accidentally pricked himself with the arrow meant for Psyche and instantly fell in love with her.

The King and Queen consulted the Oracle to learn why no one had proposed to their daughter. The Oracle revealed that she was intended for a terrible monster and should be left at a hilltop so that she could be claimed. Zephyr, the West Wind took pity on Psyche and lifted her from the hilltop to a palace in the sky where she was treated like a queen. Cupid visited her under the cloak of darkness, refusing her requests to let her see his true form. Homesick, Psyche begged Cupid to allow her sisters to visit. Jealous of her queenly treatment, the sisters convinced Psyche that her husband was indeed a monster and would not hesitate to kill her when given the opportunity. That night, determined to behold the monster, Psyche held a candle over her husband’s sleeping form. Shocked to see the beautiful Cupid, she jumped, spilling wax onto his shoulder. He awoke and though still in love with his Psyche, he and the palace in the sky instantly vanished, returning Psyche to her family.

Despondent, Psyche threw herself at Venus’ mercy. The haughty goddess set about to punish Psyche, ordering dangerous tasks to be completed for the chance to see Cupid. While delivering a box to Hades, Psyche peered inside and fell into an enchanted sleep. Unable to keep away from his love any longer, Cupid begged Jupiter to intervene. The God convinced Venus to quit her campaign which she reluctantly does. Psyche was given the gift of immortality and joyfully reunited with her husband for eternity.