valentine's day

Valentine’s Recap

The celebration of Valentine’s Day was a blur in our house. The snow totally threw my plans of baking and crafting out of wack. Thank God we started working on  for Nate’s class valentines a few weeks before their party on the 12th, because I somehow became a useless blob with the blizzard and got hardly anything done.

Check out that look...concentration or ticked off?

In January, I showed Nate the lollipop butterfly valentines I mentioned in a post that month and we decided to make them for his friends. I knew we would need some time to make them so we took one or two nights a week and worked on it together…cutting out the butterflies, sticking on the foam hearts and sliding the lollipops in the middle.

The finished project!

Nate probably cut out three of them. He mostly stuck to the sticker-application and lollipop-insertion part. And I know, I know…I should have gotten him to help write names on them. But I remembered Thursday night  that we had not written their names yet, so it was done in a rush. Next year, there’s always next year. He had enough cards for his classmates with tons extra that I told him to give to anyone else at the center that he loved. Needless to say, there were none left.

I couldn’t be there for his class party, but his teacher took several pictures for me.

The girls working away on their Valentine card boxes....

....and the boys hard at work on theirs.

THAT was why he didn't eat dinner Friday night. JEEZ!!

One of the class projects on the wall outside their class.

A very appropriate use for the DG, no? LOVE MS. JANNIS!

My heartbreaker.

Nate and I left early Saturday for a weekend trip Missouri to visit my brother and his family, leaving A to install hardwood floors over the weekend. It was sad not to spend the weekend together as a family, but the boys were so happy to see each other that it was worth it.

Valentine’s Day morning, the boys had surprises on their plates at breakfast.

Nate's Valentine breakfast plate.

My brother made the boys heart shaped pancakes for breakfast, and my SIL whipped up these little fruit kabobs-

Banana, apple and raisin kabobs

She took an apple and sliced it longways, then used a heart shaped cookie cutter and cut out the hearts and skewered it with a slice of banana and a raisin. They were so stinkin’ cute! You guys think I’m crafty…she takes the cake!

We left that Monday morning after some sledding-

"AAAHHHHH!!!"

Joy!

Aaron and I decided we’d celebrate Valentine’s Day as a family over dinner that night. We did not get him much for Valentine’s (a consious effort to not emphasis the gifts, but the LOVE) and I wanted to make the evening more fun. I turned to the post I did about the Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt and, while I was in MO, I made some hearts from construction paper and markers with clues guiding him to spots through the house. I hid them as soon as we got home, which took me a while….I kept getting them out of order and would have the last clue as the third. After 5 tries I finally got it right.

After dinner, we sat on the floor and opened cards from our family and each other. Nate had made Aaron a foam heart craft at the Wonder Placea  few weekends prior, and A and I exchanged cards. He got me a cala lily plant and Nate gave me flower seeds to plant in the garden at the new house. Then we surprised Nate with the first clue for the hunt. It took him a sec to figure out what was going on, but he got it soon enough.

He was SO EXCITED!

I'd read him the clues....

...and he'd take off running for the next clue.

There were 5 or 6 different clues hidden all over the house.

The last clue took him to his box of Star Wars toys.

His haul...I made his heart at Wonder Place, too.

The scavenger hunt was a HUGE success, definately earning a spot in the yearly holiday rotation. It would be great for Easter and Christmas, too. I also found some Valentine’s Day kitchen towels that I plan to turn into a “Why I Love You” pillow for Nate, and maybe one for A too.



Crepe Paper Wreath

Phot from Simple Sage Designs

Photo from Simple Sage Designs

What a wonderful way to decorate your door for Valentine’s Day? An easy, CHEAP and fast project you can have done in mere minutes. Check out the photo tutorial at Simple Sage Designs.  Also loving the birthday skirt…alas, no little girls around here for that.



Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is a fun idea to do for your kids on Valentine’s Day morning, before breakfast or giving them their basket o’ goodies. Thanks to Blue Eyed Blessings for the how-to’s!



How to Date Your Husband

Photo from How Does She?

I recently discovered How Does She?, a mama blog authored by three creative and funny moms, helping to unite us all in our universal search to figure out how to get it “all” done. 

Along with wonderful crafty tutorials, recipes and parenting advice, I stumbled across this particular post on dating your husband, with ways to keep that spark sparklin’.

(more…)



Candy Rings for Kid’s Valentines

Such a cute idea from Kaboose.com for some sweet and easy candy rings for your loverly valentine, or valentines. The craft is recommended for ages four and up, but I’m sure any toddler would be willing to help out! They suggest the best candy to use would be foil-wrapped chocolate hearts, which sounds adorable. I can also see little paper valentines rolled up and threaded through the ring. Kaboose also has a ton of great Valentine’s day craft ideas on their website.



Valentine’s Day Ideas

Photo from Skip to My Lou

Photo from Skip to My Lou

Oh, I just LOVE these Bath Bombs from Skip to My Lou! Always with a ton of fun ideas for adults and parents to make, she has a whole page of Valentine’s Day gift ideas, for friends and teachers. I remember making the “stained glass” hearts as a kid, and the lollipop butterflies (downloadable .pdf included) look like a simple and cheap alternative for your child’s class valentines.

Great ideas are also to be found on FamilyFun…I am loving the Chews-a-card Valentine’s card holder and the Gnome Sweet Gnome treats. And don’t forget my last post about the salt shaker photo holders…another great gift idea. 

Have you any good ideas for Valentine’s treats, for the classroom or family? Share, share, share!



Salt Shaker Photo Holder

Photo from WhiMSYlove.com

Photo from WhiMSYlove.com

How cute are these? Via Dollar Store Crafts, here’s an idea from fellow bento-maker WhiMSylove…salt shaker photo holders! Check out her tutorial here for the easy and cheap details.

This could be a cute and simple Valentine’s Day idea, either for photos or for little valentines for friends. Maybe fill the shakers with candy hearts or red hots? Oh, I feel some inspiration coming on….