Valentine's Day Fun

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you got a chance to read my guest posting on Strive For Progress. My girls and I made a quick and easy Valentine's day craft. One of the things I mentioned in my post is how much more fun holidays are now that I have children. Valentine's Day is no exception. Sure, there's the cards for preschool, cute little valentine mailboxes, candy, chocolate, singing cards (thanks to my dad for those). But even the most simple little things make my girls smile.

For instance, I decorated their door with some cut out hearts. Nothing fancy, but there was one for each of them with their name and a little message from Mom and Dad. This was a HIT! Even my youngest points to the hearts and says "MY valentine, Mommy." Such a simple little surprise.

I had picked up a couple little pieces of clothing when I've seen them on sale. Completely on accident, each of the girls had a piece that was decorated with hearts. What a perfect V-day gift! I just "wrapped" them in some Disney princess lunch bags with their name and some more hearts and set on the table so they would see them right away in the morning. The kids were so excited about their new outfits (and this mama saved a bundle buying heart decorated gear off season!).

And my special treat was making chocolate and vanilla coated strawberries. It's a quick treat to make, but something kind of special. Can't deny the deliciousness of them either!

Tuesdays are a busy day for our family with activities and standing appts. My hubby recognizes that and offered to take us all to dinner tonight too. Nothing fancy but he knows it's tough for me to get dinner ready on Tuesdays. His gift to me is giving me a night off from cooking. What a guy! It really is the little things that make Valentine's Day special for our family. Hope you all have a special day too!

Valentine's Kids Crafts

Is it really the end of January already? I can't believe it. We've had the most out-of-character (but amazing) weather this year. Usually January is sub-zero cold and snowy, but we've had heat waves this year. Last week a huge storm dropped record amounts of snow all around us, but somehow missed our valley. We had 45-50 degree weather instead. I suppose that's why it doesn't seem possible for Valentine's day to be here. Today at Target, we had to buy Valentine's for my daughter to take to preschool. I wanted to make something creative, but she was stuck on buying Disney Princess valentines (for the second year in a row). I like making Valentine's crafts with the kids. Basically, anything with a heart on it qualifies.

Here is a simple Valentine's wreath. Just use different colored paper and cut various sizes of hearts out of them. I used a piece of chipboard and cut out a ring the size of the chipboard. I suppose you could cut out a heart shape to REALLY show your Valentine spirit. That will be my next one. Get out the glue stick and let the kids glue the hearts on the chipboard covering all the brown. String some yarn through the wreath to hang it and you're done! Simple, right? If your kids are older, you could even have them cut the hearts. My kids are little and my oldest is just starting to use scissors. She'd probably love to cut out the hearts, but it would take days to just get the cutting done.

Here is another easy Valentine's craft. The great thing about this project is it is spring-y too, so you can leave it up beyond Valentine's day. You need a toilet paper roll, some construction paper, pipe cleaners, hole punch, googly eyes (optional), glue and some markers or crayons. First, cut out a strip of paper that wraps around the cardboard roll and 2 hearts (same size) for the wings. Let the kids decorate and color these as they choose. Wrap the rectangle around the cardboard roll and glue. Then, glue the wings to the back. If you want googly eyes, you can glue them onto the roll as well. Take the hole punch and punch 2 holes on the upper back of the roll. Thread the pipe cleaners through the holes and curl at the top for antenna. Cute and easy!

A friend and I started a crafting club for local folks interested in making a new project every month. I'm hosting the first meeting in February and we're going to be making a Valentine's candle. Stay tuned for pictures!!