Okay, I'm just like the rest of you and STUCK in the house with this lovely snow and freezing weather. I've been sick as a dog, but most of you who know me, know that I love a good holiday and I love a good party. (I used to own a party planning business). I spent many a day planning parties for others and for myself and my family, so I think my love of holidays and party planning (which I don't get to do anymore), along with being stuck in this house have given me the bug to find some FUN things to do this week with my kids. SO, here are my ideas, use them if you want to!
1) Gather up every children's book you have that has to do with love, hugs, kisses or Valentine's and read every single one of them to your children. Adriane gave us some Golden Books (available at Hobby Lobby) that are about loving your mommy and daddy and one of my personal favorites is "How Do I Love You?" by PK Hallinan. It's awesome.
2) Go to the library and see what Valentine's books you can find! Our library has a little Valentine's display out in the children's section. http://newmanregionallibrary.org/
3) Use construction paper, glitter, old fabric, glue, stickers, whatever you have and make Valentine's for Grandparents, neighbors or residents at a nursing home. Lots of people dont get told that they are loved and this is a great time to remind them!!! We did this a few nights ago and we came up with some beautiful pieces of art :)
4) Download free coloring sheets on the internet. www.coloringbookfun.com and www.coloringpages.net are the sites we use the most. It's free and fun. We've let Molly and Ryan color since they were one. We sat them in their highchairs and let them go to town. Of course, they tried to eat the crayons, but they learned quickly that Mommy didn't like that!
5) Go to the webiste www.familyfun.com. There are mounds of activities for Valentine's Day. Craft ideas, recipes, etc.
6) Make food that is Valentine's themed like heart shaped cookies or pancakes. Put red food coloring in your mashed potatoes. They sell heart shaped, pink and red pasta at many Kitchen stores for about $2-$3 a bag. You could have Valentine's pasta with red sauce or Valentine's mac and cheese! Jello is a really inexpensive treat that's easy to cut with cookie cutters. Your kids will enjoying helping with it too!
7) One of my favorite things to do is cut hearts out of colored paper and string them all over the kids rooms and our living room to celebrate. They're very excited when they wake up to see the room decorated just for them!
8) Print or make your kids a Valentine's coupon book. Some coupon ideas might be "You don't have to make your bed today", "Mommy cleans up the toys today" or "Pick your favorite dinner tonight".
9) Make a heart shaped memory or matching game. Cut red or pink hearts out of construction paper and draw or use stickers to make 2 of every design. Let your kids match them or flip them over to play memory. We did an activity like this with mittens at the SHIP playgroup a few weeks ago and Molly and Ryan really enjoyed it.
10) Go to the library or video store and rent a movie like "Lady and the Tramp". Watching a new movie is always fun!
Most importantly, make Valentine's Day about your family. I love Andy with all my heart and like to have my romantic time with him, but I want to make sure my kids enjoy Valentine's Day just as much as I do and of course, I want them to know that they are LOVED!!! Have fun with your kids this week and the 3 more inches of snow we're supposed to get on Tuesday! If you have other ideas, please, please, please feel free to post them!!! I love to get new ideas!
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