Sunday, February 1, 2009

Out With the Blues!

Yesterday was the last cold, blue day at our house and I have come across some very cute red & pinkish ideas for Valentines. I'm thinking I would love to do one of these activities each day to lead up to the 14th, but I'm going to have to kick it into high gear to get them ready:

The list:

1. Love Notes This was something I started in my classroom when I taught 2nd grade oh-so-long-ago. I had the cutest little mailbox and each student wrote, traded, and received a not each day. Each student had a chance to "deliver" the mail at the end of each school day. So we are modifying it a bit for our little family, but I know the girls will love to get "mail" each day!

2. Hanging Hearts This mobile is my inspiration! Since we don't have a tiny one to make it for, we are going to follow the same pattern to make decorations to hang around the house (light, doorknobs, etc).
3. Heart Crayons A great way to recycle all those broken ones and sure to please the rest of the month. Find directions here.

4. Flower Garden This great Valentine idea from Cindy is so cute (and cheap!)...we are so ready for spring!
5. LOVEly Suncatchers Cut 2 large hearts from wax paper. Have your kids color on the waxy side and sprinkle crayon shavings on one of the hearts. Top with the other heart {waxy sides together}. Cover with an old towel and iron {low heat, no steam}. Finish off by punching a hole and attaching a string so you can hang them up.

6. Kiss Jar An extra special reward for extra special behavior during the month of February! Find an old jar, cute it up, make a "Kiss Jar" tag and fill with Hershey Kisses.

7. You Rock Valentine! This is the sweetest MP3 you'll ever see. Download the printable playlist and scroll wheel here.
8. Tic Tac Toe Valentines is just not complete with out playing Tic Tac Toe, especially when you are playing with Xs and Os. Hugs and Kisses are our favorites and it makes for a good time. Find patterns here, here, and here.

9. Love Bugs This great idea is from a mom in California. Although I think we will just get one surprise visit this year! This would also be fun to surprise your neighbors and friends with!

10. Trail of Hearts Leave a trail of hearts {paper or candy} from the door, through the house, leading to a special valentine surprise. This could be a gift or a clean room or anything!

11. Love Letters {not to be confused with love notes!} My girls are just a bit too young for making messages with conversation hearts, so I made small 2" hearts each with one letter on them. I plan on laminating, cutting out, and attaching a magnet. That way we can put them on the fridge and spell words!

12. Sugar Cookies Always a classic. You can never make too many of these!

13. Heart Attack This one takes a bit of planning, but we are going to sneak out to dad's truck in the morning and stick hearts all over the windows. Then we'll leave some treats and a big sign that says, "You just had a Heart Attack" {My little girls just think this is silly fun, but older kids love this too because they understand the play on words}.

14. Valentines Pizza We started this tradition as a poor college couple and it has stuck...the girls just think it's the most amazing thing! Check your local pizza places in advance (we always head to Papa Johns!)

1 comment:

Sylvia said...

Wow!That is a lot of love going on at your house!! What a lot of awesome and adorable ideas.

Love it and thanks for sharing!!! Can't wait to start spreading the love.