Create Family Traditions and Memories That Will Last a Lifetime!

Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to show someone you care. The night before the big day, compile a list of all the reasons you cherish your special someone. Don't forget the small things, and honor their uniqueness ("I love how your nose wrinkles when you're frustrated" or "I appreciate it when you make your bed without me asking"). Next, cut two identical hearts out of a variety of fabrics, and sew the two sides together. Before you have sewn your last stitch, add a bit of stuffing to make them puffy. Make sure that the backside of the heart has a slit to slip your note ( a big button hole would work). Make as many hearts as you have notes. (The notes alone are even enough to show your Valentine how much you care). Then chose random spots to hide these handmade hearts. Your sweetheart will surely be touched when they come across these cherished notes in unlikely places (a coffee mug, a briefcase, a cereal box, or the car).

The Valentine Quilt

Every year work together to create a heart that represents your family. This heart will symbolize things your family has done or accomplished throughout the year. Ask family members to choose fabrics and trims that are meaningful to them. Use these materials to make an embellishment, patchwork heart. If brother's soccer team won the championship game, use a piece of his jersey. If sister started a new job, use the button from her uniform, or if a new baby arrived, use a piece of it's blanket. Once you have assembled your family heart, attach it to a blanket or piece of quilted fabric. This quilt will become your family's security blanket. If big sister broke up with her boyfriend, warm her heart and her spirits with this cozy heirloom. Each year when you add another heart you will be creating a priceless record of your family's history.

How We Met

As a couple, put together a special book detailing the history and story of how you met and fell in love. Include photographs from when you were dating, along with any memorablia from the past. You may even want to include pictures from your wedding, or letters that you have written to one another. AS you reflect on your past, this book will bring you closer as a couple and will include your family in this very important part of your life. Children love to hear stories about their parents, and by sharing this book with them, you are teaching them how valuable and sacred a loving relationship is. This story will become a family favorite and your children will ask to hear it over and over again.

Valentine's Love Muffins

It is a simple as baking muffins from a boxed muffin mix to show your loved ones how much you care. On Valentine's Day, write little love notes on pieces of red and pink construction paper, fold them in half, and attach a ribbon to the top of each message. Bake your muffins, then insert your special heart-felt notes into the tops , leaving the ribbon exposed. When teh muffins have cooled, wrap them in a cute little basket or festive heart fabric, and deliver them to your "love muffins". They will cherish your special notes as well as the tasty treat. Valentine's Day will not be complete with out these traditional muffins, and your loved ones will ask for them year after year.

Reality #1: Families come in all shapes and sizes
Some of us are lucky enough to be born into a big extended family, rich in history and tradition. Most of us are not. And we often watch these families with envy, wishing we had one like that. We also think, sometimes, that we can't have it because we are single, divorced, without children, or because we live too far from our "real" family. You don't have to be the perfect traditional family to feel like a family. There are single parent families, and spread-across-the-country families who are very close, and traditional families that are totally disconnected. It's not about "who" your family is, it's about "what" you do together.

Reality #2: We can plan for & create the kind of family life we want
You don't have to drift along, hoping it will happen. There are many things you can do to steer your family in the right direction. Some people think you can't force "these things", and they are right. You can't force it. But you can plant the seeds, add a little fertilizer and nurture it along. It is definitely possible to plan for and create the kind of family you want. You just have to understand how it works and be flexible. It's simply a matter of knowing what's worth spending time and money on and what's not.

Reality #3: We already know what to do
Most of us have an instinctive sense about what it takes to create family ties. We all take photos. We save the worn-out stuffed bear, the school papers, and the baby teeth. We plan lots of family get-togethers, and we try hard to make our loved ones feel special. No one tells us to do these things. We simply do them because we know in our hearts how important they are. The problem is that our modern, hectic lifestyles don't leave us the time to organize these memories and keepsakes in the powerful ways that can bring our families closer. And we are often misled by marketing and advertising. We spend time and money doing things that are not really important and often miss the opportunity to do the little things that make all the difference.

Reality #4: It's easier than we think
What we remember most fondly from our childhood days are not the lavish birthday parties or the expensive gifts, but the simple family events that are repeated over and over again... good smells... good feelings... good times... someone special spending time with us. The beauty of it is, it's less work for us. We don't have to come up with new and different things to do or things to eat, every time we get together. We can plan the same activities, use the same decorations, and prepare the same food as we did last year for every holiday throughout the year. It's what our family really wants.

Reality #5: It's never too late to get started
It's never too late to get started building family ties, even if your children are already grownup. Creating family ties is an ongoing, forever evolving process. There is no beginning and no end. We just keep making it better. You can easily start with your grown-up children, your grandchildren, or your nieces and nephews. We never stop needing that human connection. Establishing family traditions and strengthening family ties, with anyone, at any age, is a wonderful gift to give.