Valentine's Day with the Kids 

Image:www.stockvault.net

Valentine's Day typically involves chocolates, roses, and romance. Where are the kids? They get sent to a babysitter or a grandparent while the parents set out for an intimate evening. Though the romantic time may be well-deserved, what if you want to share Valentine's Day with the kids?

A family twist on a couple's date.

Showing love by sharing a favorite meal, a bouqet of fresh flowers, a soothing ambience, and surprise gifts. With a twist for kid-friendly treats, use these to create a family Valentine's Day.

Breakfast jump-starts a happy day.

While time can be an issue on a school day, cook something new or someone's favorite this morning. Baking molds can transform an ordinary breakfast into a delightful heart-shaped chocolate chip muffin or three-cheese omelet. Add fresh fruit, like strawberries, or a drizzle of chocolate chips to jazz up the plate. Design toast with heart-shaped cookie cutters. Kids can bake their favorite muffins ahead of time.

Choose a family dining experience.

Treat the family at a restaurant with kid fun like crayons and puzzle pages. From local mom-and-pops to big franchises, many restaurants cater to families. For bigger restaurants, call ahead for reservations, which would make the evening go smoother.

Create a fun dinner at home.

Make dinner fun by adding kid favorites like veggies and dip, fun-shaped chicken nuggets, and dessert like a heart-shaped cake. Kids enjoy candlelight too, so light your red tapers for a grown-up treat. Decorate the house with red and pink balloons, crepe paper, Valentine's window clings, and confetti hearts for the table.

What about presents?

Use your imagination. Create homemade coupons for free hugs, extra phone time, extra text messages, or a hang-out night at home with their friends. Little ones enjoy stuffed bears, Hot Wheels cars, or carnations. Create a candy kiss path all the way to a wrapped toy for added suspense.

Remember the cards and decorations.

Give them a variety of paper, foam sheets, glitter, glue, crayons, markers, and stickers so they can create Valentine's Day cards for you, siblings, or grandparents. If your kids are not artsy, then involve them in decisions like choosing the meals or hanging balloons.

Involve everyone.

From the planning to the sharing, a family Valentine's Day can create loving memories and strengthen your family. And what a great way to spend Valentine's Day?

Books are Better than Chocolate ... 

Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine

Price: $3.99

You can't possibly go through Valentine's Day without Junie B. Wacky kindergartener Junie B is determined to find her secret admirer. Of course, Junie B does not do anything without some mishaps. That's her charm.

Super-Fine Valentine

Price: $3.99

I love the Little Bill series. Great kid, great book, and it'd be a great gift for your little one. In this book, Little Bill makes a special Valentine for a girl but can't give it to her for fear the kids will tease him.

The Story of Valentine's Day

Price: $5.99

I love reading about Valentine's Day traditions. Read this book to your kids. Pick a new family tradition you will start this year. Top the day off with the included cookie recipe for your family's Valentine Day.

If You'll Be My Valentine

Price: $14.99

Great insiration for family Valentine's Day. A rhyming picture book that highlights valentines for everyone, whether it's for a puppy or your mother or big brother.

The M&M's Brand Valentine Book

Price: $6.95

I love M&M's, but I love this learning book even more. A fun and educational gift.

I Owe You, Valentine Coupon Book

Price: $6.95

Description not available. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Pooh's Valentine

Price: $3.99

It’s Valentine’s Day in the Hundred-Acre Wood! Pooh and his pals plan to exchange cards at a party, but some of the cards get ruined! Will... more »

It’s Valentine’s Day in the Hundred-Acre Wood! Pooh and his pals plan to exchange cards at a party, but some of the cards get ruined! Will Valentine’s Day be ruined too? Young Pooh fans will love this holiday-themed Step 2 reader. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Valentine's for Everyone!

Price: $5.99

Dora and Boots are taking a trip to Dora's grandma's house to deliver a special valentine surprise. Along the way they see all of their friends celebr... more »

Dora and Boots are taking a trip to Dora's grandma's house to deliver a special valentine surprise. Along the way they see all of their friends celebrating Valentine's Day. From cupcakes to candies, there's so much to find in this sweet lift-the-flap story. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

My First Valentine`s Day Book

Price: $7.95

Description not available. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Spongebob Squarepants the World's Greatest Valentine

Price: $3.99

On Valentine's Day, SpongeBob makes the biggest, sweetest valentine ever for his best friend, Patrick. But when a herd of chocolate-eating scallops th... more »

On Valentine's Day, SpongeBob makes the biggest, sweetest valentine ever for his best friend, Patrick. But when a herd of chocolate-eating scallops threaten the valentine's arrival, SpongeBob has to come up with a new plan. Can SpongeBob save the day--and the citizens of Bikini Bottom--before the disappointed Patrick loses control? Find out in this new book based on the special SpongeBob SquarePants episode Valentine's Day. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Valentine's Day Roses 

Remember to Order Valentine's Flowers for the Kids

Spongebob Valentine's Day 

SpongeBob's Valentine's Surprise (Spongebob Squarepants) (Spongebob Squarepants)

by Emily Sollinger

Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/25/2008)

Books + Spongebob = Lots of Joy!

We're a Spongebob family, and our gifts ALWAYS include Spongebob.

Check out the videos, how to draw books, Valentine's Spongebob books, music and more. This lens was proudly built by my son (with some help).

We Love SpongeBob-Squarepants!

The cute and happy Spongebob sang his way into our hearts. We've enjoyed the Spongebob television show, videos, music, books, and room decor. We're sharing some favorites here! My son took the lens photo of one of his zillion Spongebobs. Remembe...

My Son Gave Me His Heart ... 

On a homemade card! I loved it! Here's how to make this creative - and easy - card for your mom or dad.

Materials:
one 12" X 20" paper (any color you choose - my son used white)
one piece of 11" X 8" construction paper (again, the color is your choice)
Variety of crayons, markers, colored pencils
Scissors
Glue (white glue or stick glue)

Directions:
The project involves cutting one big Valentine heart, and then cutting out smaller hearts from the middle piece.

Put the construction paper vertically - with short end facing you. Fold the paper in half so the short sides are on the top and bottom (top, left-hand side will join the top, right-hand side).

Draw half a heart on paper. Freehand the design to take up most of the paper. Start the heart about 1/4 of the way on the folded side. Draw and curve toward the top and bring the heart's point to almost the bottom of folded side.

Keep paper folded, and cut out heart. Discard outer pieces. You will start with this one, big heart.

Fold heart in half as you did to begin project. Draw smaller heart about an inch inside the main heart. Cut out second heart. Set the main heart aside.

Using smaller second heart, fold in half. Draw a smaller heart inside this heart. Cut out the third heart.

You will make 3 outline hearts - which look like solid outlines with open middles. The last, and fourth, heart will consist of a solid heart cut from the inside part of previous heart.

Arrange all four hearts on construction paper and overlap tops and bottoms. You can design it as you wish, but overlapping gives your project a unique touch. Glue your hearts on the large construction paper.

Decorate:

Once the glue is dry, use markers, crayons, or colored pencils to make patterns within the hearts' openings. My son used blue background and red squiggles, a yellow background with green stripes, a pink background with purple plaid, and a purple background with blue balloons.

Let your imagination go wild! Use hearts, colors and shapes in all the heart backgrounds.

The heart project will bring a smile to your sweetheart's face.

PS: Write 'Happy Valentine's Day' and sign your name. Mom will love it!

Some Bunny Luvs You 

Russ Berrie Shining Stars Bunny

Amazon Price: $10.95 (as of 07/25/2008)

Webkinz are cute stuffy animals combined with today's edge of technology. Kids adopt the animals and can play online games, which earn points for the kids to use in taking care of their Webkinz. It's a big deal with a line of trading cards, clothes, lipstick and such. What a perfect gift! Your child will have a little buddy and can play cool games, including taking care of a pet.

Our Family Valentine's Day 

Our family is 'new' in that I remarried four years ago, and we are building traditions for our family. For our family Valentine's Day, we want to be together and have fun. That's all we need (and maybe some chocolate) to make our day!

On past Valentine's Day mornings, I made yummy (a tad unhealthy, but plenty delicious) waffles lightly sprinkled with chocolate chips and topped with whipped cream. Glasses of milk and sliced fresh fruit (yummy and pumps the healthy part of the breakfast) rounded out the day's start.

On Valentine's afternoon, I texted my husband a short love note with an animated kiss. He loved the message, a special surprise since I rarely text him.

My son's school sold Valentine's carnations as a fundraiser. I secretly bought a carnation, delivered later in his classroom. A lime green carnation from his mom. After school, my son brought carnations he secretly bought for us.

My husband gave me a beautiful and unique bouquet of roses, carnations and lillies. We created a bigger arrangement, adding my son's carnations, in a colorful vase.

Cards? The best - homemade and Hallmark. My son made us a heart card. (I highlighted the directions above.) He also created a poem card with loving sentiments like "My mom is an angel on earth."

My husband handed us a card addressed, "To Both of You on Valentine's Day". The white embossed card with an outline of blue birds and peonies shared the importance of telling loved ones how special they are ... every day of the year. A perfect card. (It was a Hallmark after all. It's my childhood family tradition to check the back for the signature brand.)

My husband loved his new bottle of cologne, my son eyed the Sponge Bob chocolates and candy, and we headed outside for a family picture. We snapped decent pictures before dining at a local family restaurant. The best part? Being together.

What will you do for Valentine's Day?

Pretty-In-Pink Party Dress 

A cute dress to delight any little girl for Valentine's Day! It's pretty party dresses that make me wish I also had a daughter. :-)

Baby Fancy Dress - Pink Layered Organza Dress (12M, 24M)

Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)

Unique Valentine's Gift Ideas 

Visit my other Valentine's Day lens for unique gift ideas. If you're celebrating this typically romantic holiday with the family, you'll need unique Valentine's Day gift ideas. How about gifts of poetry, chocolates, and flowers for the family?

Valentine's Day Gifts for Her and Him

Create A Unique Family Gift - Photo Book for Valentine's Day 

Grab The Kids and Make Your Own Family Story Book

I Love
... this idea! I recently made a photo book for my husband including photos and stories from other family members. This software is so easy to use - my son and I chose our favorite digital photos and added family stories. It's a lot of fun to create a photo memory book whether you need templates or you're an experienced scrapbooker.

I thought our book looked great online, and we loved the choices of templates, fonts, layouts, and valentine & family gift ideas. Our photo book arrived yesterday, and it's even better in person. Our photo family book looks professional. It's absolutely beautiful!

Your photo book will bring happy family memories for years to come! Check out Picaboo and create your own Family Valentine's Day photo book.

Use the coupon for greater savings!

A Little Planning For A Grand Day 

• Play in or out?
  
  Will Valentine's Day fall on a work day/school day? Decide if your celebration will be at home or at a restaurant.
  
  
• Family-friendly restaurant?
  
  Call and ask if you need reservations. Most family restaurants won't, but it's better to be on that list for such a special day. Some restaurants serve special meals or give flowers to the women in the family. Check around.
  
  
• At home dining?
  
  Create an adult and kid favorite menu. Buy food in advance to reduce stress. Prepare some foods ahead of time (with the kids' help): veggie tray, casserole (for heating later), and dessert. Check out my guest book for a fab idea on kids serving parents a romantic dinner.
  
  If you'd like less work, buy catered/ready-to-eat foods from warehouses stores like Sam's (look for restaurant favs - like Cheesecake Factory). Frozen quiches, entrees, chocolate cakes can be thawed/heated in time for dinner. Grocery chains also offer catered meals - be creative and choose whole-grain rolls, pesto pasta, and a variety of cheeses for appetizers.
  
  Desserts can be store-bought or made with the kids. Make heart-shaped cakes or cookies. Cupcakes are the new 'IN' cake, so have fun with vanilla icing, red heart sprinkles, and delicious bake-ins like chocolate chips.
  
  
• Ambiance?
  
  Absolutely! Decorate with red & white tablecloths, candles, window clings, crepe paper, heart-designed glasses and napkins. Shop your local dollar store - be frugal and look good too!
  
  
• Cards?
  
  Hallmark is the go-to store. But homemade cards are the best! Buy construction paper, glue, markers or crayons, stickers and make a card for everyone. Kids love to design their own. Even kids-at-heart can color a loving card.
  
  
• Gifts?
  
  Think of things the person enjoys - music? telephone? movies? perfume? Think cute, cuddly or whatever says "I love you" in your family. Gift cards to download new songs, add cell phone minutes or shop online can be a hit with older kids.
  
  
• The absolutely must-have thing?
  
  Love! As long as your family enjoys each other and the day, you've got everything you need!
  
  

Valentine's Flowers for Kids 

Valentine's Day flowers for kids: decorate her room with huge mural flowers or his room with a baseball planter, delight the baby with a flower taggie blanket, or give flower gifts with a musical rose or a teddy clutching mini roses.

Your kids will love these Valentine's Day flowers.

13" Valentine's Day Musical Red Rose

Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)

Ceramic Baseball Planter Great for Kids Room,Sports Fans and Home and Office Decor

Amazon Price: $9.45 (as of 07/25/2008)

Big Flowers Wallies Big Mural

Amazon Price: $37.95 (as of 07/25/2008)

Taggie Blanket - Pink Flower - Baby Lovey

Amazon Price: $21.95 (as of 07/25/2008)

Mini Rose & Bear

Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 07/25/2008)

Valentine's Day Party Supplies 

Everything you need to Decorate for Your Family Valentine's Day party!


This kit includes service for 10 with 9" paper plates and plastic forks, spoons and knives; also comes with 20 napkins.

Decorate your table with a 108Lx54W" plastic tablecloth, confetti, a foil-spray hearts centerpiece and two 6" plastic heart-shaped serving trays.

Complete your party room with eighteen 12" latex balloons, three 81' crepe streamers and three 75' curling ribbons (all in bold red, pink and white).

Vibrant Hearts Deluxe Kit

Amazon Price: $26.99 (as of 07/25/2008)

Spongebob Music Speakers for Your Party 

SpongeBob Squarepants MP3 Speaker System

Amazon Price: $12.94 (as of 07/25/2008)

We were thrilled when we found Spongebob speakers for a mp3player.

Slide the Spongebob sides open, and your mp3 player sits securely in the middle. Spongebob's eyes are the speakers. We've used the speakers at our parties (and my son also using them in his room).

Easy, portable, great price, and fantastic speakers!

Spongebob speakers are a cute way to liven up your Valentine's party!

Fun Kids Valentine's Day Gifts 

Sweet Spot Valentine Hearts Stretch Bracelets

Amazon Price: $1.49 (as of 07/25/2008)

Valentine's Day Sealed with a Kiss Lip Shaped 2 Pc Scented LIP Gloss

Amazon Price: $1.49 (as of 07/25/2008)

Valentine's Day Basket filled with 6 large hand-decorated cookies

Amazon Price: $44.00 (as of 07/25/2008)

Valentine's Day Coloring Pictures 

Valentine Coloring Pages

Free valentine coloring pages, sheets and pictures for kids. Hearts, flowers, Cupid and more, these coloring pages, sheets and pictures will keep the kids happy for hours!

Valentine Coloring Pages

Ivy Joy's Valentine coloring book for kids. Beautiful site with descriptions of common symbols. Visit for free Valentine print and color pages. Be sure to visit the coloring sheet search engine.

FamilyFun: Printable Valentines for the Classroom - and More Family Fun

Easy-to-make printable valentine cards perfect for the classroom.

Cookbooks for Family Valentines Parties 

Valentines Dinner Ideas & Valentines Cakes, Desserts

Valentine Treats: Recipes and Crafts for the Whole Family (Treats)

by Sara Perry

Perfect Book - make Valentine's Day crafts and treats! Fun and easy!

Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)

Saving Dinner for the Holidays: Menus, Recipes, Shopping Lists, and Timelines for Spectacular, Stress-free Holidays and Family Celebrations

by Leanne Ely

Wow! Try Valentine's Chocolate Feast and dazzle the family.

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 07/25/2008)

Valentine Delights Cookbook: A Collection of Valentine's Day Recipes

by Karen Jean Matsko Hood

Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 07/25/2008)

Holiday Hearts: A Collection of Inspired Recipes, Gifts and Decor

by Pamela Sheldon Johns, Jennifer Barry

Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)

The 50 Best Cheesecakes in the World: The Winning Recipes from the Nationwide "Love that Cheesecake" Contest

by Larry Zisman, Honey Zisman

Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 07/25/2008)

Create Your Family Valentine's Day Photo Book 

Thank you, Squidoo! 

My Family Valentine's Day Lens made Lens of the Day! What a great Valentine's Day gift!! Share your family's Valentine's Day traditions in my guest book.

Ooh, and before you leave, please rate this lens by pointing your cursor over lots of stars (if you feel it's star-worthy too). I'm always adding new content, so remember to save this lens as a favorite and join as a fan!



Enjoy your family Valentine's Day!

Do You Squidoo? 

Join Squidoo!

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That's like dessert with whipped cream on top!

Share your family's Valentine traditions 

Do you have a great family Valentine's tradition? Let us know!

riff999 Some great information. I especially like some of the dinner ideas. You have put in a lot of work into this lens and it shows. Well done! ~Jane Posted March 21, 2008

UMT Though Valentine's day has come and gone this is a great one anyday. The kids would really love it. Posted March 18, 2008

CarmenVj Happy Valentines Day and what a great lens! Posted February 14, 2008

thomasz Cool lens. Interesting info. Posted February 13, 2008

binkiebaskets Nice lens! So much variety for Valentine's Day! Thanks for sharing! Posted February 13, 2008

 

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