Thank you all for the well-wishes about our news last week. We’re quite nervous but quite excited. We’ll see how everything goes!
I’m behind on everything, as usual! Here’s a few quick ways to make some magic this week (some Valentine’s themed, some not!)….
1. Cut out dozens of construction paper hearts and write a reason you love each other on each one. Cover the windows with them all!
2. Got leftover candy hearts? Use them as sidewalk chalk or dip them in water and draw on black construction paper with them! They work on indoor chalkboards too, just not as well!
3. Make a temporary stained glass window. Rip up some non-bleeding tissue paper and give your child a squirt bottle by a low window (sliding glass doors are perfect). Spray the window with water and then stick a piece of tissue paper against it, and add more and more. You might want to put old towels down underneath, and prepare for a colorful (wet) mess!
4. Make decorated toast. Toast some bread, then give the kids squeeze bottles (ketchup bottles are good) filled with jellies, tinted honey (a little cranberry juice concentrate makes a nice red) and/or cream cheese piping (beat some cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk to make a good drizzling consistency). Let the kids make a sweet, artistic mess. 🙂
5. Decoupage an old can together (such as a coffee can, nut can or Pringles can) with old wrapping paper, magazines or garden catalogs and watered down glue. Cut a slit in the lid and decorate the front with your child’s name and lots of hearts. Every time you think a sweet thought about your child, want to share something you’re proud of or otherwise feel loving, write it on a slip of paper and drop it into the can.
6. Tint a bottle of white glue with some food coloring. Spread out waxed paper and draw hearts or other shapes on it. Help your child pipe the glue onto the heart shapes (either filled in or not). When these dry they can be lifted off the waxed paper and stuck to the window.
7. Melt some chocolate chips with a bit of coconut oil (or shortening) and then dip strawberries into it for homemade chocolate-covered strawberries.
8. Use scraps from the recycling bin, old wrapping paper tubes and other odds and ends to make a giant Matchbox Car racetrack or marble run. Use painter’s tape to put it all together and watch things zip down it!
9. Go on a hunt for signs of spring. Believe it or not, there are some already! We saw bald eagles here in Minnesota last week, even though our lakes are still frozen and we’re still covered in snow. Maybe they know something we don’t!
10. Write silly commands on lots of construction paper hearts and hide them around the house. Have the kids find them and then perform the actions on them (cluck like a chicken, sing a song in a funny voice, hop backwards 3 times, impersonate a famous person, say three things you love about your sister…).
Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and a wonderful week!
We saw bald eagles here (southern upstate NY) last week too… right on the main thoroughfare, where we’d never seen them! Obviously fighting over their territory – it was great to see.
This week, we seem to have a flock (family group?) of about 16 robins hanging around our house. Robins, on Valentine’s Day, in snowy and freezing NY? Looks like a sign of spring to me!
We had our strawberries with powdered sugar instead of chocolate. But there was also a box of chocolates, so we weren’t deprived! Hope your family had a fun day!
I never dipped strawberries before yesterday when I read your post! I happened to have coconut oil because I use it on my littlest daughters’ skin. It was fabulous, thanks for the idea!
Also, congratulations! I pray for you a healthy, uneventful pregnancy.
Yummie strawberries, women’s favorite dessert I see. We love to do this when we find strawberries that is.. at the moment we use bananas which are good to.
Congratulations on your pregnancy,, how wonderful! I hope all will go well. I also want to have another but I wonder if I have the energy and strength at almost 40!
#2—- left over candy? Is that possible? Am I the only one who loves to eat those hearts??? I LOVE your collage o FUN— what memories, what creativity!!!