Valentine Treats

Of course, my family got treats for Valentine's Day! 

I had seen this snack mix on Glorious Treats and thought it looked very yummy - and pretty! Of course I have one kid who won't eat popcorn (and it kind of drives me a little crazy, because I always have to bring along a back up snack for movies and outings  - sometimes I think she refuses to try it just because she enjoys being the odd one out.) Anyhow ... I had to come up with a combo of ingredients everyone would like and ended up using Rice Chex, letter pretzels, and Golden Grahams. Cover with white chocolate, mix in some holiday M&M's, and sprinkle with jimmies. Super yum. My brain said, "This is for the kids!" but my tummy said, "Please eat more!"



And look, this piece even looks like a heart! Yes? No? Just me? Okay then.



Also - valentine cookie pops! (Chocolate cookies inside, white chocolate outside.) Yum.



And, I shipped my first cookie order!



(Need to work on packaging - but they arrived safely!)



Aaaand ... one more batch of almond sugar cutouts.

Valentines 2013

Happy Belated Valentines' Day!



Theo went traditional this year - I printed out all kinds of ideas for the kids, but he opted for a simple sentiment, folded and sealed with a sticker.



Dora did her custom greetings again this year ...



... these were some of my favorites!



Clark picked these cool optical illusion valentines ... but he couldn't see the illusion! It was driving him crazy!



With three kids at the same school (for the first and only time this year!) I had to split my class party commitment time - fall party with Clark, winter party with Theo, Valentine party with Dora. End of the year parties are usually scheduled at different times, so I'm hoping to get to as many of those as I can. It's also Dora's last Valentine party - am guessing they don't do class parties in middle school - so I made sure to get some class pictures, too.

While the big kids were snacking, I scooted into the other party rooms.

I had sent in craft supplies for Valentine hats in Clark's room - an oldie but a goodie! The kids looked so cute!

Oh my goodness - what a haul. Valentine's Day has somehow turned into Halloween Part Two! Times three kids equals a lot of goodies!

Kitten Valentines

One more Valentine project, this one's for the girls: my adorable niece wanted kitten valentines for her playgroup, and my sister was disappointed with what she could find online:


so she asked me to come up with something cute for her to print and color. Done!



Download Kitten Valentine here.

Valentines #1

I was proud of myself for getting a jump start on Valentines this year. It was on our calendar for February first: Start making valentines this week! I'm a big fan of homemade valentines and luckily the kids enjoy making them.

I had a head slap moment in Clark's class last week when I realized that he'd need valentines, too. Since his "school" lasts an entire 90 minutes a week, I sometimes forget that all the regular school activities and rituals are still in place.

This is my favorite way to make preschool valentines ... have the kids pick out a character, print them out on little cards and paint with watercolor, something they love to do anyway. Handmade touch without too much work and burns some time, too! Dora and Theo's preschool choices were Spongebob and Woody, respectively. For those valentines, I did a web search for free coloring pages, picked cute artwork, and printed them on cardstock with a valentine greeting.

I asked Clark what he wanted, and he answered without hesitation: puppy dogs! Since we weren't doing a licensed character, I came up with my own artwork, worked it up with appropriately cheesy verbage and printed them out. Rounded corners finished them off nicely.



He was SO excited about painting, we actually got all these done in one sitting and he wanted to do more, so I printed out a few pages of extras. On our way to school this morning, he asked if we could bring his puppy dog paintings, which was cool that he got the idea that he was making them for school. One more week to wait!



I'm including my template for sharing. Please feel free to print and color! Artwork for personal use only ... thank you!

Download Puppy Love Valentine here.

More to come!