Valentine’s Day at our house!
Valentine’s Day has definitely changed over the last 17 years that Adam and I have been celebrating together. We started dating the February of my senior year in high school and have celebrated together every year since. To be honest, we didn’t do anything super special or even exchange gifts. I think we always kinda thought about Valentine’s Day as being a little cheesy!
Once our kiddos started growing, we began celebrating the “day of hearts”, as Penelope (4) calls it, by doing a few special things for them! We keep things simple, as usual, but make them feel extra loved just the same. In previous years, we’ve made a special Valentine’s Day breakfast complete with pink milk and gave them a small fun gift! This year, we plan to keep those traditions up, but I’m also planning something extra for the whole family! Keep reading to find out what I have up my sleeve!
Breakfast:
We absolutely love these cinnamon rolls by Annie’s! They’re the best “store bought” ones we’ve ever found. On Valentine’s Day, I simply re-roll them into hearts before I bake them and then color the icing with a bit of red food coloring to add a little extra festiveness! I do the same to their morning milk!
Gifts for the kids:
I came across these adorable felt envelopes a few years ago in the dollar section at Target. I’m so glad I got them and had a friend put the kid’s names on them too! They are perfect to hold a card and gift card, which is what we give our kids on Valentine’s Day. (Creative, I know!) We usually find a funny card that they’ll appreciate, and then a $10 gift card to a favorite place. (FROYO, movie, candy shop/bakery, ice cream shop, restaurant, etc.) We give all three of them a gift card to a different place, so that the whole family can have 3 different “dates” when each gets to spend their card, which is a big deal!
Gifts for my man:
Let’s be honest, we all know what our hubby really wants for Valentine’s Day, but there might be another idea or two he will enjoy as well! For example, because Adam has always been into crazy and unexpected socks, last year I had custom socks made for him by Divvy Up! Sock Co. I had all three of the kids faces printed on them! He loved them and wears them for special occasions.
Over the years I’ve made him photo albums, coupon books for time together, had his favorite artwork framed, a sack of craw fish delivered (if you’re from Louisiana you get me!) and other simple things. This year, I plan to leave him love notes on the mirror (see the idea here, it’s #10) as well as make an iMovie of our memories. Both ideas are meaningful and totally free!
Treats for Classmates:
You know I love simple, affordable and all things that make my life easier, especially when it comes to class treats! I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll keep saying it… when you’re creating anything, KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE! This especially rings true when it comes to class treats and really anything created for kids! If it’s food, they care about if it tastes good! If it’s something to play with, they care about it being fun! Lastly, and most importantly, all they want to know is how to get it open! That’s it!
I always keep this in mind when spending my time and money creating class treats. I’ll share what my kids are taking to their classes, and maybe it will inspire your idea! Both ideas are on Bloom Valentine’s Day Pinterest Board.
New this year!
My new idea will be a total surprise! Be sure to tune in to my Instagram stories this week to see how fun it turns out. I bought some of the silliest, tackiest Valentine’s decorations I could find at Dollar Tree and I’m planning to decorate the inside of the car to surprise the kids! Adam and I are leaving to go on a marriage retreat Friday, but I thought decorating and celebrating with the kids on Thursday would be perfect. They don’t have school on Fridays, so they’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day with their friends that day anyway!
That’s our Valentine’s Day in a nutshell! Nothing fancy, but fun and special times with our family! Keep it simple and make it fun with your people this year!
Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo
