Great Valentines Ideas

I LOVE Homemade Valentines! LOVE LOVE them! Love making them. Love giving them. Love cutting up lots of red and pink paper and sprinklin' glitter and glue. Fun! I'd like to appoint myself the queen of the homemade Valentine, but most of my ideas come from the yearly Family Fun February issues, so maybe I'm not so great after all.

It's so funny the phases kids go through. Up until my kids were about 2nd grade they thought my Valentine's projects were incredible, I was brilliant, and couldn't wait to get involved in my projects. About 3rd - 5th (younger for boys) there comes a period of indifference, "as long as you make them all, I'll give them, I guess." Followed by a discovery that cheesy commercial Valentine's blanket the isles of every store in America and a, "Mom, why can't we just give people NORMAL Valentines?" Then, it rebounds apparently and at 13 Ally now has the maturity to recognize the superior quality and creative genius of the handmade Valentine.

So I'll be sharing several projects in the upcoming weeks- the link below gives you step by step and PRINTABLE template for an awesome Alligator? Crocodile? Valentine. Very cute and simple! I made these last year for my kids.

http://skiptomylou.wordpress.com/2008/02/06/id-snap-at-the-chance-to-be-your-valentine/

I like to drag out a holiday, so I like to have a special treat for every school day the week of Valentine's waiting for them on our school table each morning. Nothing elaborate. This year here's some of my ideas-

• Baggie of Chex muddy buddies with card attached -? Your my Muddy Buddy? - not sure, I'll think of something. I've just really been wantin' some muddy buddies & needed an excuse to make some.


• Baggie of Lucky Charms & a sweet note for each child telling them why I am Lucky to have them.


• Silly Banz Rings (jungle animals) and a card that says, "I'm wild about you!" I found a big pack of these for a dollar on clearance somewhere.


• A note written out of glued on candy hearts. We usually do this for writing around Valentine's and they compose a whole story.


• Chocolate kisses with a sweet note - just because they love them.