That Lovin' Feeling...

I'm typing this post after the SIXTH day school was canceled due to "inclement weather".

As I looked back at our Valentine-y pictures, I realized how far I had drifted from all the warm, fuzzy, lovey-dovey days to the dear-Lord-help-me-not-completely-lose-my-mind days.

In other words, I had Lost that Lovin' Feeling...

I think it would be therapeutic to mentally travel back to a happier time, back before snow days started threatening my sanity...

So, first up -- Making Valentine Love Shacks with my love bugs!

The Christmas season flew by without gingerbread houses getting checked off my holiday to-do list with the girls. I decided Valentine's would be just as fun with all the cute candies.

I set up little pre-made houses and filled muffin tins with all the candy decorations...

Most of the time I set up a craft for the girls, but I never actually join in.
This time I decided to get in on the fun, which they both loved and (truth be told) I loved too!

We came up with lots of names for our Valentine version of gingerbread houses.
Love Shacks, Cupid Cottages, Heart Day Chalets, Chapels of Love, and when we lined them all up Aubrey said, "It's 'Lovely Lane!'"

Whatever you want to call them, I definitely want to do this again next year.
It was much less hectic doing in it February rather than December!

Another little Valentine-y thing we did one day was make a giant geometric heart for the girls' bedroom. Aubrey had been learning all about 2-D and 3-D shapes at school, so I thought this would be a fun thing to make. Super easy -- just cut scrapbook paper diagonally and tape to the wall.

Oh, and this little treat was a HUGE hit in our house...Valentine strawberry brownies! Delish!

I made these for an after-school playdate when Aubrey requested something "girly" as a treat for her and her little friend.

We always have Family Movie Night on Fridays, so on Valentine's Eve I thought it would be fun to spice up the basement a bit. The girls flipped when they came downstairs for dinner and movie!

I made pink popcorn to munch on for dessert after dinner and during the movie. 

All you do is pop your favorite popcorn, microwave some candy melts, drizzle it over the popcorn (after you've picked out all the un-popped kernels), and mix it all around to coat the popcorn. Yum-O.

Candlelight dinners are certainly different after you have kids... ;)

The next morning, the girls woke up to a Valentine breakfast and packages waiting for them from their grandparents.

Daniel is famous in our house for his Saturday morning pancakes, but on this particular morning he surprised us with heart-shaped waffles (with chocolate chips, of course...).

And he snuck out before lunch to pick up a special "bouquet" for the girls. They loved it!

Everything was so lovely and fun...and then the snow hit.

 Which Miss Aubrey absolutely LOVED.

I mean really  LOVED...

While Mina and I decided we preferred being indoors with our big ol' mugs of hot chocolate!

Little did we know this would be the theme for the next FULL WEEK.

Thankfully the girls finally went back to school, and we've all officially started our countdown to Spring! 

It Was a Total Love Fest

I love Valentine's Day.

Reds, pinks, hearts, flowers, chocolates, love letters.

Ah, I love it all.

And having two girly girls that I love so dearly...well, I just can't help myself when it comes to Valentines!

Grammy and I joined forces for this little project. 

Starting February 1st, the girls woke up to a little Valentine funsie each morning.

I mean, who doesn't love getting fun mail?!

For Aubrey I wrote something I love about her on a pink doilie and hung it on her stairway wall each day.

I want to do this every year for the girls -- Aubrey just beamed when I read a new one each morning. It reminded me how important it is to build her up with positive words. Even simple ones like, "I love how your eyes sparkle when you smile and laugh." or "I love how you make up your own songs and dances. You're so creative!"

Here was the breakdown of little surprises for one munchkin:

(everything was from the DollarTree)

1. Valentine socks. 2. Fingernail stickers 3. Butterfly Headband 4. Wack a Pack 5. Notepad / Pencils 6. Stickers 7. Paint Your Own Suncatcher 8. Love Bug Magnet Craft 9. Moon Fairy 10. Q-tip Paint Notepad 11. Glow sticks 12. Scented Bubbles 13. Silly String 14. Candy!

Several of the items were crafts that the girls could do while stuck inside and others were just for fun. :)

We also made lots of heart-shaped treats leading up to February 14th...

Aubrey's preschool class was asked to make their own Valentines for classmates. I pulled out all our craft supplies, and Aubrey decided she wanted fairies for the girls, googly-eyed monsters for the boys, and bouquets of flowers for her teachers. With 3 teachers and 18 kids in the class, it took awhile...

But I'd say her perseverance and hard-work paid off -- her Valentines turned out so cute!

The day before Valentine's Day, I let the girls pick out some real flowers to take to their teachers. We used some craft paper we already had and made cone holders. Mina even had her Mommy and Me class so she was able to deliver her flowers too. It was so cute seeing her run up to her teachers saying, "FOR YOU! FOR YOU!"

On Valentine's morning, I had a trail of hearts for the girls to follow down for breakfast.

They squealed and giggled all the way. They both LOVED it! Have I mentioned before how much I love being a mom?! 

There was a NO CANDY policy for Valentines at school this year.

I know kids have allergies and what not, but seriously?

It's one day out of the year. 

It's a party. 

Live a little.

Besides, kids don't even eat the candy at school -- they take it home where the parents can filter out what they don't want their kids to eat (or like me, pick out what I want to eat...;)).

So, in protest of the NO CANDY policy, here was our Valentine Breakfast Menu:

Pink Cinnamon Rolls

Mini Chocolate Croissants

Powdered Donuts

Heart-shaped Eggs 

(I had to put something healthy in there, I am a mom afterall...)

Milk / Grape Juice

**And Bonus: CANDY**

The powdered donuts were the hit of the morning, which was hilarious.

I don't buy these, so it was a real treat in their mind!

I think this was the only broken heart in our house on Valentine's Day. :)

 I set the dining room table up later in the day with some sweet treats.

For dinner we went to a Mexican restaurant close to our house -- not exactly the most romantic setting, but it was perfect for our feisty little family of four! We rarely eat out, so the girls thought it was so special eating at a real restaurant!

After dinner it was time for desserts at home!
Strawberry cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries.

I tell Daniel every year, the only thing I want for Valentine's day is a big heart-shaped box of chocolates.
He always thinks I'm joking, but I'm dead serious.
I LOVE those!
My favorite piece out of the whole box is the chocolate caramel.
The day before Valentine's Daniel surprised me with a box filled with the most amazing chocolate caramels from Cleveland's own Malley's. They were TO DIE FOR.
Then, on Valentine's Day he hand delivered a HEART-shaped box of chocolates just for me. :)
He is the SWEETEST. Oh how I love that man.

Once we put the girls to bed, we snuggled up and watched the movie Love.
I've been wanting to see this for awhile, and it was the PERFECT Valentine movie.

It was kinda like an Asian version of Love, Actually.
Watch it for free here -- don't let the subtitles keep you from this gem.
You'll laugh, and you'll cry.
You'll love it.

Well, that about does it.
Until next year...

A Cheesy Valentine's Party!

And by cheesy, I mean Chuck E. Cheese-y!

Aubrey and I hosted a little Valentine Party for our beloved playgroup last Friday.
It was SO fun.

We had Valentine bags for each munchkin to take all their goodies home.

 

Oh, and I had to show a little love to the Mamas...Pinkitzel Cupcakes...Mmmm!

{Goodness knows we all needed an extra dose of sugar (and Tylenol) after this party! Haha!}

Overall, I'd say it was a fantastic day! 

 {I promise Aubrey wore shoes -- she had just been playing in the playground area (no shoes allowed)
 when she spotted Chuck E and made a mad dash over to him.}

The kids ate lunch and played their hearts out -- and I didn't have to mop my kitchen floor before or after! :)
Gotta LOVE that!

Thanks, Chuck!
 ______________________________________________________

Party P.S. Birthday party prices can be $$ at Chuck E. Cheese, but it's less than half the price when you book an "organizational" party. By the way, "Playgroup" fall under that category. :) For less than $6 per child it included: 2 slices of pizza, a drink (with refills), 16 tokens, 90 minute table reservation.

Party P.S.S. Parties on a weekday during the day are THE best. We practically had the whole place to ourselves!

Lundi Love

Disclaimer: This last Lundi Love isn't exactly lovey-dovey / warm-fuzzy.

My sweet niece, Anna, sent me an email about an organization called Love146 and thought I might want to feature it on the blog. I just recently finished this book, so this particular issue has been in the forefront of my mind lately.
I don't believe in coincidence -- her email/my book completion combined were providential.

So, what is Love146?
It's an organization aimed at ending child slavery and exploitation. Nothing less.

So, what does it have to do with Valentine's Day?
Well, each Valentine's Day, Love146 marks that day to celebrate broken hearts in supporting the on-going efforts to end child slavery and exploration. The motto of their Broken Hearts Club:

When is a broken heart worth celebrating?

When it changes the world.

A broken heart is the only qualification needed to join the fight to end child slavery and exploitation. 

If we celebrate our broken hearts, they will be our best tools to change our world.

This is Modern Day Slavery we're talking about. 
It's real. It's awful. And it makes people squirm when you bring it up.
But we HAVE to talk about it -- our hearts HAVE to break.
According to UNICEF, 1.2 MILLION children are trafficked each year.
1.2 MILLION CHILDREN.

Instead of buying flowers and chocolate this Valentine's Day to show your love, maybe you'll consider sending one of these?

Here's a quick video on how Love146 got their name. 

(You can also click here to read it).

Love146 History from LOVE146 on Vimeo.

_____________________________________________________

The protection of children isn't charity. It isn't part of a political program fitting somewhere between tax cuts and gun rights or between carbon emission caps and a national service corps. It's spiritual warfare. 

-- Adopted for Life by Russell D. Moore

Sunday Snapshots

Better get those lips ready...Valentine's Day is just around the corner!

Lundi Love

Last  Monday, I woke up to our heater not working. {Brrr.}

This Monday, I woke up to our fridge not working. {Drip. Drip.}

It would have been much more convenient if both had given out on the same day. 

Then I could have just salvaged our food by setting everything out around our frigid house. 

Oh well.

There are bigger problems in the world. 

We'll be just fine. 

Except for the ice cream. 

It's a goner.

So.

With it being kind of a crazy morning, this Lundi Love is gonna be pretty random (as if you couldn't already tell...).

With all things turning sour over here by the minute, let's focus on something sweet shall we?

Maybe some chocolate-covered strawberry cakeballs or strawberry fudge or double chocolate brownies?

Now that we've covered some tasty treats, why not find something fun to wear!

Have you heard of Ordinary Hero?
Their mission is to inspire and empower ORDINARY people to make an EXTRAORDINARY difference in the life of a child in need. They have some very Valentine-y apparel for you and your munchkin. Check it out.

By the way, I think the girl on the right has a sugar problem too.
But I like her spunk and that shirt, so I ordered it.
I'm actually wearing it right now as I type this...wanna see my pose?
{That ILOVEYOU is for you, Marjie.}

That naked, dancing munchkin also has a sugar problem.
We're working on it.
Well...starting after we make a quick trip to get more ice cream...
;)