The Only Child Option

To be someone’s Valentine is to be loved by another. Romantic? Of course, but Valentine’s Day is not the sole property of loving couples. It can also be a wonderful day for loving families.

Here are some ways parents can use Valentine’s Day to introduce new family traditions and create some special memories for their children.

1. Food is often the way to the heart. How about getting the whole family involved in making a heart-shaped meal. Place a cookie cutter into a pan. Pour in an egg or some pancake batter to cook into a heart-shaped breakfast treat. Using a heart-shaped template, trim French toast or sandwiches into a heart-shaped lunch. A larger template can make a Valentine’s Day pizza a favorite dinner or evening treat. And don’t forget the heart-shaped cookies. Get the kids involved in the preparations, and let them decorate their heart-shaped goodies with pink sprinkles or red strawberries. They’ll love it that much more.

2. Kids love a Valentine’s fashion show. Have each participant, including Mom and Dad put together an outfit from items found around the house. The only rule is that the models can only wear white, pink or red. Get creative - a silk flower bonnet, a white tablecloth evening gown, a red sports equipment ensemble. Help younger ones who are unable to do it themselves. Then, invite Grandma and Grandpa to see the crazy ideas everyone has come up with to showcase their Valentine’s spirit.

3. Create a family gift that will keep on giving. Work together to create a jar of special notes — include anything that will make the other people in the family feel loved when they read them (a special memory about a great time together as a family, a meaningful poem or quote, something you love about every member of the family). Work on them individually or together. Then, over the next several months pull one from the jar during family nights and share it.

4. Set up a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt. Hide Valentine’s treats around the house with clues that lead family members from one spot to the next. This is an easy game to modify for children of different ages simply by setting different levels of difficulty for the clues.  Little ones can be given pictures and older children can follow written clues.

5. Instead of giving gifts, make “coupons” for each other. Every person could give one or two coupons to every member of the family to redeem whenever they want. Parents could exchange back rubs or a night off from the dishes. To their children, they can give an extra bedtime story, a special meal or treat. Children can make coupons up for their parents for hugs and kisses or a week of taking out the garbage.

Get creative. Put on your thinking caps and you can make great Valentine’s Day memories your family will treasure forever.

About the Author:
Jennifer Kirkpatrick is a busy mom of two and an entrepreneur who creates and sells unique items for kids of all ages. Visit her online store Pipsqueak Boutique for great baby gifts. And check out her clothing line, Define*Me Clothing for fun personalized kids clothes.

On 01-01-10 my little boy will be 5 years old.  My goodness - where has the time gone?  It seems like just yesterday he was learning to walk.  I know, I know, I will be saying that my whole life! LOL

I went back to work 7 months ago and I feel like I am missing a lifetime of experiences with Joshua.  I drop him off at school in the morning and get home 12 hours later.  Do I love my job? Yes!  Am I glad I have a job in the current economy?  Yes!  Do I miss my son?  Yes!  Such is the quandary so many of us find ourselves in these days.  I thought with him in school full-time, I would be free to go back to work full-time.  My job extends past his school day and during the summer so it has been a tug-of-war with my heart since the day I started.

Ladies, don’t take the decision to go back to work lightly.  I did - I had no idea how much it would change my life.  Staying home isn’t for everyone.  Some people are wired to work outside the home and come home energized.  Most nights I come home dead-tired.

As with the decision on whether to have 1 or more children, there are no clear-cut answers.  All I can do is present my experiences so you can make the best decision for you and your family.  Cheers as we ring in the New Year.  May 2010 be better than 2009!

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I have been enjoying a wonderful resource for a while now and thought I would share it with the rest of my readers.  It is a website called Families with Purpose.  It was founded in 2003 by parents struggling to create a nurturing family life while balancing the demands of everyday life.  It is dedicated to helping all those busy families find time for the little things in life.

Well, I would have to say they have been successful in staying true to their mission.  I have many of their products including the Family Getaways Organizer, the Weekly Meal Planner, and the Mom’s Plan It ListMaker.  Each of these items have become invaluable tools in my everyday life.  I also have a Mom’s Family Desk Planner that I can’t live without.  It keeps my lists and daily activities and appointments in the same place.  It lives on my desk and if I lose it, I am in big trouble!

Polly Schlafhauser also writes a blog that I enjoy immensely called Our Busy Family Life.  So go check it out!

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN’T LOOKING

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind
to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I heard you say a
prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each
other.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of
your time and money to help people who had nothing,
and I learned that those who have something should
give to those who don’t.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’ t
feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it’s all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I learned most of
life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I looked at you and
wanted to say,’ Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn’t looking.’

I have no idea who wrote this; it wasn’t me….I received it in an email and thought it was good enough to share.