Hello There, Non-Candy Valentine Treat!

Hello, there!  After nearly a whole week of no blog updates, I feel like I should have something phenomenal to share with you... something big! But, sometimes, being a Mom, Wife, Sister Daughter & Friend takes precedence over all else.

Nothing extraordinary has happened. I was sick. My son was sick.  We had snow, school and sports, of course. We were celebrating two very important birthdays with family. Then, there's all the everyday 'mom' stuff like work, cleaning, taking care of the kids, and the never ending task of matching socks!

Now, we're all healthy and we're getting ready for Valentine's Day! I got some super cute Valentine cards from Shutterfly for my kids to hand out at school. Both of my kids wanted the orange cards which made me really happy. In the photo below, I blocked out my son's name and photo, but you can still see how cute they are. I love these personalized cards and I think they go perfectly with a little clementine.  It's a nice, healthy, non-candy Valentine treat!

What do you think? Do you have your kids' Valentine's cards ready or are you going to whip something up at the last minute?

I will definitely be posting more this week. See you then!

Easy Kid's Craft: Valentine Paint Chip Bookmarks

Is it just me, or do all the things in your house seem to break at the same time. We've been spending way too much time at Home Depot recently, but, luckily, it gave me a chance to pick up a few paint chips for a quick little Valentine craft.

I got the idea for this craft when I saw Valentine bookmarks on Pinterest. I decided to change them up a bit and make heart shape bookmarks instead.  This is how to make them:

Choose a paint chip in whatever color you like.  Since we're so close to Valentine's Day, I chose pretty shades of pink.

Take a heart cookie cutter or stencil and trace out your hearts.

Cut out your heart. Punch a hole in the corner.  I prefer to use a hole punch that makes a smaller circle, because it's a little more discrete. Then, cut a piece of ribbon and pull it through.

This project is really easy, inexpensive and I think the results are super cute. Mel, the Crafty Scientist has an amazing Pinterest board full of very creative Paint Chip Crafts.  Are you getting crafty this Valentine's day or making it simple and using store bought cards?

What is unconditional love?

There are so many inspiring quotes out there, but this one (shown right) really touched my heart. It's almost Valentine's day and love is in the air, but nothing is more precious that Unconditional Love.

So, what is unconditional love?

Unconditional love is known as affection without any limitations. Each area of expertise has a certain way of describing unconditional love, but most will agree that it is that type of love which has no bounds and is unchanging. It is a concept comparable to true love, a term which is more frequently used to describe love between lovers. By contrast, unconditional love is frequently used to describe love between family members, comrades in arms and between others in highly committed relationships. An example of this is a parent's love for their child; no matter a test score, a life changing decision, an argument, or a strong belief, the amount of love that remains between this bond is seen as unchanging and unconditional.

Source: Wikipedia

There are so many Valentine themed events going on this time of year to help you connect with your kids.

Check the Best Blogs for Local Fun to see what's going on in your area.

Valentines: Wall, XOXO, Yummy Pastries, and Wild Zebras!

This has been quite a week! The ABC's of Valentine's Day has been such a fun series and today we're wrapping up with W,X,Y,Z.  These last few letters are going to take a bit of creativity, so let's se how it goes.

W for Wall -  This is no ordinary wall!  Learn how create an entire Valentine Wall from Balancing Home. It's complete with Valentine balloon topiaries, a wreath, framed art and a pennant.

X is XOXOXO {Hugs and Kisses} - Here is a cute Hugs and Kisses printable for Valentine treats by Sew Dang Cute.

Y is for Yummy and my friend Darcy has got us covered! Get your kids in the kitchen and make these delicious heart shaped pastries for a special someone {as shown above}. Aren't they gorgeous?

Z is for Zebra - Now that so many schools are implementing healthy eating practices, it's nice to have an sweet-free alternative for Valentine's treats. Check out these I'm Wild for You Valentine's by Design Mom

Thank you so much for joining me this week. If you want to check out more ABCs series by some other great bloggers, you can check out the full list of ABC Bloggers here. I have so much more planned for the year ahead. See you soon!

Unconditional Love & Vintage Valentine Printables

Welcome to Day 4 of the The ABC's of Valentines Crafts, Recipes and Kid's Activities! Yesterday, I featured yummy Valentine's snacks, but today is 100% calories free!  It's time to check out U & V of this special series.

U is for Unconditional Love - In the spirit of the holiday, KC Adventures shows us 6 Easy Ways to Love Your Child on Valentine's Day.  These ideas are simple, full of love and fun!

V is for Vintage - Have you ever seen the Graphics Fairy Website? I've been a fan of this site for years and it has a fantastic collection of vintage Valentine illustrations and clip art.  You can use them for DIY Valentine's cards, crafts and decorations.  Here's a sample of what the site has to offer:

If you're loving this Valentine cip art, head on over to the Graphics Fairy Website to see her amazing collection of vintage Valentine images.  I think I'm going to print out some of these images and let my kids make homemade Valentine's cards this year.  What do you think?