Thursday, February 14, 2019

Happy Valentine's Day!


Happy Valentine's Day! It's been all about the chocolate and the sweet treats here lately. Here are a few of the goodies we've been making and snacking on.

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Truffles
Rice Krispie Treats and Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Sugar Cookies
Every year we give our boys something sweet to celebrate the day. When they were little, we'd give them Valentine themed books,little toys,etc. Now that everyone is older, we stick to edibles. However, I tend to get a bit nostalgic sometimes as I walk up and down the store aisles that are filled with all types of fun items. All of my boys loved Nickelodeon when they were younger, so when I spotted this,I couldn't help myself. I bought it. My youngest is quite the artist/cartoonist, so I think he will get a kick out of it, and I know someone will eat the "Splat" gummies inside for sure. Seriously, who doesn't love the Rugrats?
  
This year, try to take a moment to be intentional about this day. Sure, we all love the candy ,cards ,parties and other fun things about Valentine's Day, but try to think outside the box for a moment. Take the time to do something kind and unexpected for someone else. Use this day to make someone else smile. This year I've donated Girl Scout Cookies to the military and to other charities. I've also sent e-cards to children at various hospitals around the country..it took all of 5 minutes and means so much! I found that idea on Andrea's Momfessionals  blog. We sent a beautiful floral arrangement to a relative who is battling Parkinson's and  made a donation to a high school classmate who has been battling cancer. She had another surgery yesterday and is really going through a tough time. These are just some ideas, but it can be as simple as paying for someone else's coffee,or picking up something sweet for someone who needs a little lift.What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than by helping someone else?

However you choose to celebrate today, I hope it brings a smile to your face as well as the face of many others. For me, I get the most joy when I do something kind for someone else. I guess you'd call that intrinsic motivation...I truly enjoy making others happy. When I do things for others, it lifts my spirits as well, so it's a win-win for everyone!

   I hope your day is filled with love and naturally some chocolate.Have a sweet day!

Friday, February 1, 2019

Valentine Books for Kids

As the seasons change around here, so do the book selections. When my boys were younger, we would read to them every day. Now that they are older, while some of us still read together, they often are off doing their own thing. I used to love seeing the expressions on their faces when they were little and the would come home from school to see a new seasonal collection of books in their rooms. We have an extensive collection of children's books that we've collected over the years and today I am going to share a few of our February favorites with you. Some of them may be older,but you may be able to find them at your local library or on Amazon. I will add links for you where I can. Books make wonderful gifts for children!

   This book has always been a favorite because it is a fun filled collection of silly stories and poems. The illustrator is one of my favorites,Blanche L. Sims, and it has contributions from great authors such as Cynthia Rylant and Judith Viorst. The stories are short and sweet, just long enough for a quick read before bedtime.
  
We've always been fans of books by Wende and Harry Devlin . This is another tale from the Cranberry series. It's a cute story about Mr. Whiskers receiving valentines from a secret admirer after he tells Maggie and her grandmother that he never received a valentine before.  Definitely a fun read for kids.
   
Younger readers will love this story as well as many others in this series.  In Super Secret Valentine, Freddy wants to surprise his best friend Jesse with a special valentine but is afraid the other kids will laugh at him,so he wants to make sure he keeps it a secret. The books in this series are wonderful,especially for young boys, and because Freddy loves sharks, each illustration has the word "fin" hidden in it for readers to find. This was a great series for us ,especially with a shark lover in the house.
 
The Valentine Star, by Patricia Reilly Giff, is the story of first grade classmates preparing for Valentine's Day. Everything is going well until Emily Arrow is appointed class monitor and sees one of her friends leave her desk without permission. A fun read, with illustrations by Blanche Sims(who I love) in the older version. A great series for the younger set.
   
No holiday in our house was complete without a story or two from the Berenstain Bears. Here are a few for Valentine's Day.
Comic Valentine
More fun with this one.
They even have a fun activity book filled with stickers and puzzles. This would make a great Valentine's gift!
 A Charlie Brown Valentine ..always in our collection.

Another fun one.
More great characters for your little ones.We love Clifford!
Junie B. Jones is one of my all time favorites. She is spunky, funny and ever so lovable!
Amelia Bedelia never fails to delight with her literal way of viewing the world.
Nate the Great is another terrific series that will have your kids using their critical thinking skills to solve each mystery.
There are so many wonderful Valentine stories to choose from. I've listed a few of our favorites to get you started, but there are many more available with all of your children's favorite characters. It does not matter what level your children are reading at, let them pick whatever peaks their interest. It can be chapter books, comic books, beginning readers..it doesn't matter! What is important is that they are reading, and even more importantly, that we as parents take the time to read with them! Happy reading!


Here is the link for the Natasha Wing Book at the start of this post. A fun book!