Valentines Day Ideas
What are you doing for your spouse, or significant other, for Valentines Day?
What are you doing for your kids?
My kids have too many stuffed animals. Way too many stuffed animals. In the past I’ve gotten them a stuffed animal instead of chocolate treats, but I’m trying to come up with another option this year.
A few years ago I bought RK five pounds of shelled pistachios and he was soooo happy. Pistachios are his favorite. But I’m trying to come up with something different, but special, for him as well. I’m considering giving him a gift certificate for a massage. That’s kind of my fall back solution at the moment, if I can’t think of something special to give him.
I still have no idea what to do for the girls.
Oh, and I’m starting a new fashion trend with my nails. I polished them last night and waited a while before going to sleep. The outside was dry, but apparently the inside wasn’t quite solid yet. This morning, one hand has the imprint of my sheets on them. And there is no time to fix it.
February 10th, 2010 at 8:51 am
I have fallen in love with L’Occitane skin care products and know my husband has been secretly been using them too, so I bought him skin care from L’Occitane that is more suitable for his skin type. I just know he is going to be so thrilled….LOL! I never know what to get him though and this is the first thing I thought of and I am sticking to it!
I can’t wait until I have a little one to shop for Valentine’s Day (and every other holiday)….hopefully next year (oh how many times I have said that)!
I don’t know how many times I have polished my nails before going to bed and waking up with hair and sheet prints…so frustrating after spending all of that time painting them! Seche Vite dry fast top coat really helps to dry them quickly.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:03 am
I learned that lesson a few years back. I thought i would do my nails and let them dry , then go to bed. Ha Ha!!!
February 10th, 2010 at 9:34 am
As for Valentine to our daughter this year only a card, since we are celebrating Spring Festival and she will get new clothes, a red envelope with money and a small gift (new earrings). These she will get on Saturday and Valentine is on Sunday. But, I will give our family some chocolate hearts.
For my husband it will be something he really likes, but I can not write about it here ;-)
February 10th, 2010 at 9:41 am
We are making heart shaped sugar cookies and putting them on a stick (like a sucker), decorating, wrapping them up in pretty cellophane and ribbons and making them into mini bouquets. There will be a card, too. And yes, we also have way to many stuffed animals in every shape and size.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:00 am
My girls LOVE having a special time alone with each of us – “Mommy Day” or “Daddy Day”. We take turns spending alone time with each of them. It really doesn’t matter what we do since the time spent is what they enjoy. We have, though, gone to lunch, painted at a pottery place, a park, etc.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:12 am
We’re going to do a Valentines Day tea party this year with the girls and a couple of their friends. They’ll each bring a favorite doll or bear, make valentines for them (we have a ton of hearts, doilies, glitter, etc.) and decorate sugar cookies. I’ve got a good supply of fine china tea sets and vintage linens that I pick up at tagsales, Goodwill, etc., for just this purpose. The kids can enjoy using them without having to worry about them getting broken or stained. We’re a big “tea party” kind of family.
February 10th, 2010 at 11:18 am
For our boys, we just give them a small box of candy treats. (Necco Sweethearts, which are much better this year…I actually like them.) We don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day in our home. Sometimes, though, if dh or I knows the other is really wanting something, we’ll grab it. This year, for instance, I’m getting a music CD that just came out that I’ve been waiting for, and I’ve already given hubby his FM transmitter for his Zune.
February 10th, 2010 at 11:20 am
I always get my girls cute new spring pajamas for Valentine’s day. They get so much candy at school and preschool that I usually skip the candy.
February 10th, 2010 at 11:21 am
sweetpea, Skin products are a great idea for my husband, though I was leaning towards either a date night or the smoking hot (and expensive- ouch!) pair of new glasses that I just helped him pick out.
For the girls, we’re doing a Mommy Day at the bead shop where they can make real jewelry-type geegaws with my assistance. We’re doing it on Monday when they are out of school for Pres. Day but the bead shop is open. They are excited!
Yes, I thought of Webkins, but wow, I am so tired of picking up stuffed animals at this point. Jewelry is just smaller.
February 10th, 2010 at 11:37 am
I think the last time I had a manicure was for my wedding day, and that’s almost 10 years ago. I never do my own nails. My conviction is that people who have to clean their own toilets have no business getting their nails done. I just try to keep them short, but not too short, and clean, and I apply hand/cuticle cream several times a day.
We don’t make too big of a deal over Valentine’s Day — we’ll just exchange cards, and hopefully my husband will bring me flowers like he does every year. My daughter is using her snow day today to make Valentine cards for her preschool classmates. Maybe I’ll buy her one of those fancy big decorated heart cookies we saw at the market yesterday.
February 10th, 2010 at 11:55 am
I also do ‘date night’ with my girls…they get to pick what they want to do with just mommy! That’s what we’ll do for valentines!
For hubby? sometimes I check out what he has been looking at on ebay and surprise him with something he has been looking at…
February 10th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Dh and I are going out to dinner Sat night with my sis and BIL. We do not exchange on Valentine’s Day, other than cards.
Kids- just got them candy hearts and will take them to the movies and out to breakfast on Valentine’s Day.
February 10th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Books, board games for family night, movie..?
February 10th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Last year, I bought my husband a Frank Sinatra CD. The prior year, I ordered chocolate from John & Kira’s. This year, since my husband in out of the country 85% of the year, I am thinking about dinner for two somewhere with the help of a babysitter.
As for the girls, I usually by them valentine-themed tops or bracelots. We usually decorate heart-shaped sugar cookies.
Since Valentine’s Day and CNY fall on the same day, we might end up with a family night mixed with Chinese dinner and the sugar cookies. :)
February 10th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
We are having a combined Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner and early Valentine’s Day dinner on Saturday night at a very nice Chinese restaurant which we only go to on special occasions, and DD is putting on her party dress and coming along with DH and I. I have bought DD a book she really wants (pirate stories) as a present, and DH the latest series of South Park, which he has been dropping hints about for the last few weeks. Occasionally DH buys me flowers for St Valentine’s Day, but usually it’s something like a dvd or a computer gadget (we’re not romantic in a typical sense at our house!).
Jen-Simone
February 10th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Each year since my oldest two yahoos were four, I have made a valentines CD for them to play in their rooms. I pick 12 – 15 songs that “I LOVE” for them to sing and dance to. It is now a tradition (the oldest two are now 9 and the youngest two are 6) that they look forward to receiving each year. They ask me “mom what are you going to put on our CD this year” I like to pick old songs like “that’s amore…my brown eyed girl…love shack” Each year my kids ask to make a copy of the CD to give to their teachers and close friends. The CDs are easy to make and cost close to nothing and last for years.
Now don’t get me wrong…I am a sweet tooth A-holic but I try to keep it to a minumium since it can get overwhelming this time of the year. The CD’s are a nice twist.
On a side note, we also make birthday CD’s to give out as birthday thank you gifts for parties….no more goody bags…I get more thank you’s from parents for the CD’s and kids love them…
samba in sac
talesfromthebigtomato.blogspot.com
February 10th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
RQ, I am impressed that you paint your nails. I guess there is hope for me yet. I haven’t been able to paint my nails in 2 years!
I have a quick fix for those nail scenarios. Put an oily top coat on it will make them appear smoother. It’s faster than changing the polish. And it dries faster than another coat of the color polish.
February 10th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I had one of my husband’s favorite photos made into a canvas print by Shutterfly. I think lots of other photo developing places can do that, too. I can hardly wait for him to open it! My daughter is getting a special new dress for Valentine’s Day.
February 10th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
I just got two dozen roses at work and will have a date night with DH on Valentine’s Day, so I am already having a great V-day season. This is the first time since DD#1 came home. The last Valentines we spent together (just the two of us) was in Beijing, the night before we became a family.
I think I’ll get DH a card and a new computer for Valentine’s Day (although it was already planned.) The kids will get cards, M&Ms, heart pencils and jewelry/hair stuff.
K.
February 10th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
We’re all going to Tahoe for the three day weekend. Valentine’s Day isn’t a special day for us. Instead, we surprise each other when little tokens of love all year long.
Our two Kindergartners are exchanging valentine cards at school on Friday. They really don’t care about anything other than the little heart candies though!
? Happy Valentine’s Day! ?
February 10th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Hey, the little hearts didn’t show up! Instead, they were replaced by question marks! LOL
February 10th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
I sent our friend that lives in England’s daughter Mickey and Minnie Mouse Peez. It didn’t sound like Pezz was all that usual over in the UK and it appeared that she really liked it, she is 5 and if watched by her parents obviously, maybe she won’t eat to much sugar? As for the hubby………sorry, can’t tell you because he reads the comments. I will say, all his gifts are to use, and I have bottle of champagne, and I am going to make him a cheesecake. The only thing I know that I am getting is that he is going to make me is chocolate mouse, his chocolate mouse ROCKS and honestly, I am one of those people that doesn’t like chocolate.
February 11th, 2010 at 2:09 am
We won’t be doing much celebrating for V-day–it’s our son’s baptism and we’ll be much too busy with that!
But we still have Halloween candy left, so I didn’t buy the kids candy. I went for small toys this year. My daughter loves Littlest Pet Shop, and I got her one more small animal. It won’t add to the clutter because I won’t even notice it in the box with the rest of them (ha) but my daughter will be thrilled to open another one. I got another small toy for my son. Less concerned about his clutter–he’s only been home for a month and a half, so he doesn’t have the piles and piles of stuff that our daughter has.
February 11th, 2010 at 7:50 am
With all of the snow that we have, it might be fun to make a snow heart with the kids in the front yard and turn it red with red food coloring. hmmmm….no I’m not bored…it could be fun.
February 11th, 2010 at 8:17 am
My husband is not a “skin care products” kinda guy. If I were to get him skin care products there would be raised eyebrows and frowns. He uses ivory soap because he’s allergic to every other kind of soap on the planet, and the lotion that I can’t think of the name of – the non-allergenic non-smelling stuff.
We will be celebrating both Valentines Day and Chinese New Year. I see no reason why we have to choose between the two.
I try to show RK how special he is to me every chance I get. Valentines Day is kind of the day to show your loved ones that you care. I’ve got to be off work part of the day tomorrow to take TT to speech therapy, I’ll probably swing by the massage place and get a gift certificate for him. Nothing else is really coming to mind. He’ll love the massage, I was just trying to think of something different.
The girls bring home so much candy from school. So, for one thing, more candy isn’t special, it just ads to the stash. And for another, I refuse to add to the stash.
I kind of like the CD idea, but GG has her MP3 player, so she doesn’t listen to music the old fashioned way. I could make a folder for her and download it onto her MP3 player, but I don’t think she’ll see that as that special of a gift, she is pretty particular about the differences in her music and my music.
As for my nails – I didn’t polish them for about fifteen or twenty years because of the chemicals they put into nail polish. Only recently have they started making nail polish that isn’t toxic, and I’m enjoying being able to polish my nails again. If you put it on right it stays about ten days or so, and it only takes me ten or fifteen minutes to do the base coat, two coats of polish, and then top coat. I try to do it when I’ll be sitting and doing nothing for thirty minutes afterwards anyway, but apparently that’s not enough time if you’ll be going to sleep shortly thereafter.
I have never given someone money to paint my fingernails for me. I honestly don’t get that. It would take me longer to drive to an appointment and have someone do it then it takes for me just to do it myself. And I can do it myself really cheap. I don’t do anything fake, they’re just my nails with polish on them.
I like the idea of bracelets for the girls, I’ll have to see what I can find. Or maybe drop by the craft store and buy some beads and stuff, then we can make them. It’s going to be a busy weekend though, I’m not sure that we’d get to make them this weekend.