A Mom’s Guide to Valentine’s Day from City Moms Blog Network

0

Remember when Valentine’s Day was all about you and your significant other? Romantic dates, sappy greeting cards, roses delivered to your home or work…February 14th sure takes on a new meaning when you become a mom!  Time to find (or make) the perfect Valentine’s treats for classmates and teachers, plan a fun craft or game for the preschoolers, and bake some adorable heart-shaped cookies for snack time.  Oh, and still try to plan a romantic date night for that significant other!!

At City Moms Blog Network, we want to make this love-filled holiday just a bit easier with our Mom’s Guide To Valentine’s Day, so you can focus on what’s truly important. Along with our Sister Sites, we have compiled a guide full of all things Valentine’s Day-related, from delicious (and super cute!) recipes, to DIY and craft projects perfect for the kids, as well as date night ideas and traditions  to start with your whole family!

Simple Cheddar and Swiss Fondue

I love any excuse I can use to share a romantic meal with my husband. Eating out often proves expensive, though, and we don’t want to spend our Valentine’s Day or other holidays waiting for a table at a restaurant. So we have become creative about making our own romantic meals at home.

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

These beautiful little cookies are the perfect treat to make with your kids during the Valentine’s Day weekend.

 

Buckwheat Butter Crisps {Gluten Free}

Traditionally, these cookies are made from five ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and flavorings. They are commonly served during Christmas, but are sometimes prepared for Valentine’s Day as a nice treat. They come from Germany and are known as a spritz cookie.

 

Strawberry Granola Parfaits

These Strawberry Parfaits are delicious and naturally sweet. They’re healthy too, but you don’t have to tell anyone. These are an easy way to get the kids to eat better too.

 

Valentine’s Day Peppermint Patties

I’m a firm believer in telling my family I love them multiple times a day, but heart-shaped peppermint patties also are an excellent way to spread some Valentine’s Day cheer!

So take a break from your New Year’s Resolution Diet…and make some of these yummies…you won’t be sorry!

 

Cupid’s Chocolate Treats

  A friend of mine always made these yummy pretzel desserts and would bring a tray of them to parties. I couldn’t help but take her recipe. They were delicious and not too difficult to make!

 

5 Easy Valentine Treats

 It’s so much fun to watch them celebrate their friends, create Valentine’s for people they love and, of course, make treats!  I have five very easy treats to share with you, and I do mean easy, because if there’s anything to love about children, it’s that they find magic in even the smallest things!

 

Peanut Butter Heart Cookies

 Peanut Butter Heart Cookies are a fun take on traditional peanut butter blossoms. Instead of using Hershey’s kisses, though, you can use Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts to give them a Valentine’s Day feel. The peanut butter inside the candy also compliments the cookie flavor.

 

Valentine’s Day Cookie Pops

I love baking cookies. And I especially love decorating them. These cookie pops are one of my favorite ways to serve them. Kids love them (I mean, what kid doesn’t love food on a stick!?) and they’re really easy to package as gifts.

 

Valentine’s Day Desserts

Happy Valentine’s Day! May your day be filled with love and sweets!

Quick and Cute Valentine Ideas for Less than $20

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, the Valentine exchange is impending. Are you ready? Did you pick up the $4 box of Valentines from Target, or are you still debating what to do?

Easy Homemade Valentine’s Craft for the DIY Challenged

Are you a crafty diva? Do you make weekly trips to Michael’s and Hobby Lobby? Is your glue gun one of your most prized possessions? No? Well, thank goodness I am not alone!

30 Non-Candy Valentine’s Gift Ideas for Kids!

As a mother I am trying to teach my kids to make healthier decisions. Candy in moderation is okay, but it’s hard to keep your family in check when the mini chocolate bars, lollipops and sour patch kids are just a tempting reach away.

You Little Love Bug:  Valentine’s Day Craft

I call my daughters “love bugs” a lot…So often that my three year old sometimes calls her baby sister “you little love bug!” So, in our house, this was a perfect theme for a Valentine’s Day craft!

52 Things I Love About You: A DIY Spouse Gift

 This gift is easy and so inexpensive. You may even be able to make it without taking a trip to the store! And you’ll be able to whip it up in under an hour. So if you need a thoughtful, last minute gift, this is the way to go! 

15 Free, Easy and Adorable DIY Valentines

 In the past we’ve done boxed Valentine’s from the store, but I can’t resist these FREE printables from the web! If you’re looking to think outside the box (see what I did there?) then look no further than this post!

2 Easy Valentine’s Crafts

 I’m going to share not one, but two easy Valentine’s crafts that even the most amateur crafter can master. The best thing about these projects is that they are kid friendly and they can be completed in a couple of hours!

No Candy, No Problem on Valentine’s Day

 Hope these make things just a little easier for you this Valentine’s Day!

 

Valentine’s Day Crafts

 I love to do crafts! I especially love to do them with my kids. Sometimes I love the idea of doing them with the kids more than actually doing them, but you know what I mean. I try to keep things simple, so it’s easy to do a few minutes and stop if they aren’t interested, which happens a lot with these crazy boys.

 

4 Free Valentine’s Day Printables

Hope you enjoy these freebies! You’ll be guaranteed to look extra snazzy with these around the home or on your phone!

 

Easy Valentine’s Crafts for Kids

There are so many fun crafts, activities, and recipes out there that you can do as a family, and with a little preparation, they make great ways to spend time with the people you love.

Sharing love with the people you love – that’s what this day is all about!

 

Green DIY Valentine’s Day Cards

 Every Valentine’s Day approximately 1 billion greeting cards are exchanged. It is the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, (Christmas is the largest with an estimated 2.6 billion cards sent)! That’s a lot of loving sentiment, but also a lot of waste after the holiday is over…

DIY Valentine’s Day Gift

 Let your imagination run with this one!  Happy crafting!

Non-Food Valentines for Kids

 I know it seems like the best idea to head to your favorite shopping mart and have your little one pick out a bag of candy and a couple boxes of those perforated valentines cards–but there are some compelling reasons to re-think that decision.

Nothing Wrong With Store-Bought

 I am not apologizing for my store-bought valentines. I like them and so do my kids! I actually enjoy taking my kids to Target and letting them pick out their favorites.

I Heart My Teacher!

Let’s show those teachers a little love! Have you thought about Valentine’s Day yet? What will you make for your child’s teacher this year?

Easy DIY Valentines

Have you thought about Valentine’s Day yet? What are you making this year? 

 

Valentine’s Day Cards: Free Printable!

As much as I enjoy crafty projects, we still usually end up tearing through a store the day before V-Day looking for cards and candy to hand out to friends. But not this year!  

 

DIY Love Sign: The Perfect Gift With Baby Feet 

This was a huge hit in our family and I’m sure your family and friends will love it too!

A Valentine’s Day Countdown Calendar 

  I know, I know…it is a little early for Valentine’s, but I just love this holiday so much that I figured I would start my decorating a little early! So instead of only celebrating this day of love on February 14th, we are going to spread our love over a few weeks by using our Valentine’s Day Countdown Calendar!

Valentine’s Day Printables! 

 In a crunch or want to spruce up the family table? Download these two 5×7 Valentine’s Day printables that are designed to be used as either last-minute cards or stand-alone prints!

Simple Candy-Free Valentine’s Day Ideas for Class 

For those who like to stay away from prepackaged foods, here are a few ideas I came up with that I feel are just as sweet and wholesome, without the guilt.

Love Bugs: A Mini Valentine’s Day Craft 

I love all the heart shaped candies, the flowers, and all the red and pink colors, but my most favorite thing is watching my kids get home from school with all their Valentine’s Day snacks and treats! It is truly heart warming for them to feel so much love and kindness from their class room friends and teachers.

Easy Personalized Photo Valentine’s Cards 

I ran across this idea several years ago and we’ve used it every year since because it is so fun and my kids love it. And it’s SUPER EASY!

Non-Candy DIY Valentines 

We are not anti-candy in our house. However, I’d like to finish off what’s left of the Trick-or-Treat buckets to make room for the chocolate bunnies and Cadberry Eggs.

If you’re looking for non-candy Valentines, the internet {Pinterest, specifically} is a wealth of knowledge. Seriously, what did we do before search engines?

DIY Valentines & Printables

If your kiddo will be exchanging valentines this year, try out one of our free printables that you can attach to a unique, non-candy treat to give away at school or to neighbors. Punch a hole and tie it up with some coordinating ribbon for a quick, DIY idea for them to celebrate with all their lovely friends.

Love is in Bloom: A Paper Flower Tutorial

I need decorations that can span a whole season and not just a particular day. That’s why I’m sharing with you this paper flower tutorial that is not only easy to customize, but also is perfect for Valentines day… into spring… into summer if you really want.

Ideas for Showing Love in Your Kids’ Lunch

Whether you feel it is fun or a chore, these few ideas of showing love in your kid’s lunch might be an easy way to make it more fun for both of you. Not to mention, with Valentine’s day just around the corner, you can try some of these ideas throughout February for fun!

Free Printable Non-Candy Valentines

What do you like giving out as Valentine’s Day treats?

A Stay-at-Home Date with Your Sweetie

What if you A) forgot to make a reservation and now it’s too late? Or B) can’t find a babysitter since they’re already all taken? Or C) Would rather just stay home to celebrate? Here are some ideas for you to try if you want to bring a little extra love into your home this Valentine’s Day with a stay at home date.

Family Date Night Ideas

Dinners for two are mostly a thing of the past, and it is time we embrace it! So if you are preparing for a family Valentine’s Day, here are some fun ideas on how to spend it together!

Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

However you choose to spend your Valentine’s Day, the only requirement is that it is spent in the company of a loved one.

How do you like to spend your Valentine’s Day?

Fuss-Free Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

If you’re like us and don’t want a big event this year, here are some sweet little Valentine’s Day Date ideas that will not only save on time waiting for your table, but will also save on your pocketbook!

5 At-Home Date Ideas for Valentine’s Day

So here are a a few ideas that I gathered from fellow moms that will help put some focus back on each other; and hopefully, will remind you how lucky you are to be in love with such a wonderful person.

Stay at Home Valentines Dates

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Will you  be staying in or going out on the town?

Stay at Home Valentines Dates

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Will you  be staying in or going out on the town?

What My Son Taught Me About Celebrating Love

We’ll instill in him the understanding that it’s not Valentine’s Day that matters; it’s what Valentine’s Day reminds us — that it’s important to show our loved ones that we care about them, ideally every day. But for now, I’ll enjoy his innocence. And all the heart-shaped paraphernalia that goes with it.

A Valentine’s Day Countdown Calendar

I just love having another excuse to love on and remind my family how special they really are. And…I also love any excuse to create a cute little decoration!

10 Easy Galentine’s Day Ideas

Here are some of my favorite, easy ways to remind your circle just how much they mean to you on February 14th…and beyond!

Valentine’s Day Traditions for the Family

I think it is very valuable to teach our kids how to be Day Makers year round, and have conversations encouraging them to be kind and loving to others. Valentine’s Day is for everyone, single or not, child or adult. Let everything we do, be done in LOVE. I don’t know about you, but I can always use this as a reminder.

Making Valentine’s Day Special for Your Kids

Why not celebrate the little loves in your life and let them know how much you love them, too?

Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling.

Celebrating Love Without Valentines

Valentine’s Day can be simple. It can be a day to celebrate love of all kinds with everyone. Love IS something that should be celebrated in all its forms and expressions. I absolutely believe in love and celebrating the ones I love. I just don’t do it on Valentine’s Day in a Valentine’s way.

Show Them The Meaning of Love

Love is a powerful word, a noun that could imply so many things and yet it might be one of those words that people freely say. If we looked deep into the meaning of the word are we really ready to own what we are really saying to the people we say it to???

Want To Go On A Lunch Date?

 Then it hit me: since I work outside the home part-time, we ALREADY had a babysitter on Valentine’s Day.  We didn’t have a sitter in the evening, but we had childcare DURING LUNCH. 

So, what are you most thankful for this holiday season?