Nerdy Valentine's

We were scrolling through Pinterest the other day and my 6-year-old was set on having these "nerdy" valentine's to pass out to his friends at school.  The only problem is that I'm a little stingy with my printer ink.  While those cards were super cute and colorful we decided to make our own "low-ink" version.  So, if you are still looking for a cute valentine for your little ones these are a simple solution!  Just print, cut, and adhere a box of Nerds with glue dots.

I made a variety of colors so you can choose your favorite or print them all!  Happy Valentine's Day!

(Click on image to enlarge, copy, and paste into a Word document.)

A-MAZE-ING Valentines! (Printable Included)

I have so much fun helping my school aged kids come up with fun valentines to share with their classmates each year.  The challenge I like to give myself (weather it be Valentine's, Halloween, Christmas, or any holiday) is to come up with something that's doesn't involve candy.  I spied this idea over at Pinching Your Pennies and I loved it so much that I decided to create something similar.  What I love most about this valentine is that it isn't mushy.  I mean what third grader wants to tell each of their classmates that they love them?  Telling them they are amazing though is something everyone loves to hear!

I picked up these heart mazes at Michael's. They were on sale making a bag of 18 under $2.  I love that there is blue and red so the boys don't get stuck with a girly color.

It only took a few minutes to make up this quick printable.  We printed them out in several different colors for variety.

It didn't take long to cut them out and fill in the "To" and "From".

We then packaged them in cute little baggies to keep them contained--and because everything is more fun when it comes in a cute little baggie!

Want to make your own?  Feel free to use my simple printable below.  Simply click on image to enlarge, right click, copy, paste into a word document and adjust sizing.

Apple Cake (for the ones you love)

I love just browsing the children's section of the library.  I always find something new and interesting.  A few weeks ago I picked up the book Apple Cake: A Recipe for Love.

I wasn't sure that my boys would really like it but it looked like it might be fun so I picked it up and brought it home.  My 4-year-old loved it and insisted that we read it to his older brothers.  And guess what?  They loved it too!  

Throughout the book love-struck Alfonso is baking a cake to woo his love away from her books.  Will it work?  You'll have to read it to find out!  

At the end of the book you'll find Alfonso's recipe for apple cake which my boys couldn't wait to try out.  It was delicious--and it got gobbled up so fast that I was only able to grab a picture of the very last slice!

Apple Cake

3 small apples

2 TB butter, at room temperature

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

2 TB sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and slice apples into 3/4-inch size pieces and put them in cold water.

In a large bowl, beat together butter and 1 cup sugar until creamy.  Add the egg and beat until it is mixed in.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  Add this mixture to the batter and mix well.  The batter will be stiff.

Shake the water off the apples and gently stir them into the batter.  Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it evenly.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 TB sugar and the cinnamon.  Sprinkle the mixture over the cake batter.

Bake the cake until it pulls away from the pan and the top is golden brown--about 55 minutes.  (The cake will be moist and the topping will be crispy.)  

Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes.  Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  

(We also ate it for breakfast!)

This would be a fun read (and treat) for Valentine's day!  What are some of your favorite books about love?

Valentine Card Ideas

Each year I pull out our little $1 mailboxes from Target on February 1st.  From the 1st through the 14th my kids and I enjoy sending and receiving notes and treats from each other in our mailboxes.  It's become a fun little tradition my kids really look forward to.

With so much inspiration floating around on Pinterest I got a little more creative this year with some of my notes. 

My kids really got a kick out of this monster card.  They thought it was very clever.

 

(Inspired by this post)

How much do I love you?

(Inspired by this post)

I love you in sign language.

(Inspired by this post)

Who can resist a pop up card?
Here's the ultra simple version . . .

 And one that's a bit more difficult . . .

Making these cards made me appreciate so much more the beautiful pop-up cards my friend Rebecca makes.  They're a lot harder than they look.

Create a "thumb-body" using an ink pad to make your thumb print.  Last year our family send these out to grandparents saying, "5 little thumb-bodies love you" with each of our finger prints creating a "thumb-body".

(Inspired by this post)


I've had fun coming up with cute things to put in my kids mailboxes but I've also realized that the part they love most is seeing the little flag on their mailbox raised and knowing that they've got mail.  They would rather have 10 simple notes than one fancy one.

Find some of my past mailbox ideas here.

Valentine's Chex Mix

Amy is always great at coming up with healthy snacks--which I'm grateful for because I always use them!  But here is a little something for your sweet tooth.  I was recently making these for a large group and decided that I wanted a little variety.  This is what I came up with: 

Want to make some of your own?

Here is what you will need:

6 cups Rice Chex cereal

12 oz bag of white chocolate chips

1-2 tsp peppermint extract

optional: 

red sprinkles

valentine m&m's

red candy melts (I just threw in a few with the chocolate chips to give it a pink-ish hue)

Measure your cereal into a large bowl.  Dump your chocolate into a medium sauce pan on low heat.  Stir chocolate occasionally until it is completely melted.  Stir in peppermint extract to taste.  Pour chocolate into cereal, stirring gently until cereal is covered.  Add in any extras (m&m's, sprinkles, etc.)  Spread out on wax paper until cool.  Store in an airtight container.  

Enjoy!

Healthy Valentine Treat

Last year I helped my daughter throw a little Valentine party for some of her friends similar to the one we did two years ago.  This time we were trying to keep the sugary sweets to a minimum so we made these fruit kabobs for a healthy snack.

They were easy to make and were a big hit with the girls.  I'll for sure be making them again this year for my family.

Doily Garland

I've been looking for a fun valentine garland for my mantle.  Something fairly simple.  And then I was struck by this wonderful idea--and it didn't cost me a single cent.  I used only what I had on hand and it was all put together in less than 5 minutes.

All you need are heart-shaped paper doilies and a string or ribbon of some sort.  I used pink baker's twine.  I decided on two different colors and sizes.  Once you decide your pattern just start stringing the doilies on!  Seriously easy.  And the perfect addition to help us celebrate the month of love.

Valentine for School

After gathering all my favorite valentine ideas I couldn't decided which one to have my kindergartner share with her classmates.  When I found these cute valentine bouncy balls at the store I knew I'd have to use Kirsten's idea over at The Crafting Chicks.

I picked up some treat bags from the craft store and printed out the bag toppers here.

They went together very fast and my daughter is super excited to share them with her classmates.  I even had enough balls leftover for my son to give to a few of his friends.

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day with the ones you love!

Kid Art Heart Garland

Once again I was inspired by pinterest!  I had thought about making a heart garland to decorate for Valentine's Day--something with hearts and felt probably.  And then I spied this sweet idea!

I didn't have any good water colors on hand (the boys had dirtied up all the colors that last time they used them.  Why did I even keep them?!)  so we pulled out our pink, red, and purple crayons and markers. We even got a red ink pad out for fingerprints!

When we couldn't stand to color any more I cut their art into hearts to hang on some pink bakers twine in the kitchen.  The boys love it and so do I!

Valentine Craft

Valentine's Day is such a fun holiday to celebrate with your children.  It's nice to be able to take some extra time to show your sweet kids you love them.  But we can do that all the time right?  It doesn't have to be fancy or even cost anything.   I loved the 10 little tips over at Little Wonders' Days to show your kids you love them.  My favorite is warming up a towel in the dryer to wrap them in after their bath.  I remember my mom warming up our pajamas in the dryer for after our bath when my sisters and I were little.  That was my favorite.  And how come I've never done that for my kids?  I will now.


This year I decided to pick up those cute little mailboxes at the Target dollar spot for my kids.

  My kids have had a blast sneaking little notes into each others mailboxes.  They think it's so much fun.  I put a little something in their box each night so they have a surprise every morning to look forward to. Among the little notes and treats I've left I've also slipped in a magnetic bookmark, a felt heart pocket, these little felt valentine envelopes, and cupid's bow and arrows. I hope to make this a fun new tradition in our family.

My daughter and I have also been busy planning a Valentine's Day get together for some of her friends like last year.  It will be fun.


I spied this simple craft over at Little Page Turners and thought we'd have fun with it.  All you need is an empty paper towel tube, some paper, and some paint.

To start, bend your paper towel tube into a heart like this:

Then get your paint ready . . .

Dip your tube in . . .

And you can make the sweetest little hearts.  Perfect for Valentine's Day.

Have fun!

What simple things do you do for your kids to show you love them?