Valentines

Okay, I confess. We didn't do 100% handmade Valentines. And I'm a little disappointed with myself. I had lined up doing lollipop flowers with my daughter to have her give her friends... I even found lollipops that were more like sweet tarts. But then a note came home from school asking us not to send candy or gum. And rather than rework my plan, I caved and bought Hello Kitty Valentines. I mean, you can't beat $2.50. I feel guilty about cheating her of that creative time with mom. But we did sit down and sign them together. To my surprise that took all of 5 minutes. That girl is good at writing her name!

But we did follow through with the idea for my son's Valentines. He loves the die cut machine at Ben Franklin's. So I decided we'd make a trip there and die cut some owls. I bought some individually wrapped Life Savers for the eyes. We printed "Who's Your Valentine" on each one (that was a little too much writing for him), stuck it on with a heart sticker and he signed the back. We were both very happy with how they came out and we finished all 24 of them within half an hour.

Normally, I really don't like my kids getting candy. And whenever they bring home their Valentines, I cringe at the ones that have candy attached to them. But I can't seem to stop myself when the candy is actually incorporated into the design of the Valentine.

With Valentines behind me, it's on to celebrating my daughter's birthday who turned 4 today. And while she is a handful and I often find myself talking about our struggles with her... I have to admit, I wouldn't have her any other way. Happy Birthday Lyssie!