getting ready for Valentine's Day

I can't believe Valentines Day is in 2 weeks. Where did January go? I guess we kept so busy it just flew by. February is a short but sweet month thanks to Valentines Day. Any reason to celebrate is something I love. Valentines Day is a holiday that my husband and I usually celebrate at home instead of out to dinner. A "date night in" can be just as romantic or even more than a night out. I learned awhile back that going out to eat with all the others celebrating the same holiday just wasn't my idea of an intimate outing. The crowds, waiting for a table, and sometimes sub par food, drove us to think of other ways to show express our love and appreciate for each other. Plus, now as parents of young children, we've also made it a family holiday. During valentine's week, I usually have a few fun craft and baking activities for the kids to help with. I make their valentine's cards using photos of the kids and/or our family. I like these types of cards better than the little card kits sold for kids to pass out. This year I am taking advantage of shutterfly's valentines card promotion*. They have several card templates that make it easy to add personal touches and notes. I've made my own in the past, but the card templates shutterfly offers are not only very convenient, they are adorable.

As for gifts, I like personalized items make special gifts. I am considering making little photo books as gifts for the kids' teachers and therapists. Something that says how much they mean to us. There are so many photo gift ideas to chose from, so I'm still undecided. Better make a decision soon, so the gifts are delivered in time, huh?

I'm also considering making cute mugs as teacher gifts. I figure if they don't use it for coffee, it'd make a really cute pencil holder for their desks.

After a few months of sugary sweet treats, I almost don't want anymore candy. Almost :) At least with these gift ideas I'm sure to reduce our sugar intake a bit.

*Right now, shutterfly is offering bloggers 25 free cards for sharing what Valentine's Day means. I hope I touched on what it means to me. It's a holiday that we don't go overboard on, but do like to make a point to celebrate love and appreciation of those closest to us. Cute cards, sweet gifts, and a few fun activities make our Valentine's day complete :)