Ok, so I am jumping the gun a little with writing about Valentine's day! I was just searching ideas for valentine gifts...mostly for teenagers! We as a family do not spend alot of money on material gifts for valentines day. When the kids were little I would decorate their bedroom doors with hearts, send them a heart shaped sandwich to school, send chocolate kisses, bake special heart-shaped cupcakes and of course with out fail a lovely letter or card expressing how much we loved them. As they get older I find it harder to articulate how much I love them..plus I want to do it with a personal touch. I did come up with some ideas, maybe a coupon book with fun things in it, like going shopping, trip to the zoo, afternoon picnic, special dinner night...there are a ton of ideas. I love the idea posted above with candy jars..my kids would love those, and they could be personal too..filled with their favorite candies.
As a family we have a few times cooked a particular dinner with all of us involved, we had given the kids certain jobs so they could help out! It was fun, we had wine, and the kids joined us with wine glasses filled with sprite. We had appetizers, lobster tail, garlic shrimp and dessert. Naturally we had romantic music playing the background, it was one of my favorite Valentine day's. I am not a huge fan of going out on Valentine's night for a dinner, especially if it's during the week. It just gets too busy and then you feel like the restaurant needs your table for the young couple eagerly waiting at the bar. Don't get me wrong, Paul and I went to the Golden Kiwi last year and it was wonderful. When the kids were really little I wanted to get out of the house, so going out to dinner was a great idea for valentines day. But, once they became school age it just became more difficult to get out the door in time for the reservations and sometimes there would be a phone call during the meal because someone wouldn't stop playing their music so loud, or they couldn't agree on a t.v. program. Today however, not having as much quality family time as I would like we have decided to stay at home with the kids and cook great, adventurous meals that are different and fun. Paul and I get out alone way more now that the kids are teenagers, so going out for dinner is not as exciting as it use to be...we can do that anytime. So, this year once again I think we will discuss as a family what we would like to cook, jump in and get our hands dirty and prepare a splendid dinner for 4. Not only do we have family time, a great dinner, and some romance on the side.....but we are teaching our kids the importance of romance..making your partner happy and doing nice things for them, and the beautiful part is not spending too much money! Valentines day is about spending time with loved ones and showing them how much they mean to you. Stick to simple, creative plans and this year can be one to remember.
These are just some of the many homemade Valentine's Day gifts that you can make for your guy or girl. They will be much more meaningful then a box of chocolate from Hallmark. Take these as inspiration and try to come up with your own ideas to share with the rest of us!
Read more at Suite101: Homemade Valentine's Day Gifts from the Heart: Unique Gift Ideas for a Romantic February 14th http://dating.suite101.com/article.cfm/homemeade_valentines_day_gifts_from_the_heart#ixzz0dvdSChj1
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