DD made DH a craft bag and filled it with some chocolates and a card. We did this on Sunday. I have the same chocolates to give to DH but will fill one of his beer mugs with them and prop the card into that. So very low key. Everyone is working/going to school on Thursday so have a quick crock pot dinner planned because going out at 7pm just sounds disastrous.
Still don't know if DD's school is allowing the kids to celebrate this year. I'm hoping to have a note in her Tuesday folder tonight. Last year we had the big ruckus with them cancelling Valentines. DD did pick out a package of 32 cards and wrote her name on all of them and is planning on taking them with her to school. If she can't hand them out in class then she will give them to the kids at aftercare.
I know DH got me a card and got me a card from DD as they had to go out shopping Sunday. DD threw a big stink about having to go out and told him they should have done it on Saturday when they were out wandering.
We made 40+ Valentines for all 3 kids (DD is in 1st grade, DS1 in preschool/pre-k, and DS2 in daycare) to exchange. We found the design online and it uses a stick of gum, lifesavers, smarties and rubber bands to look like an airplane. I had to do most of the construction but the older kids were good about writing their names. DD even wrote little poems on the tags that said things she came up with like "Roses are red, violets are blue, I sit next to you."
I got the kids little gift bags and put some small things in - new underwear, stickers, window clings, some candy hearts.
DH and I will exchange cards. We have our normal every-other-week date night on Friday and will go out to a new restaurant for dinner (which we likely would have done regardless of Valentine's Day).
I'm hosting my book club on Valentine's Day itself. I host it at my parents' empty condo near my house so DH doesn't have to try to put the kids to bed while I eat and drink wine with everyone. It was one of the few dates we were all free for the month, and we all decided we wouldn't be doing anything special on Thursday night anyway. If anyone wants a book recommendation, we read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and it was awesome. I couldn't put it down. It's normally not the type of book I'd ever pick up - I'd describe it as "realistic post-apocalyptic" - it involves a flu pandemic, but now I'm recommending it to everyone I know.
I got the kids some candy. DH and I had a steak dinner Sunday since he has to work late Thursday. We are both trying to watch what we eat, so I got him a tshirt with his favorite sports team and he bought me a pair of Nike running shorts. I don't need the temptation of candy in my life, I still have some I got for Christmas.
The kids are doing store bought Valentines and candy for classmates. That's about as creative as I get.
DH gets nothing. I get nothing. We're doing a date night on Friday, which I'd really rather not do, and on Saturday, a friend is hosting a "Galentine's Day" girls night.
Kids have parties at school/sitters house. I ordered a cute little Valentines day file from etsy and attached them to little boxes of cereal. On the actual day we will be running kids from one sport to the next. We usually do a "fancy" family dinner - steak, asparagus, sparkling grape juice, etc. DH and I are going to Vegas next month so my gift is tickets to see Celine while we are there. His gift is that he gets to come along since its really a work trip
Post by mustardseed2007 on Feb 12, 2019 17:19:44 GMT -5
I am picking up some special iced cookies for DS' teachers tomorrow that I preordered. DD is giving her teachers a flower each and a card. Why didn't I order DD's teachers cookies? I. Do. Not. Know.
DS only has 10 kids in his class so we did goody bags with chocolate kisses a valentine he picked out and a pokemon card for each kid too (hilarious but everyone loves those things at his school).
For DD's class I bought these fun dollar store cards that have a dinosaur eraser attached. I love them! I wrote her name on all of them for her and she did intricate drawings on all 24 of them saying which one was for which person...I hope to God she doesn't try to match them to the kid's bags when we get to school on Thursday...I'm suddenly very afraid.
Kids did goody bags and store bought valentines. I put Rice Krispie treats, goldfish, cheeze-its, and skittles in some combination in them, taking allergies, diabetes, etc into consideration.
I bought tenderloin tails for DH and I to have on Thursday, but he just told me he’s heading to his mom’s Thurs instead of Fri. Oh well. Maybe Chinese for me?
Post by librarychica on Feb 12, 2019 20:23:54 GMT -5
The kids picked out and prepped some basic card packs for their classes — one chose a puppy card with pencils and the other unicorns with stickers. I will buy us all some heart-shaped cookies. That’s all, here.
Normally we do a nice dinner at the house and I get a card. I am not sure we are doing anything this year. This week has been filled to the brim and we are exhausted.
Remembered last night. Low level of success getting DS to stick erasers to cards. Neighbors were over and even an audience didn’t increase his compliance. DD will finish hers tonight.
DH’s trip was cancelled so he’s here. I think he got me new running shoes. So now I need to get him something. DD has biofeedback, middle DD has Airrosti and I am leading a GS meeting tonight. Valentines is tomorrow. No idea what to do about this. I may buy him a dress shirt while DD is at biofeedback.
We are having burgers. Omg we could do heart shaped pizza again - DD can have it. We may pivot to former tradition. Oh wait soccer team dinner is pizza Friday so it’s burgers. Ugh.
DS1 has a valentine's party in preschool today. DD has her valentine's party in school tomorrow. Their schools allow candy treats, but the kids aren't allowed to eat them in school and DS1's school is nut free. So DS1 is giving out valentines that he made along with a pencil. DD has valentines that are scratch art and is also giving out pencils. I have some candy for the kids and DH tomorrow. DH and I are kid free on Saturday afternoon. We haven't decided what to do yet, but he is in charge of picking out a place to eat.
The kids both have parties at school, where they are allowed to bring small treats and cards. I made them do them during one of our 7 snow days. Which seems more like parent punishment than anything else, we sat there forever while the kids were writing. And then I taped on the candy treats. Dh is out of town and "should" be back in time for dinner on valentine's day. The local pizza chain does heart shaped pizza with a ballon. I am ordering two of those, and the kids are pumped,
Post by sandandsea on Feb 13, 2019 10:22:47 GMT -5
Ds1 is handing out nerd boxes. It was easy and his choice to just do candy and no separate card. I don’t care at all so it was easy and he’s happy. I’m volunteering in his class for the party (my volunteer job is to plan and do the parties) so I’m looking forward to it. We took applesauce in for ds2s party but I’m not going to do cards for 2 year olds. He really doesn’t care. Dh and I aren’t doing anything.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Feb 13, 2019 10:30:02 GMT -5
Can I just add - we prepped DS' valentine goody bags for his classmates last week and I thought I was doing so well. I got an email from his teacher on Monday saying they had a child visiting from China for the next two weeks and to please include him.
I panicked because although I had extra, the cards we got were those things that are black and you scratch them to show the rainbow colors underneath. DS had been basically scratching up my extras cause he loves those things. Luckily there was one he didn't demolish.
I think it's super cool they have a kid visiting from China but for realz. Can you tell us this stuff with more notice??
No note in DD's Tuesday folder about Valentines. Checked the district webpage to see if the district had a stance on what the schools would be allowed to do, nothing. Started looking at all the individual schools and it varies from a ton to nothing on the website. The school I liked the most was a PTO Valentine's family dance and spaghetti feed Friday night along with class events where cards can be handed out if you would like. One school was doing a buddy day, another is celebrating friendship this month and learning about how to be good friends and you can bring cards but there won't be any class activities. So 7 elementary schools it the district and every single one is doing something different. DD's school has nothing posted but her principle loves to send out an email informing parents of stuff going on at 10pm the night before it happens. Then they can't figure out why no one can ever help.
Our school has a “no goody bags” rule. We do cards with something attached. For DD, she has cute little monster suction cups. DS has SpiderMan pencils.
I made it to Jos A Bank during DD’s biofeedback yesterday and got DH a dress shirt. Gave it to him this morning. He is waiting on shipping for mine....
DD was released to play - she tested out strong and should have no issues. I’m so excited. She has a team dinner Friday night and because she’s been out and I haven’t gotten to see some of these people, I am excited about it. Definitely more excited about that than volunteering at the kids’ parties today, but it’s the LAST elementary party for DD.
DH and I are going to dinner Saturday with my college roommate and her husband - in an area we never get to go because it’s not close to home. I’m super excited about that, too.
DD1’s class did a neat valentine project. Each student had to write a compliment for each classmate. The teacher typed them up and assigned each student a classmate’s list, and they made posters for each other.
DD1’s poster said things like “I love when you play basketball with us” and “you’re such a good reader” and “I love it when you play piano! You always get your songs right!” It made my heart so happy to hear DD read all of the compliments to me in the car on the way home. 😊
Can I just add - we prepped DS' valentine goody bags for his classmates last week and I thought I was doing so well. I got an email from his teacher on Monday saying they had a child visiting from China for the next two weeks and to please include him.
I panicked because although I had extra, the cards we got were those things that are black and you scratch them to show the rainbow colors underneath. DS had been basically scratching up my extras cause he loves those things. Luckily there was one he didn't demolish.
I think it's super cool they have a kid visiting from China but for realz. Can you tell us this stuff with more notice??
This happened to us too with DD2’s preschool class. Well, new student, so I had to swipe one of DD1’s extras.
librarychica, I seem to always have leftovers from the previous year that I stash away. It makes it nice when I need 36 and all the packages come in 32 or less.
mae0111 - DD’s second grade teacher framed theirs and gave them to them - DD still has it on her bookshelf seven years later. It’s the cutest!!
Middle DD bought her BF since kinder a heart shaped box of chocolate and he bought her the same one. His letter —- you guys - written on a handmade card - grown women would die for a letter like this - things like he hopes she knows she is beautiful and that he loves her kindness. I was like WHOA, tell him to stop it right now. I love that she let me read it and that she put it in her memory box as soon as she got home. Just pure sweetness. They don’t hold hands or date or anything but it’s cute for 5th grade, if perhaps a bit too intense. But it’s been six years!!
We just did Walmart cards. The kids signed their own names. The girls each picked the ones they liked the best from the giant aisle. It's fun seeing them debate the options. I thought we were doing well.
I was SHOCKED at the level of goodie bag stuff that came home with them yesterday. It seemed like every other kid had some elaborate sack of stuff that they gave out. And almost none of the cards were in kid handwriting. It was obviously all parents that had signed them. Seriously? We're in first grade now. Why aren't the kids signing their own stuff? I see it as good "homework" practice to have them write out the cards. Why are we spending stupid money on candy and toys for these huge bags of Valentine's day stuff? It seems so bizarre and unnecessary. I will continue to phone it in with paper cards. I will not cave to the pressure.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Feb 15, 2019 10:24:13 GMT -5
twinmomma you’re not kidding. I mean, yes for DS’ class, I did a goody bag of Hershey’s and a Pokémon card bc there are 11 of them.
DD’s class has 24 kids! She got multiple goody bags! She also received this lovely thing that’s a flower made of seed paper and you can soak it and a flower grows. Those instructions were written by hand! 24 times! Too much!!! It was lovely though.
DD just came home with tons of candy. Maybe 3 cards and those had candy taped on them. DD said most of the kids just had bags of suckers and were handing them out to people. In all she got about 12 items out of her class of 25 which is pretty good since they weren't supposed to bring stuff in. twinmomma, I also refuse to cave peer pressure and only do paper cards.
DS came home with 18 candy treats and 1 non candy valentine.
Guess who also didn’t pass out candy? DS Guess what DS said about that? He doesn’t care, he doesn’t even like candy that much and it’s too much, all the people passing out candy and treats at the party.
He told me to take whatever I wanted, so I enjoyed a Dove chocolate.