Great Books for your Kids to read on Valentine's Day

Children's books for Valentine's day

You can make Valentine's Day more memorable for kids if you read them a valentine's story or if you take them to the library or the book store to read valentine's stories. Here are some books you don't want your children to miss on Valentine's day:

The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll and Jeni Bassett (Jan 1, 2006)

Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond (Dec 12, 2006)

Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart by Jane O'connor and Robin Preiss Glasser (Nov 24, 2009)

Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine by Herman Parish and Lynne Avril (Nov 24, 2009)

Make a Custom Frame for Your Valentine

This is a fantastic present for someone special. It shows a lot of personalization and preparation for Valentines Day. All you need is a bit of time, some basic materials, and memories!

Supplies:

• Scissors
• Glue
• Picture Frame (old or new - you can buy it from the dollar store if you want)
• Memorabilia
• Picture of you and your Valentine, Or you can create a Valentine's Day card to put inside the frame
• Mod Podge or varnish
• Foam brush

A note on memorabilia: This could be anything that reminds you both of fun experiences, jokes, vacations, food you love, etc. I am in the habit of keeping ticket stubs, business cards, programs, brochures, fortunes from Chinese food outings, etc from things I've done with my husband. Whenever we go somewhere special, or somewhere we love, I try to pick up something with their logo. You can also use buttons, shells, ice cream spoons etc. to give the frame a bit of depth. I also use letters from magazines to spell out funny phrases or jokes between us. Plus you can use logos of your favorite brands, candy, or other foods. I've used old kiss or hug wrappers to create a miniature sized kiss on a frame as well to add some dimension.

Steps:

1. Cut out your memorabilia and start to group it, either by color, theme, year, etc.
2. Start overlapping pieces, using interesting backgrounds cut form magazine ads
3. Cut out letters to form phrases and plan where you'll be laying the letters
4. Start by gluing the biggest pieces on the frame sides and back
5. Fill in with smaller items
6. Put on lettering
7. Mod Podge the entire outside of the frame once it is covered with clippings
8. Let the frame dry
9. Add an depth items
10. Mod Podge the entire frame one last time to seal the decoration on the frame
11. Let dry several hours before wrapping so it doesn't stick

Here are some examples I found of other people's frames.

This site showed a frame made with photos of a vacation

This "themed" frame I found on Etsy using phrases from Magazines

I really like this one made with bottle caps. Cute theme for Valentine's Day!

This one was made using a bunch of old stamps - it looks great!

Love Books

When I get a gift, I almost always prefer something handmade rather than store bought. I get that not everyone has the skills they want to be able to create handmade masterpieces. I find the internet to be a nice solution to the problem - plenty of internet based businesses are waiting to help you create something beautiful.

So the Valentines gift idea: A Love Book.

Example Love Book with Adorable Line Drawings

A love book lists the reasons you love someone. I found a site that allows you to create a hard or soft cover book that has one reason you love someone and a fun line drawing on every page. I think the drawings are adorable and perfect for a coloring date (Yes my husband and I do this fairly often, it's both fun and therapeutic). Apparently you can customize the book a bit to give it a little bit more of your personality. I'll admit it's a bit over the top for some, but extremely cute for others :)

Check it out: http://www.lovebookonline.com/index.php

Slow Love Songs

Nothing says "I Love You" like a classic love song. Here are some ideas for some slow love songs and ballads that will set the mood for a romantic Valentine's Day with your special someone.

1. My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion
2. Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley
3. Endless Love - Lionel Ritchie & Diana Ross
4. You & I - Michael Buble
5. Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
6. Return to Me - Dean Martin
7. When I Fall in Love - Nat King Cole
8. Unforgettable - Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole
9. Unchained Melody - The Rightous Brothers
10. Moon River - Andy Williams
11. Your Song - Elton John
12. I'll Be There - Jackson 5
13. I'll Stand By You - The Pretenders
14. Faithfully - Journey
15. I'll Make Love to You - Boyz II Men
16. Open Arms - Journey
17. The Luckiest - Ben Folds
18. I Swear - All For One
19. More Than Words - Extreme
20. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams

What are your favoite love ballads? Leave a comment and add to the list.

More Valentine's Day Traditions

Although the celebration for lovers began in England and France, the tradition of special expressions of love have spread throughout the entire world! What once consisted only of giving handcrafted valentine's cards has become an array of gift giving, including things such as flowers, jewelry, chocolates, and candy. In fact some cultures have even gone on to extend the holiday by creating subsequent holidays related to Valentine's day.


The Creation of White Day

In Japan, February 14th is not simply a day for expressing feelings of fondness, but it is a day for the women to present their true loves with handmade (or store-bought) chocolate gifts. As a result, in 1978 the National Confectionery Industry Association created an official "answer day" for the men-fold. March 14th has been officially deemed "White Day" - the day when the men return their affection to the women who gave them chocolate one month earlier. Appropriately, this is done through the offering of white chocolate.


The Creation of Black Day

The Koreans have taken the idea of White Day even one step further and have created "Black Day". Black Day is celebrated on April 14th and is a day dedicated to the single people who did not give or receive gifts on Valentine's Day or White Day. On this day, young singles get together and eat jajangmyeon - noodles with a black bean sauce - to celebrate their singledom!

Valentines Day Breakfast | Pancakes that aren't shaped like Mickey Mouse

Description

The last time I made shaped pancakes, I was 5 and they looked like Mickey Mouse. This is a great idea for an easy Valentines day breakfast. Pancakes are a classic favorite among all of my friends. This recipe is a great way to combine the deliciousness of pancakes with the festivities on Valentine's day.

(Tip for guys: if you don't want to make these from scratch, go buy a mix at the store and just cut the pancakes, add the jam and the powdered sugar and you're in business. Whoever you make these for will be impressed that you thought of a Valentines day breakfast.)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup non-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• Strawberry jam
• Powdered sugar, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Preheat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over a medium-low flame.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In another medium bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, non-fat milk, honey and vanilla.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. The batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to ladle the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancake when the top is bubbling and it is golden brown on the bottom. Then cook until the other side is golden brown. Hold on an oven proof plate in the oven until the entire batch is ready. When all the pancakes are ready, cut them into heart shapes with a heart shaped cookiecutter. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the strawberry jam onto each plate, place pancakes on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy this quick, easy Valentines day breakfast! Click here for a Valentines day dinner idea!

Valentine's Day Dinner | That's Amore

Description

Looking for Valentines day dinner ideas? We have something for you. What do you get when you combine an old Italian favorite with Hallmark's most popular holiday? Answer: Heart shaped pizza! enjoy this creative Valentines day dinner.

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) envelope active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 (14 ounce) can pizza sauce
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 15 slices vegetarian pepperoni
• 1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives

Directions

1. Place bread flour, yeast, water, and 2 tablespoons olive oil into the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the Dough setting. Press Start. When the dough is finished, knead rosemary into the dough.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Divide the dough into three portions. Shape each piece into a heart shape about 1/2 inch thick. Brush with remaining olive oil, and spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on each pizza. Sprinkle cheese over pizza sauce, and arrange tomatoes, zucchini, pepperoni, and sliced olives on top.
4. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese has melted and crust is browned.

Tell us what you think of this Valentines day dinner favorite! Click here for a valentines day breakfast idea!

Valentine's Day Dessert | Cupcake Surprise

Description

This is just one of our Valentine's day desserts. What might look like a white cupcake to the naked eye is actually a cupcake surprise! Pretty much a Neapolitan cupcake without the chocolate (it’s okay, the chocolate treat is up next). If you are looking for Valentine's day desserts, this is a colorful new spin on traditional (boring) cupcakes, this treat cannot be beat!

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 egg whites

8 drops red food coloring

2 drops raspberry candy oil

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.

2. Beat the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and egg whites together on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes, until smooth. Fill cupcake liners 1/3 full with white batter; set aside.

3. Stir 4 drops of red food coloring into the remaining bowl of batter to make the batter pink, stir in the raspberry oil. Pour 1/3 of pink batter into a resealable plastic bag and set aside.

4. Mix more food coloring into the remaining bowl of pink batter until it is an orange/red color and pour the batter into a resealable plastic bag. Cut a corner off the bag, stick the open tip into the center of each cup of white batter and squeeze in about two tablespoons of red batter.

5. Cut the corner off the bag with the pink batter, stick the open tip into the center of the red batter and squeeze about 1 tablespoon pink batter into each cup.

6. Bake the layered cupcakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Now you can enjoy this creative and fun Valentine's day dessert. Click here for another Valentines day dessert!