The Ultimate Family Guide to an ALL OUT Valentine's Day Celebration

What are some ideas for making this day special for my sweetie or kids? We like to go ALL OUT with the celebrating. Holiday traditions are a wonderful way to create strong family bonds.

First of all, since I am a frugal person, I do NOT believe in spending loads of money on Valentine-specific cards, candy, or flowers. Cards will likely be homemade-if not purchased on sale after Valentine's Day last year. If I want to give candy, it will probably be red candy like Red Vines or Twizzlers or candy I've decorated to look Valentine-ish. And if my hubby were to get me flowers, I would hope he'd get me a dozen daisies or pink carnations. I would be horrified if he spent $50 plus on a dozen red roses like everyone else that forgot to think in advance. But he wouldn't. He's much more thoughtful than that.

BEFORE the big day:

For Kids: We have each child's name on their wall in wood capital letters (so they can recognize the spelling of their name long before kindergarten age). They are painted with the change of holidays. Just a few days ago I painted them red, light pink, dark pink, and white.

Atmosphere: About a week before Valentine's Day the kids and I (okay mostly me) cut out construction paper hearts in red and pink and varying sizes and hang them from thread taped to the entryway ceiling.

For my hubby: Prepare Nestle Treasure's or Hershey's Nuggets with address labels stamped with Valentine's stamps like swirls or hearts in pink or red stamp pad colors and wrapped around. Make little treat boxes with love notes on them and a candy or two inside. Stash these in places like hubby's briefcase, his car he drives to work, his lunch, and on his pillow.

VALENTINE'S DAY:

Getting dressed: On Valentine's Day everything is red or pink. Boys wear red (except hubby because the Air Force prefers him in his green flight suit), and girls wear red or pink. Even I dress up because it just thrills the kids when Mommy wears red lipstick or a fancy red scarf in her hair!

Treasure hunt: I got this idea from a dear friend.

When the kids come downstairs in the morning they will find a clue to start their treasure hunt. Since my five year old can only read minimally and three year old and one year old can't read yet, the clues are little pictures drawn on post-it notes with the word underneath. The first post-it clue may be a picture of the couch (with "couch" written underneath), on the couch the post-it note clue will have a picture of the laundry basket, they'll run downstairs to the laundry basket to find the next clue which is the dishwasher, and then from there they will be led to the changing table, etc. We like to lead them around to many different clues before leading them back to their surprise. The kids love the hunt about as much as the surprise at the end. They don't get to open their surprise until after breakfast though.

This year's surprise: Valentine pencils and erasers, stickers, and one fun-size bag of M&M's or a red Pez refill all in a little plastic Valentine goody bag. Everything of course was purchased way cheap at after-holiday sales.

Craft-time: I purchased red plastic tablecloths at Wal-Mart after Christmas for 75% off. We will probably finger paint with Pumpkin Spice pudding (because I think it is awful tasting and have some packages leftover from Thanksgiving) all over the tablecloth for our art/craft activity for preschool.

A candle-light Breakfast: There will be pink milk (strawberry milk or just red food dye in milk) for breakfast with heart-shaped pancakes that we will attempt to dye pink that may end up peachy-looking. There will be love notes to the children and hubby written on little hearts scattered all over the table telling them why I think they're special and why I love them. And of course the traditional pink frosted cinnamon rolls.

A picnic Lunch (on the floor in the dining room on a red plastic tablecloth): Peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches (seedless so we don't have toddler meltdowns) cut into hearts with a cookie-cutter (if I can find it) or a butter knife. And cherry Craisins on the side with pink milk again.

Nap: Pink pillow cases for naptime and the promise that if all three of them sleep a good two-hour nap they can help make Valentine popcorn when they wake up.

Snack: Valentine Popcorn (Jello popcorn or marshmallow Jello popcorn shaped into hearts).

Dinner: Bavarian Weiner Bake will be dinner since it is pink and white without having to add food dye. (And the kids love it!) And it will be served with cranberry juice set on a red tablecloth with red & white placemats (which are really my Christmas placemats turned upside-down to the gingham side). We'll probably also have stuffed mushrooms-since I'm craving them and not a single person in our family dislikes them.

Dessert: Pink stuff of course. (Strawberry Jello, cottage cheese, crushed pineapple, cool whip mixed together)

Start your family traditions now!