photo from riptheskull's flickr

Valentine’s Day is like THREE days away. Seriously? Holy cow. I totally wanted to make little gifts for all the kids in our neighborhood. Plus a fun gift from Lydia to her Daddy. *sigh*

As Lydia gets older, I’ve been wondering what to do about these little mini-holidays like Valentine’s and St. Patrick’s Day. One of the girls on my messageboard gave me some great advice–she has them focus on handmade gifts. The idea is not to receive something or wonder about the big gift you’re going to get…but to make something handmade for siblings and friends. This might mean not buying anything from Target’s Valentine aisle for your kids. *GASP* I seriously love this idea. I want Lydia and Asa’s first response to a holiday or special event is to want to GIVE.

Hopefully, I’ll get in the groove and crank out something super cute for Lydia and I to make together. Here’s a few great ideas I’ve found today…

Fancy Folded Envelope at Blissful Kids

Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Hearts at Make & Takes

Cute Cupcake Valentines at Danielle’s Place

The Best Free Printable Valentines from Alpha Mom (could I love this site any more?!)

Kids Activities for Valentine’s Day from Helium (beyond crafts and candy!)

I browsed Amazon and cbd.com for some Valentine’s Day books. I am really interested in a book about the actual history of Saint Valentine. But everything looked kinda boring. Do you know of any fun or interesting Valentine books?

Leave your favorite Valentine’s Day tips, books and activities in the comments!