My Funny Valentines

These signs greeted my sons at the breakfast table.  I made them with paint, glitter, glue and supplies from the dollar store.  In fact, all together, the finished project was less than $4.  I'm going to hang the signs in each of their bedrooms as soon as I find those drywall screw anchor thing-ys.  (Why do they pop up in every kitchen drawer until I really need them?  Then they're nowhere to be found.)

We had lots of fun with Valentine crafts.  Days later, I keep stepping on plastic googly eyes to prove it.  One night we made chocolate bar robots.  Actually, Henry and I glued the picture pieces on cardstock while Liam ate the chocolates.  He was stuffing those mini bars in his mouth faster than I could reach across the table.  He must have thought he'd won the lottery.  We also made heartfelt mice with candy tails.  Get it?  Felt hearts,  heart felt?  Sorry, I'm tired--things sound wittier when I'm tired.

  Since this is my first year as a preschool parent, I'm a bit behind all the other moms.  Apparently each holiday is an opportunity to go above and beyond when it comes to handing out treats.  I missed the boat on Halloween--simply sending in a large bag of candy so Henry could distribute pieces of fun-size Three Musketeers to his classmates.  He came home with ten cellophane bags, each with his name carefully lettered and stuffed with stickers, candy, tattoos, kazoos, and glow-in-the-dark just about everything.  He had so much fun opening those treat bags again and again, naming his friends who had been so generous. 

When Christmas came around, I though surely there wouldn't be a repeat of such extravagance.  The children were learning the true meaning of the Holiday, weren't they?  Gifts for the Baby Jesus, yes.  Gift bags for Jack and Jillian?  Probably not.    Oooops.  Wrong again.  Henry came home with ornaments, homemade candies, stickers, stuffed animals, cookies in the shape of the letters of his name.  Each tiny package was wrapped ornately with glittering gift tags shaped with those cute edging scissors that I know I also own but, alas, can never find when they're needed.

I decided then and there that I'd we'd be ready for Valentine's Day.  And we were.  On Sunday, I set up an assembly line at our kitchen table.  Henry wrote his classmates' names on tags and heart-shaped cards until he could write no more.  He glued, twisted, colored, and stickered; then agonized over who got which tiny sack.  Liam snuck rolls of Smarties from the colorful treat bags as I counted and recounted each class set.

I hope the preschoolers liked their treats.  In the past their generosity and creativity has been enjoyed by Henry and Liam.  Today, hopefully, I was able to give a little something back.  Plus, it was just plain fun!