Happy Valentine’s weekend! Any fun plans? Hudson and I worked together on Valentine’s for his class last night, and he was excited to deliver them this morning. Skyler has a set of her own, too—though hers will be candy- and signature-free. Thanks for the fun conversation over kids’ valentines earlier this week. Fascinating to hear such varying opinions and experiences!
I think Aron and I are going to celebrate on the Monday holiday instead and hang out with the kids on Sunday. Maybe we’ll head into the snowy mountains, or maybe we’ll go looking for snowy blossoms (many of the trees around us are already flowering). I’m also thinking of breaking out the two-ingredient doughnuts!
If you’ve never done it before, a kitchen remodel can be extremely daunting. Where does one even begin? Who do you go to for help? But most of all, how can you make sure it will be both beautiful and affordable?
As my husband and I just completed our own kitchen remodel, I wanted to share my process in the hopes that it’ll guide you through what can be a messy and expensive journey with as much knowledge and confidence as possible. If you’re quaking in your boots about starting such a huge project yourself—don’t worry! If we can do it, so can you.
What follows is a beginner’s guide to remodeling your kitchen—10 steps broken down into helpful tips, to help you get the job done:
I’ve been having a look around for some simple, last-minute valentines to make with kids. (And not just any kids: Preschoolers are my target demographic.) I love the simplicity of this one—a red balloon (heart-shaped if you wish) with washi tape!
We don’t have any specific rules in Hudson’s class. Candy is A-Okay. Store-bought is just fine. (What’s this I hear about some schools requiring homemade cards only?) So there’s no pressure to do anything ambitious, but I do think Hudson is getting to an age where he might enjoy handing out things he had a part in making.
Last year, he and I went to the drugstore and bought some little cards, and I asked him to color or write his name on each before sneaking in a few SweetTarts and sealing them up in little envelopes for bringing to school—which he was excited about. There were 30, which doesn’t seem like a lot until you watch a three-year-old lose interest after writing on two. In other words, whatever you decide to do for a preschooler’s valentines, be prepared to do it yourself.
Then, at his school, each child makes a little bag for collecting mail, which is stapled shut and sent home with him or her at the end of the day. Here’s a few things I’ve gleaned from watching him tear open his own goody bag at the end of the day. The ones with a treat or a game are really the only ones that get any attention; I read them all aloud to him, but I couldn’t be sure he was listening over the sounds of that lollipop smacking. Which is all just to say that, at this age, it should probably matter more that he feels excited about making and delivering the valentines he gives than about the ones he gets. The cute factor, the clever puns… that’s probably more for the grown-up trying to read them aloud beside them. At least for now.
Here are a few more really cute ideas that might be in our future…
