According to the National Retail Federation, the average American will spend approximately $125 on Valentine’s Day gifts this year. What the… A hundred twenty five bucks on high-calorie chocolate that will force you to spend even more time in the gym and overpriced flowers that probably won’t live to see the weekend? I barely have enough money to fill up my car now that gas prices have jumped 20 cents in less than 10 days. Believe me; no one in my house is spending or receiving Love Day gifts that exceed $5… if that. Just call me the Valentine’s Day … Continue reading →

Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday this year, you will likely be spending the majority of the holiday at work with colleagues you may or may not have a lot of love for. Not exactly F-U-N. While your office may not be the best place to be decking the halls with shiny foil red hearts or candy-tipped arrows being shot by underdressed, chubby babies with wings, it also doesn’t have to be a bastion of death. With a little creativity, some sensibility (and permission from your boss) you can host a whimsical Valentine’s Day party at work that includes … Continue reading →

Cue cupid; Valentine’s Day is just a week away. Love is in the air, but if you are planning to celebrate the holiday with kids, you are better off skipping the slow dances and romantic gestures, and instead, emphasize the fun factor. Get kids involved in all aspects of the party planning. Older kids can help blow up festive red, pink and white balloons, while you hang streamers and other cute Valentine decorations, such as kitten and teddy bear-shaped window clings. Preschoolers can also get in on the fun by assisting you in the kitchen. Create a healthy Valentine’s Day … Continue reading →

Punxsutawney Phil is back in his hole, the NFL crowns its champ tonight, and 15-day celebration to usher in the Year of the Dragon wraps up at midnight. That can only mean one thing: Let the Love Day games begin. Valentine’s Day is just about a week away, and even though Wal-Mart and Target have been selling Love Day merchandise since December 27th, now is the time to really solidify plans for the heart-shaped holiday. If you are planning a Valentine’s Day party you’ll want to get your shopping list set. Think: pink, red and silver confetti to sprinkle on … Continue reading →

Are you celebrating Valentine’s Day tonight? If you have young children, then you may have opted out of partying ‘til the break of dawn this year because… it’s a Monday. Celebrating anything on the first day of the work week is about as anti-climatic as it gets. Then, there’s the whole babysitting factor. Securing a sitter on Valentine’s Day can be tricky. If you have a teenage sitter, there’s a good chance her parents won’t allow her to work on a school night. Meanwhile, older sitters often have sweethearts of their own and don’t want to spend the night wrangling … Continue reading →

The words “healthy” and “Valentine’s Day party” don’t typically go hand in hand. No doubt, hosting a healthy Valentine’s Day party for kids can be a challenge given that the holiday is basically a day set aside to gorge on chocolate. While it’s fine to serve up a few sweet treats (everything in moderation), healthy parties focus on offering nutritious dishes to kids without compromising the Love Day theme. An equally sweet alternative to mountains of Valentine’s Day candy and cupcakes is fruit. Consider setting up an entire table featuring red fruits. Apples, strawberries, raspberries, red grapes, and watermelon are … Continue reading →

When you’re a kid Valentine’s Day is basically another Halloween, except you don’t have to dress up in weird costumes order to score a ton of candy. My kindergartner is anxiously counting down the days until the Friday before Love Day. That’s the day my daughter’s class will exchange Valentine’s Day cards and treats. The students already made Valentine’s Day card boxes, so they have something to hold their stash of sweet treats. If you are looking for easy ways to combine the card and Valentine’s treat into one convenient bundle for your kid to take to school for his … Continue reading →

It’s Catholic Schools Week, so for the past few days I’ve been playing craft mom in my kindergartner’s classroom. Fortunately, my daughter’s teacher came up with most of the projects the kids put together. Still, getting 20 kids to stay on task with glue and scissors was a challenge. The class had a blast making a variety of art projects incorporating the Catholic Schools Week theme. However, the one craft they really got excited about creating was a holder for their Valentine’s Day cards. One was a shoebox decorated with stickers, glitter glue, paper hearts, heart-shaped candies, ribbons and stamps. … Continue reading →