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 →

My 6-year-old’s dream Valentine’s Day consists of eating her way through a vat of Chocolate Covered Heart Marshmallow Peeps. “It’s a tasty treat for someone sweet,” she reminds me as she stares intently at the 24-count box sitting near the check-out line in Target. I considered giving into her pleas, but I know that I can make tasty Love Day treats at home for half the price and double the rich, dark chocolatey flavor. Here’s hoping the following recipes will do the Chocolate Heart Peeps one better: CHOCOLATE DESSERT CUPS Ingredients: 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 teaspoon shortening Directions: … Continue reading →

The title of this post is about as unromantic as it gets, especially if you are cooking alone for a bunch of starving family members after putting in eight hours at the office. However, there is a way to make getting Valentine’s Day dinner on the table a fun experience. I am a huge fan of Like Water for Chocolate. The 1992 film based on the best-selling novel published in 1989 by Mexican author Laura Esquivel had me from the first scene. I love that cooking is fully integrated in the film in a way that inspires viewers to whip … Continue reading →

I will never reveal how I know this (it was an accident… really), but according to Playboy king Hugh Hefner, the best gift he ever received was a replica of his boyhood home. Former Playmate and Hef lover Holly Madison paid big bucks to hire a woman named Betty Eberhart to create a miniature house that is a carbon copy of the 84-year-old’s childhood abode in Chicago right down to the teeny tiny comic books he used to draw as a kid. Hef couldn’t say enough about Holly’s thoughtful gift. It was a touching moment in reality TV and it … Continue reading →

I wish Paula Deen would adopt me. I don’t want a part of her millions; I just want to eat a few meals at her home. I could be the hungry daughter she never had. Please, Paula! The Food Network star and celebrity chef is a ball of fire in the kitchen. However, the one thing I find even more enticing than her mouthwatering dishes is her hilarious titles for them. Actually, it’s not the titles themselves that I find so funny, but the way Deen delivers them with so much aplomb. Earlier today I caught an episode of her … Continue reading →

Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day exclusively with your spouse or do you involve the kids in the holiday fun? For most families February 14th is an adult-centric holiday. Mom and dad go out to dinner while a sitter comes to watch the kids. You can still enjoy a romantic evening out with your beloved, but before you go why not share some Valentine’s Day love with your kids? The following activities are ideal for a family date night: ALL HEART Bust out the pink and red construction paper and scissors. One of the easiest Valentine’s Day craft projects is the … Continue reading →