Valentine’s Day is this week, and to celebrate it, The Captain and I decided we’d have a quiet, romantic dinner at home…
…then we laughed and laughed, because KIDS.
On a serious note, we don’t typically go all out on Valentine’s Day- usually we give each other a thoughtful card and some chocolates. If the opportunity presents itself than we go out for a cup of coffee or a bite to eat, but decided early on to be flexible depending on time and babysitting availability.
Over time, I’ve developed a little way of celebrating that has become a tradition for our family:
Valentine’s Day family breakfast.
(I blame my mom. She’s always had such a gift with decorating for each season and holiday, and I have fond memories of holidays in my childhood home. So when I had my own kids, I wanted to do the same.)
The only problem?
I’m not crafty. I’m not Pinterest-worthy creative, so the idea of coming up with cute family celebrations seemed daunting. So I started small, both in terms of creativity and budget, at my favorite go-to store:
The Dollar Tree.
Ah, gotta love Dollar Tree! Unlike a lot of 99 cent stores, most of the items sold at Dollar Tree are actually of fairly decent quality. And with six kids, Dollar Tree is one of the few stores that makes me feel like a high-roller when I’m shopping there.
When I first began the Valentine’s Day breakfast idea, I started by buying each child their own heart box of chocolate (thanks, Dollar Tree!) and purchased some Valentine’s themed paper plates & napkins. The night before Valentine’s Day, I set the table, laid our the chocolates, and voila! Valentine’s Day breakfast.
Eh. It served its purpose, but I gradually added a few more elements to make it more exciting.
One year I was shopping at Target, & found a bunch of cute Valentines baskets in their bargain section (you know, the $1-$3 section that makes you want to compulsively buy ALL of the matching magnets, hand towels, and knick-knacks over there…). I bought each child their own basket for $3- but I did notice that Dollar Tree has begun selling cute Valentine’s decorated cardboard boxes which would work just as well!
Filling the boxes is ALL Dollar Tree. Each year, I bought the kids some Valentine’s candy, pencils, lip glosses, etc- each for a DOLLAR. Cheap, people!
I’ve taken the decorating a bit further each year, buying a Valentine’s plastic tablecloth, adding a few heart-shaped candles, and putting out a dish or two of pink/red M&Ms. Sometimes I put up red or pink streamers if I happen to have them as well.
When I set the table the night before, the kids wake up to this:
The best part? All of the decorations, with the exception of the baskets, is from the Dollar Tree! CHEAP!
Breakfast is kept very simple- I either buy heart shaped donuts from Dunkin Donuts, or a generic heart-shaped brownie. I used to bake cupcakes and top them with those nasty-tasting sweetheart candies (the hearts with the messages on them), but ain’t nobody got time for that!)
I know that Valentine’s Day may not seem like a holiday that needs to be fussed over for kids, but I’ve found that by taking just a bit of time to make it special, it has given my kids something to look forward to, and is one of those traditions that they’ll hopefully remember fondly in the years to come.
At the very least, it’s cute & fun!
