A Guide to Valentines Day for Busy Moms
Listen up, ladies. Valentine's Day is at the end of the week. Before you have a mini-stroke I thought I'd swoop in like a busy mom's cupid and shoot you with some fun and easy ideas for this upcoming holiday.
First of all I'd like to remind y'all that I am a busy mom myself. I work full-time, homeschool our kids, and my husband likes it when I clean the house every now and then (weird). My point being, I get what it's like to be busy. I do not have time to lounge around cutting out detailed heart doilies to serve as wrapping paper over their homemade gifts I made them. And no one here is whipping up truffles as teacher gifts or anything make-believe like that. Those are good ideas but it just isn't happening this year.
Here are some easy ideas that are either cheap or free and you can use to make your kids feel special even if you aren't spending HOURS on the holiday:
Cards
If you are looking for free Valentines that are absolutely adorable, then do I have a secret weapon for you!
The Well to do Review is a blog run by the Beaufort Bonnet Company, a company that I have adored for years. They have these free printables on their site that share the same timelessness as their bonnets have. They have 4 styles to choose from. Last year we printed these off on cardstock and we were all smitten with them.
Gifts for your Kids
We do not do big gifts around here for Valentine's Day. I like to find one thing that the kids will like, give them a little candy and voila, a fun little gift assortment to brighten your kiddos day.
This year I am giving my kids books I found at Ollie's Discount Store. Do you have one of these near you? Ours is getting ready to open and I am so excited. I don't even know if excited is a justifiable word to use to explain the workings of my heart. I am over the moon about it. We have been going to them for years but in other cities that we have visited. And now we'll have one of our own!
I am pairing those books with some candies I picked up on clearance from Target for 59 cents. They are in a red box with Snowflakes. I know they are from Christmas but I am totally passing them off as Valentine's candy because that's what we do... If you don't have clearance candy lingering around, never fear. Buy something small for your kids and your set. Things that work well...red sour balls, atomic fire balls, red hots, conversation hearts (I recommend the small boxes of hearts because they are portion controlled!). Even swedish fish from Amazon Prime are super fun for Valentine's Day. Don't feel like you have to get candy in Valentine's Day packaging!
A Pink Colored World...
Let me introduce you to red dye...
If you are looking to make foods festive then start dying things pink.
Milk becomes a wonderful beverage when it is pink (and maybe with a little sugar or honey added!) Also, cream cheese on bagels is fun for breakfast when it is pink. Mashed potatoes? pink. Spaghetti noodles? pink. Ha.
Just have fun with your food. You don't have to spend a ton of money to make your kiddos feel special. A little extra attention to details goes a long way and red dye is pretty stinking easy.
Take It Down a Notch
Remember that it doesn't have to be anything big of fancy for Valentine's Day. This is a holiday that gets so blown out of proportion which is understandable. We're all in the Midwest mushies of the season and it's very easy to get thrown into celebrating something with lots of gusto just because we don't have anything else to do.
Are you looking for more ideas on how to celebrate Valentines? Make sure to check out these activities we've done in the past that we've done in the past:
Last Minute Ways to Celebrate Valentines Day with Your Kids
Valentine's Day Wreath: Easy Felt Craft
Easy Galentine's Gift Your Friends Will Actually Use!
Fun and Festive Cupid Float for Kids!
What are your favorite Valentines go-tos when you are short on time and cash? Comment below and let's help each other out!