light, littles, + lavender.

For Valentine’s Day this year, I teamed up with some really talented and thoughtful women to give you some unique ideas to celebrate the occasion. You can find my treat, gift, and craft below. When you’re done, head over to Instagram and check out what Andrea, Haleigh, and Colleen came up with! We’ve got you covered for everything from kids crafts to table decor, self love and Whole30!

TREAT

Homemade Heart Dunk-a-roos!

For this treat, I looked up a recipe for homemade teddy grahams and used a heart cookie cutter instead. I had to improvise on a few ingredients, but overall it was seriously easier than making chocolate chip cookies!

For the dunk, we made cream cheese frosting! A fan favorite in our house, and takes five seconds to whip up:

8 oz cream cheese (room temp) + 6 tbspn salted butter (room temp) + 4 cups powder sugar + 1 tsp vanilla extract. Add the powder sugar slowly!

The biggest difference in my transition from two kids to three, is that I finally accepted that I’ll have an accomplice at all times. In that acceptance, I’ve really enjoyed discovering ways to accomplish my to-do list, while making it fun + a learning experience for the toddler in tow! Acilia helped me make this year’s treat: I measure while she pours. She mixes, and I roll. She’s the one who scored a heart cookie cutter from the play dough collection! We count and get those little hands working. It gets messy. Do I care? Well yeah, when it’s time to wash the floor. 😜 But, her love language is definitely quality time (followed closely by treats), and she has been going around saying that she wants to be just like me. Cue water works. Lick the bowl all you want girl, I don’t deserve you.

GIFT

I had a plan to get all kinds of candy from the shop downtown, because gosh darn-it my kids were NOT getting a toy for Valentines Day. And THEN Haleigh went ahead and showed me a Hatchimals flower bouquet, so I’ll have to toss that thought process into the vault of “things I said I’d never do before having kids.” Amazon is a lifeline right now! Still found them a lollipop bigger than they are, and a book to boot. Well-rounded, we’ll call it. 

The bouquet concept of the Hatchimals toy is so adorable. Especially because the girls are very into decorating their nightstands right now, so I thought it would be perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Llama Llama I love you– Elliana is OBSESSED with the Red Pajama book, so I know she will want to read this version 100 times over.

Madeline– It seemed like a “big girl book,” so I thought Acilia would enjoy something new. She has really been using her imagine to articulate stories, and the pages looked like something she could interpret well!

The “six pack” of old fashioned sodas is going to my guy to mix up some festive drinks! The guy at the candy shop must have been a bartender at one point… On the menu we have:

Bubble Up– They said it’s a lemon/lime soda, so I thought it’d go well with vodka or in an Old Fashioned.

MacFuddy Pepper Elixer– Apparently this goes well with brown liquor, so hoping he can enjoy it with some Captain.

Stewart’s Orange ‘n Cream– Add some Captain Morgan for a delicious treat!

Misty Withers Ginger Beer– Moscow Mules all around! They told me this label wasn’t too spice heavy.

Sprecher Cheery Cran– It’s made in Wisconsin, so I figures that was a win in itself. Shirley Temples, Vodka Soda, or Comsopolitans!

Lester Fixins Cucumber Soda– Okay, this one sounds really weird. But Drew has really been enjoying just Vodka Lemon, so they told me this would be a really fresh and tasty base.

CRAFT

Christmas cards didn’t happen, and New Year’s greetings flew right on by, SO I thought Valentine’s Day was my next best bet! 💕 Here is a really cute idea for a personal Valentine that gets your kids involved too! Motor skills + memories. Let your kids do the work, and talk about each person you’re sending to. We got all kinds of messy, but had a ton of fun!

I think it is really important that we get our kids involved in making someone’s heart happy. This DIY project is quick, easy, and you probably have all of the supplies at home!

I had the girls go crazy coloring on white construction paper. I traced the first L O “V” E, and helped the girls cut them out- safety scissors all around. Then, I let the girls try to trace the rest of the letters we needed. They do well with squeeze glue, so I let them glue on the letters. We printed pictures at Walgreens, and designated pink and purple construction paper for the girls’ godparents, blue for Russell’s, and red for the grandparents. Hoping that everyone enjoys a little happy mail this year!

Thanks so much for following along, everyone! We hope you got some great ideas! Don’t forget to go check out what the other girls are doing!