If you ask me, Valentine’s Day gets to be much more fun when you become a parent. As parents, we get to toss aside the ridiculous expectations, the pressures, and all the entrapments of the “Hallmark holiday” and dive into the simplest of pleasures—celebrating the love in your family with all the sugary sweetness you can stomach.
Here are 6 simple ways to celebrate this Valentine’s Day with your family.
Set the Mood
After the little ones have gone to bed on February 13, add Valentiny touches to your home that will delight them when they awaken! Some super easy ideas are: a Valentine’s Day-themed tablecloth in the dining room or kitchen, cut-out hearts on the windows, a heart-shaped wreath on the front door, Valentine plates and napkins for breakfast, red and pink streamers hanging about, and fresh red or pink flowers, to top it all off.Play Love Songs
Set up your mushy, gushy, sappy, but totally kid-friendly Valentine’s Day playlist in advance. Some of my favorite songs to add are Louis Armstrong’s, “What a Wonderful World,” “You Are My Sunshine” by Elizabeth Mitchell, and “This” by Darius Rucker.Serve Food With Heart
A simple heart-shaped pastry cutter can turn almost any food into a Valentine’s Day treat. Toast? No, Valentine’s Day toast. Pancakes? No, Valentine’s Day pancakes. Meatloaf? No! Valentine’s Day meatloaf.
