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Parenting 101
Most recent posting below. See other blog postings in the column to the right.
Easy Ways To Show Your Love
February has arrived and I am sure that you are already thinking about Valentine's Day. Okay, you are still sending out your Christmas thank you notes and don't even realize that it is February. Luckily, you have me to help you with preparing for a perfect day. I have put together a list of "easy" ways to say, "I Love You!" I hope you will use one or more of the ideas. Please send me some of your LOVEly ideas to add to the list.
- Cut hearts out of poster board. Then let your child decorate one side with paint, markers, crayons or stickers. You can also cut a small square out of the poster board. Fold the square in half and cut-out a heart. Give your child the square to lightly tape to the Valentine and then she can use this as a heart pattern. She can use markers or crayons to color in the heart. Lift the pattern and voila...you have a professional looking Valentine heart. Let your child have fun decorating the cards. After the front is dry, then you can help your child write a message on the back. You can make an envelope for each card by folding a piece of white paper to fit the card. Glue each side, slide the card in, fold down the top and seal with a heart sticker.
- Shape one or two pipe cleaners into the shape of a heart.(depending on how big you want to make the pin) Let your child slide the beads onto the pipe cleaner. If you joined two pipe cleaners together, then slide beads over the joint to cover sharp ends. After you are finished, join the ends together and put a cylindrical bead over ends to finish. (Please note that beads are a choking hazard so keep away from small children.) Glue a pin fastener(from any craft store) to the back.
- Make your own cookie dough or roll-out the Pillsbury sugar cookie dough. Let your child help you to cut cookies into X's, O's and hearts. After they are baked and cooled, let him ice and decorate the cookies.
- Help your children to come up with special messages for their siblings, parents or grandparents. "This card is good for one game of Candyland." "When I visit, I will sweep your garage." "I will color you any picture that you ask me to make." "Coupon good for one back massage." The messages are endless. Put the message on each Valentine card to make them memorable.
- Start a Valentine journal this year. At dinner ask each family member to say one thing that he appreciates about each family member. Record each comment in the journal. You can add to the journal each year and the previous entries can be enjoyed too.
