Three Things + 1 : Lots of Love (and giveaways)

Nothing special.. my hubby and I plan a night out without the kiddo. I will have to read the comments to try and get some better ideas!

We have dinner together with the two girls and each one will get a little gift.

My husband grew up in the floral industry, so has a little bit of a bias against Valentine's Day - for him it meant long, long hours. And being a guy moved by his own whims - I'll find a beautiful note with my favorite flowers sometime later in the spring. When I least expect it. 18 years of marriage and it always surprises me and moves me. As for me - he always gets a handmade card and flowers. I'm more of a traditionalist. :-)

I love that photo with the lights in the shapes of hearts! We celebrate Valentine's Day (and always have since I can remember) with pink milk at dinner and pink rice molded into the shape of a heart with a pie tin. I don't think it's Valentine's Day without it.

I like to include a little valentine's treat in my husband's and kids' lunch... as a little "I love you" surprise. Then we have a special dinner, with a small treat for each of the kids, and a special dessert.

We try to keep it low key and family oriented. I make my husband something crafty - a mini-album, a coupon book, or something and we give the boys something small that they will really like. I really enjoy Valentine's Day because it makes me realize all the loves in my life!!!!!

For the past 3 Valentines Days my husband has secretly decorated my car, and last year my desk... full of streamers and confetti, and flowers. It's quite sweet, and So creative!
For the kids... it's quite special that my Dad (their grandpa) buys them a heart box of chocolates. He used to do that for my sister and I, but once we got married, he started doing that for the grandkids... there's 5 now! :-)

i'm single. so my only consistent tradition is...
the day after valentines i buy myself some pretties flowers & a box of chocolate that are on sale. it's my little treat.
i also make my mom alittle something every year. sometimes a scrappy something, sometimes cookies.
it's my favorite holiday! i just love red & pink & all of the love everywhere. so cute!!!

I make BIG heart shaped sugar cookies and write little sayings on them. They disappear quickly. Last year I made my DH an album about us dating and the wedding with a cd of our music from that time. (80's music!)

Our Valentine's Day always features "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups" in one form or another! We LOVE those things! Otherwise, no real tradition...usually also get my boys a new movie or something simple like that!

Valentines Day is pretty low-key at our house, but it includes the kids just as much as my husband and me! We all focus on our love for eachother. Last year we decorated some heart-shaped cookies and made eachother homemade valentines, so we'll probably do something similar this year.

WOW!! So much excitement with the pink energy and soon to be lovely pink bundle to the Edwards home. The anticipation of her arrival is so wonderful and exciting. Enjoy these last few days with just the 3 of you. After the second is born, it never goes back to just the quiet of three.
Hugs, Julie from Findlay, OH

My BF and I decided a long time ago to not buy gifts for each other for valentines day. Instead we are allow to make gifts or do special favors for each other. It requires that we put a little thought into our gifts. One year I was not allowed in the kitchen. He cooked, cleaned, brought dinner out to me, everything. It was very romantic.

We usually go out to our favorite restaurant for V day, except it closed down last year... so this year we will pick a new restaurant. We take our 2 year old daughter with us, since now Valentine's Day is just more than "the two of us", it's a family affair.

looove these items!! i started this little tradition in college when i first started my "then boyfriend, now husband"....i'd take red cardstock and write all kinds of reasons why i love him...could be from how he smiles at me to how hard he works, etc. then, i cut up the heart into many little pieces and stick on surfaces throughout the house. he goes on a "scavenger hunt for the pieces of my heart" and then puts them all together to make one big heart. it's really fun to sit and think about how our love has grown over time from year to year.

A couple of years ago, I altered some of the little mailboxes from Target for each member of the family. They sit on the hearth through the month of February and everybody puts little love notes or gifts in them.
I always make a heart-shaped pizza and sugar cookies for the kids on Valentine's Day, but DH and I usually do a fancy dinner (we cook) after the kids head off to bed.

I love Valentine's Day and love making valentines. I've already started mine. I also making a special gift each year for my husband, one year it was a deck of "love" cards complete with a box, looked just like a deck of cards. Last year it was a mini album of our 5 grandchildren. Haven't found just the right project for this year yet but it will come to me soon.
Lovely prizes.

We don't do a whole lot, DH and I exchange cards, the boys give out cards at school, and we just try to be together a little bit.

Last year I helped my daughter (3) make Valentines for her grandparents. We had so much fun we ended up making them for the whole family. Just last night we were thinking of what we would do this year. So fun!

My husband and I go to dinner without our daughter and on Valentine's for her I try to make everything into a heart shape, food etc.

For Valentines we always have French Toast for dinner. While we eat I tell each of my (5) kids a reason why we love them, thank them for something outstanding they are doing and give them a little present. It is fun, and a special memory for all of us. Last year I did your I Love you booklet for each of them and I will always treasure those.

good morning Ali: We love Valentine's Day. I enjoy it all from the cute little valentine cards that my son gives and receives at school, to the tasty chocolates and conversation heart candy, and just simply being with the ones you love most. After dinner my husband and son tell us to sit on the couch and close our eyes. They put a gift in each of our hands (me and our two girls). He usually gives us each matching jewelery, very sweet and so thoughtful. Happy early Valentines Day. Kim

We have found that going "out" on Valentine's Day - or the weekend before/after - isn't so great. it is usually a wait, crowded and the wait staff are NOT thrilled to be working that night so service isn't as good. So - we usually order take-out Chinese food and celebrate as a family. Over the years I have made cute Valentine mailboxes for the kiddos, and then they made their own, but now they are middle schoolers - they make Valentine's for their friends. They love to receive a special package of "love" from me and their dad too.

Valentine's Day is special to my family, as it was my due date for my oldest son and my water actually broke that night. So every V-Day, my husband and I remember that day so vividly and it's such a reminder of our love for each other and our family. I love all the colors of these products and could really use them with my son to create his classmates valentines. My son loves to make his own valentines each year and share his love of giving to others.

Valentine's Day is so fun.....we always do little baskets of small treats for our two girls. This year I even made handmade Valentine's for a few friends at work who love to get things like that. Loving that print Ali, it would be darling in the baby's room!!!
:)