Yoga...with kids!

So I have never actually done yoga, but I hear it is the most relaxing form of exercise. I found these cards and thought it would be the perfect thing to try with my kids. (well, Robbie...Elle when she is older) Really, I think it will be the most fun for playgroups when I have Robbie and his little friends over. Maybe we could dedicate the 20 minutes to "yoga pretzels!" The cards are divided in categories like: breathe, stand, partner, game, etc. Then Every card tells you some Yoga thing to do...but makes it fun for kids. Examples: breathe like a snake, take a big deep breath in and exhale with the "sss" sound, or like a bunny with 3 sniffs for the inhale, or like a bumble bee with the buzz. Stand like a mountain, like a dancer, etc. Anyway, Ill try it and let you know how it goes. You can google them online, or find them at amazon.

Cupcakes!

Ok, cupcakes are the new HOT thing....EVERYWHERE! After seeing the new So Cupcake on Stephmodo I had to do some searching, and found a cupcake bakery right here in Philly...along with MANY (including Magnolia) in New York. Here in PA, try the Velvet Sky Bakery.

BUT, I think one of them most famous is SPRINKLES and if you cant fly to LA to pick some up, you can buy the mix at William Sonoma and make them yourself. The mix even comes with their signature Modern Dots! (Jane sent me the red velvet flavor...thank jane!) I made them last night...and I think they turned out like the real Sprinkles cupcakes!

Our Valentines table...with kids! We had waffles with strawberries, because I knew the kids would eat them!

One more Valentines Idea: Luxury Scavenger Hunt

Maybe you should send your spouses to this site to read this!

In highschool, one of my favorite ways to ask to nice dances was this scavenger hunt. It is even more fun and romantic to plan for your spouse.

First, he gets an invitation to his favorite restaurant to meet there at a certain time. Upon giving the lady his name, they give him his favorite appetizer all boxed up with the next invitation...that sends him to a clothing store. Again, after telling someone there his name, they give him a wrapped box of something special with the next invitation inside. He may then go to a chocolate store, or victoria secret, or the choice is yours, he could end up at dinner with you, or home to a nice dinner or night of relaxation)

When I did it, I sent them to La Caille for a drink, Nordstrom for a tie, Tuscany for a gift basket and dessert. Now make it personal for your husband. Or be the best friend a girl could have and tell your friend's husband to do it for her!!! (She'll return the favor one day...im sure!)

Story of Valentines Day

We know for sure that there were at least 2 Christian Preachers named Valentine, that were killed for spreading Christianity...but the unconfirmed story of the 3rd Valentines is my favorite.

He was again a Christian Preacher who lived under the rule of a pagan king...who started to banish marriage in order to build his army. Valentine started marrying people in secret, and of course was sent to jail. He fell in love with the Jailor's daughter and on the eve of his execution wrote her a note: "Dear Beloved....Love, Your Valentine"

All these men were canonized and made Saints in the Catholic church though they are not worshipped as some Saints are.

This year's Valentines Craft is for St. Valentine. If you can cut the wood and paint the blocks, my friend Kathy will print the vinyl for you for a minimal charge!

Valentines Idea: Plan your own date...or weekend

This was one of our best Valentines! I had no idea what to do for him, so I let him choose. For a couple days before valentines, I hid notes for him. Each note had cute things on the top about how much I love him, and on the bottom it was a questionaire. I hid the notes for him to find, and instructed him to hide them back for me. Here is an example of how you could design your weekend, day or perfect date night...using his imput:

NOTE #1

On your dream day which of the following would you do in the morning?

a. go on a hike

b. go fishing

c. play tennis

d. stay in bed late and watch a movie

Where would you spend the night?

a. a cabin in the woods

b. a hotel downtown

c. condo in parkcity

d. home

NOTE #2

Circle one from each category to make your homemade dream meal!

chicken, beef, shrimp, fish,

pasta, rolls, rice, breadsticks

asparagus, zucchini, salad, broccoli

rootbeer float, chocolate cake, cheesecake,

NOTE #3

Use the following words to describe your dream (date, weekend, day)

*insert words that you know you will do, like "saturday" "snow" "cabin" "fire"

You can change this to make it work for any occasion, and price range. I loved it because he really helped me plan what we were going to do! And he loved it!

Valentines Idea:12 "Lays"...

Ok, by popular demand...I am actually going to post this! Warning...this is a little kinky, so I wont give too many details! Two of my friends did this for their husbands for Christmas, and I thought the idea was so funny and cute I didnt want to wait until next Christmas. SO...Instead of the 12 Days of Christmas...try the 12 Lays of Valentines. There are many different ways of going about it, but the one they did, went along with the original song...here are some examples, but girls, GET CREATIVE!

1. Pear bubble bath, pear dessert, etc

2.dove chocolate, chocolate turtles, spell out "love" with them

3. french kiss, french kiss the movie, french and romantic

4. sexy "calling" messages, or notes, or texts

5. anything gold (undies, lotion, doughnuts, etc.)

6. egg breakfast in bed, anything with eggs

7. goldfish, a speedo for swimming?

8. maid attire, milk duds, milk shake

9. beginners guide to "dancing," etc.

10. a massage (the lords were tired of leaping), choc. frogs, sexy chess or checkers

11. music, itunes gift card, homemade cd of favorite sexy songs

12. whatever you want the finale to be!

Can you imagine the possibilities and the expression on your husbands face when he looks in his briefcase the first day! I love it because...if it is thoughtful and romantic, you dont have to get something expensive...how could they complain about this!

Valentines Day Tradition: Books

Growing up, My Mom always set our Family Valentines Table with a book or 2 for each of us. I have continued the tradition for my kids. Elle is getting "Pinkalicious" and Robbie is getting "No No David" this year. I also give them a small gift. I love looking back at my books that say "Valentines 1995" etc.

Valentines Idea: The Gift Basket

We are not talking about a gift basket from Artichoke & Co (which is beautiful and if money permits and time doesnt, it is a great choice)...I am talking about a VERY personalized gift basket for your Valentine.

1. Future Plans Basket: Every item represents something you are looking forward to in the future. (Pineapple or Macademias...for the trip to Hawaii you want to take, Guidebook...for hikes or trails, Golf balls...for the hobby you want to learn, lincoln logs...for the cabin you are hoping for, baby bottle full of a favorite treats...for a future child, etc. )

2. Things you love about him basket: things that represent all of the things that make him special to you.

3. His favorite things basket: you get the idea

I think I sometimes overuse these. For Rob's First Father's day I did "things that I cant wait for my Daddy to teach me" I love them because they are thoughtful and as long as the things are useful...they are a good alternative to one gift.

Birthday Dino Dig

For Robbie's Third Birthday...we had a Dinosaur Party. Here are the party details:

Invitation: The Dinosaur Egg! I put "breaking news" on the envelope.

Decoration: Green Table Cloths, streamers, and ANYTHING dinosaur (small pvc dinos, books, puzzles, etc)

I found this dinosaur sculpture at Pottery Barn Kids...it was a little tough to build, but it was big, so it added to the room!

These Dino Biters were part of the favors...but started out as a great decoration! (oriental trading company!)

I renamed each of the kids, on the invitations, name tags and favors: saurus, ceratops, dactyl & raptor at the end of each of their names.

Activities: The dino dig was the big hit. Sand from home depot, plastic swimming pool...they dug for rawhide dog bones (I kept them in the plastic wrap so they wouldnt stink), dinosaur eggs, and candy. I had them use paint brushes to dig so it wouldnt get too messy.

I blew this picture up off the internet and printed in on 6 sheets of paper. It saved about $25! The other activites were a dino puzzle, and dino toss.

Food: This was a fun! I made jello jigglers in circle shapes for a lake, mashed potatoe mountains, broccoli trees and dino nuggets!

The Cake: Yes, it did take about 4 hours...but it was worth it. I got this idea from coolest-birthdaycakes.com. First I dyed the fondant blue and Rob cut it out into spikes, toenails, eyes & nose. Then we made 2 round cakes and a rectangle cake and cut out the pieces.

Next, we did a layer of frosting over the whole thing then I spent about 2 hours piping scaly stars all over the whole cake!

He loved it! That is the best part!



Favors: Pretty much all from oriental trading co. dinosaur grabbers, dino stickers, their own set of pvc dinosaurs, dino fruit snacks and a large dino egg filled with candy!

This was SO much fun. We had 12 kids, I reccommend 1 adult per every 3 kids with this kind of party!