Grab your Valentine’s Smarties! Love is in the air and as parents Valentine’s Day can look quite different than it did before kids. While a fancy date night out sounds amazing, it’s not always in the books for parents when babysitters are tricky to find or budgets may not allow. Instead, how about a special night (or late afternoon/early evening because let’s be real-we all need sleep) with the whole family?!
Set the Scene
So much of what makes something feel special can be attributed to the environment, and Valentine’s Day is no exception! Valentine’s Day books on the coffee table, kid-friendly music talking about love and kindness, and wearing a fun festive outfit are all super simple ways to make your home feel full of love. Little decorations like a Valentine’s day heart flag on the front of the house, heart-shaped napkins on the kitchen table, Valentine’s Day coloring place mats, or even just changing the lighting in your home can set the scene for a special evening.
Get Creative in the Kitchen
This Valentine’s Day, add some flavor to your evening by getting creative in the kitchen. Meatloaf (never find the name of this dish appetizing but it always tastes amazing) is the perfect meal to make for Valentine’s Day because you can shape it into a heart for a fun presentation alongside some pink mashed potatoes! Not into meatloaf? No judgment here. Valentine’s Day cookies or cupcakes are always a winner plus you can involve your kids in the entire process- activity and fun all in one! Maybe you make some heart shaped pancakes or dye your pasta noodles pink? Whatever you decide to make, look at it from a new angle and see what kind of fun may come out of it.
Get Crafty
A craft is never a bad idea in our house unless it involves glitter… no glitter please. We love to plan out a simple craft that can be done before dinner to add to the decorations, while dinner is cooking as a distraction, or after dinner to have 
something fun to do all together. It’s also a nice way to make each season and holiday different from the year before because you can switch up what you make! Something simple like making cut out hearts for garland or homemade Valentine’s Day cards can be more meaningful than we realize.
Go on an Adventure at Home
You don’t have to go far to find adventure and a Valentine’s Day-themed scavenger hunt around the house or yard could be the perfect stay-cation activity for your family. Maybe you turn your living room into a kid-friendly spa and take turns with facials, nail painting, or GASP makeup? Grab a board game and go low technology for the night. Challenge your family members to a dance off! Do the things you have been saving for “someday” and have fun!
As parents and partners we constantly feel the pressure to be more, spend more, and do more with our families but what if we went for the simple option instead? Quality time is the most precious gift we have and it’s free! This Valentine’s Day let’s do more with less and make the day special by just being together with our families.
