Seriously

Here's a rundown of this week’s events…

1)Monday-It was a snowy and crummy day again (as it has been EVERY BLESSED MONDAY for a month!). I wouldn’t care so much except Monday is story time at our local library. The kids really look forward to going so I try not to miss unless the conditions are really bad. We’re running late to begin with and the roads are bad due to the snow. I finally get everyone loaded and get two blocks from home when the “Check Engine Light” appears on my dashboard. Of course it does. I called Hubby to whine as I turned around to go home.

Hubbyy quickly reads the car manual and determines the car is still drivable. We say a quick prayer that he’s correct and that Jesus will help us arrive at the library safely. I reload the children and we head out again. By some miracle, we are ON TIME for story time.

The best news is my car needs to go to the mechanic for the second time in three months-sigh.

2)Tuesday-Hubby is in music ministry. On Tuesday, quite unexpectedly, the pastor of his church was fired. Hubby had a good relationship with the pastor and he is quite shocked and saddened by this decision.

3)Thursday and Friday-Hubby is terribly ill and can’t do a blessed thing like move out of bed or earn a living.

4)Daisy got a paper cut Monday/Tuesdayish. Somehow the paper cut got infected. Friday resulted in a fun visit to get it taken care of ($25 doctor visit co-pay) and a fun prescription antibiotic (How foolish I was to think we’d be able to get by with generic Neosporin to help it heal).

We arrived at the pharmacy drive thru to discover this fun prescription antibiotic costs $40. Yes, $40. I quickly drove away from that pharmacy and decided to call around to a few other pharmacies to seek out a better price.

I eventually called our Target pharmacy. For some reason, they can’t tell me what the cost is, after insurance has paid, because Daisy hasn’t had a prescription filled there before. Never mind that I have and it’s the same insurance.

I do some frantic math and decide that Target should be about $4 cheaper than the other drug store pharmacy. So I bundle up my babies and head out-in the evening, on a weekend. I don’t like to drive at night because I don’t have the best eyesight. And I rarely hit Target on the weekend because we live in a pretty large city and the store tends to be very crowded with people and half of them seem to have left their manners at home.

Anyway, we get rung up at the pharmacy and the total is 50 CENTS cheaper than it was at the previous pharmacy I had been at earlier that day. I did all that to save 50 CENTS. You can imagine my excitement.

So we are home. The children are watching Veggie Tales and I’m whining here in my little corner of the internet. In about ten minutes we’re all putting on our jammies and giving up for the evening.

Maybe tomorrow will be better. Maybe Hubby will actually have the strength to bathe and maybe I’ll actually get to the mountain of dishes in my kitchen.

Bye-Bye, Bottle Rack

Today marked another milestone for my sweet lil' man. Simon, just shy of fourteen months old, is completely off bottles. He had absolutely no problem. For the last week, we just cut one bottle every couple of days (He only had three a day-just before nap, bedtime, and first thing in the morning). He doesn't care at all. He's just done with bottles.

So what does it say about me when I can't pack up his bottles and bottle rack? Is there a problem with leaving the bottle rack as it is on the kitchen counter indefinitely? He's just growing so fast-sigh.

Quick and Easy Valentine's Day Ideas for Preschoolers

It isn’t necessary to spend a lot of money, or a lot of time, to make Valentine’s Day a special day for the little ones in your life. It’s often just the simple little touches that children remember, and talk about, for months to come.

Decorations

Hang a variety of pink, red, and purple crepe paper streamers from bedroom doorways. I usually do this after the children have gone to bed the night before Valentine’s Day. I hang them in long strips from the center of the door. If the children have decorated construction paper hearts, those can be attached to the ends of the streamers.

Red, pink, and purple balloons can also be used to set the mood.

Add a red or pink plastic tablecloth to your table. Often, I’ll grab plain red tablecloths, for a great price, during the after Christmas sales. Use a heart shaped paper punch to make confetti for the center of the table.

Leave a Valentine’s Day themed place card near each person’s place at the table. Just a simple little “I love you” message or “I think you’re great because…”

Everyone dress in Valentine’s Day colors for the day.

Food Ideas

Heart shaped pancakes with pink milk (Either red food coloring in white milk or strawberry milk).

Heart shaped pieces of fruit. I use a small heart cookie cutter and cut up cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew melon, etc. You can even put them on sticks to make kabobs and dip them in yogurt-yum!

Peanut butter and jelly, or ham and cheese, sandwiches cut into heart shapes (Again, I just use a cookie cutter).

Red Jell-o and heart shaped Rice Krispie bars (You can also use red food coloring to make pink Rice Krispie bars).

Activities

Play with white shaving cream on the red, or pink, plastic tablecloth. Draw hearts, write “I love you,” etc.

“Lost and Found Hearts”-You will need a medium sized box or Rubbermaid container (about the size that would hold a pair of men’s shoes). Fill it with paper shred that’s used to fill gift bags and baskets. Throw in lots of small hearts of various size and color for your little ones to seek and find. Construction paper would work just fine but I actually like to use craft foam. It seems that the texture actually makes it necessary for the kids to work a little harder to find the hearts. You can make matching sets of hearts so the children have an extra challenge.

Valentine Delivery (see above photo)-Have your little ones make various paper valentines using construction paper, glitter, doilies, etc. Set up a box with various slots that will serve as a mailbox. Label the various slots with the names of family members or made up zip codes. Then label the valentines to match and your little one is ready to be a mail carrier delivering valentines. Give your little one an old visor and a canvas bag for an extra touch!

A simple Valentine’s Day gift (see above photo)

Take the cardboard tube from an empty roll of toilet paper. Fill it with small little gift items such as stickers, candy, or erasers. Wrap the cardboard tube up in tissue paper and tie ribbons at the ends (I use curling ribbon). Decorate it with your child’s name and various hearts. Add one extra string from end to end and you can hang it on their bedroom doorknob for a special surprise (I actually do this as a surprise when they wake up from their afternoon nap).

A project for you

Take a few minutes to create a valentine for your child. Decorate it to reflect their personality or interests. Express your love for them in your own words. Then take a few minutes to read it with your child. When I taught preschool, I had the parents do this every year and I can’t tell you what it means to the children. The time you invest, in this small little project, will leave a lasting impression on your little one.

Have a fun Valentine’s Day!