L-O-V-E

In a home filled to the brim with children, love is always around!  Yes, sometimes there are disagreements and moments of getting on each other's last nerve, but there is always somebody in the mood to give and recieve love. 

Every year we have a Valentines party and share the love!  I thought I would share some idea's with you that we incorporate with this annual even of sharing our love:

-I always start with them sitting around me and I go over the Valentines Day "story".  You can find it here.

-We then make mailboxes out of ceral boxes, shoe boxes, or anything else I have around the house, and decorate them. Go here, here or here for some idea's.  (We have done this the week before but it makes it so hard to wait!)  This one is made out of a ceral box~

-we always make cards for each other, or like this year, I took the easy way out and went to our local $1 store and bought them each a box. (pregnancy makes me REALLY lazy!)   I then have buddies get together and they go and fill in their cards for everyone in the family.  I also make sure there is one for dad from each child!
-we pick one of the older kids to be the mail man and deliver all the cards to the appropriate mail boxes.
-after the boxes are filled, we go around the table and everyone says something they love about our family and then something they love about God
-cards are opened and we then have cookies and hot chocolate.  (I have also been know to hand out a couple other treats also!)
 
Nothing fancy, just building memories!  Some other things you can do:

-scavenger hunts looking for Valentines around the house.  (This takes some planning ahead)
-an all red Valentines lunch or dinner, ex.- Spaghetti with sauce, red jello, red heart-shaped pancakes made with strawberries, pizza boats made with hotdog buns that you piece together like a heart and add sauce and cheese.
-making cut-out cookies and decorate them
-These are also a great idea!
-looking up scripture that has anything to do with love.  Make it a game by giving them verses and see who gets to them first. (Not so good for real young children but you can look them up and read them outloud with the little ones)

Some things to do throught out the year to keep the love going:

-Make a "Family Love Book".  Leave a notebook somewhere easy accessible and encourage children AND parents to write down something they noticed when someone was being kind throughout the day or just write down something nice about somebody.  Go over the writings from the day before, every morning to start of the day in a positive way.
-I always write love notes to my children.  They can be short little notes left on a pillow, in a drawer, left in a violin case, or long ones in a sealed envelope for them to read when they are alone.  My girls have all the ones I have written to them and now I have even noticed them doing that for each other!  It's a great reminder to them of love when they are feeling down!
-before meals, have each one go around the table and say a reason they love somebody else at the table
-sit down with them and ask them what love means to them one at a time and WRITE IT DOWN!  Save them and give them to them when they get married.  It is so cute seeing the answers they come up with! We haven had MANY laughs!  I have an entire folder of them!

I hope you have a great day being with those you love! 
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!