Showing posts with label Valentines Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentines Day. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Family Valentine Traditions: Fancy Family Valentines Dinner

Valentines Day is all about love, and the best people to celebrate love with is your family.  Several years ago, rather then go out and fight the crowds on Valentine's Day we began a Fancy Family Valentine's Dinner.   This tradition has carried on for many years now and the kids still love it.
Fancy Family Valentines Dinner
Here is 2017's Fancy Family Valentine's Dinner.

This year we actually had our dinner a few nights early as we knew our Tuesday night was full of soccer and trip to the Temple for my son.  Most of the decor is either from the dollar store or the Target Dollar section.  Some things I save over the years, like the vases and rose petals; it really is not an expensive ordeal.
Table Setting
We did something new this year but bringing all the kids with us to the store when we bought the food and let them pick out their own special treat to put in their box.
Valentines Dinner Table Decor

I always love doing easy clean-up decor, disposable plates, napkins, etc.  Just because it is disposable doesn't mean it can't look fancy.
Heart plate

The Menu
This year for dinner we had: heart shaped ravioli, sushi, lobster crostini, crackers with spinach artichoke dip, chocolate covered strawberries, quinoa salad, crinkle cut carrots, and sparkly drink.
Valentines Day Dinner

Sushi

Heart Shaped Ravioli
It was a great meal,  even if we did lose half of the sushi when someone's elbow accidentally knocked the tray on the floor. It is a tradition we will definitely be continuing for many years.
Cheers
Fancy Dinner

Do you have any Valentine's Day Traditions?

See our past years dinners here:
2016//2015//2014//2013//2012//2011

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Family Friendly Valentine Dinner

For the past several years we have had a Fancy Family Valentine's Dinner.  It has become a favorite tradition for our whole family.  Here is 2016's Fancy Family Valentine's Dinner.

The table decorations were almost all from the dollar store.
Fancy Family Dinner
Valentines Table Setting

Red table cloth, red plates, heart cups, little heart stones and the flower petals.
Valentine's Dinner Table

I love using disposable plates as it makes clean-up so much easier.  The place mats are cloth ones I bought at Target.
Chocolates
Love Sign

This year I also labeled each person's seat with a paper heart, for a little something more.
Heart Signs

Menu

Heart Shaped Ravioli with white sauce
Asparagus
Bread Sticks
Lobster Crostini
Chicken Skewers
Lobster Bisque Soup
Sparkly Cider

Dessert: Chocolate Cake
Valentine's Dinner

The Lobster Crostini were so good, though the kids weren't totally sure about them.  Everyone loved the ravioli and chicken skewers.
Bread Sticks and Lobster Bites

Family Valentine's Dinner
It was a wonderful meal that we all truly loved and a tradition we will definitely be continuing for many more years.

What do you do for Valentine's Day?
See the Past Dinner's here
2015//2014//2013//2012//2011

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Planning The Perfect Family Valentine's Dinner

Several years ago when Ryder was only one, we were having a hard time find a babysitter for Valentine's Day; so we decided we would stay home and have a fancy Family Valentine's Dinner.  It was a huge hit and new tradition began.   Eric and I still go out as a couple, just on a different night when we can get a babysitter and the restaurants aren't so busy.
Planning the Perfect Family Valentines Dinner









I am planning this year's Fancy Family Valentine's Dinner so have been searching the internet for some new ideas.   Here are some of my favorites.
 (Click on the titles to take you to the original posts)

Decorations
Going simple or all out- here are some ideas to get you inspired.



The Table- Most of these are disposable, making cleanup easier! 


Dinner

For dinner you really don't have to do anything fancy, just do something everyone likes.  Eric and I love sushi- the kids not so much, so we will get heart shaped ravioli for the kids and sushi for ourselves; makes it a win-win for everyone.

Start the meal right with a heart shaped fruit salad



Grill Some steak or pork chops with a side of heart shaped potatoes



Desserts 

Cupid Floats to drink


See our past Fancy Family Valentine's Dinners 


What do you do for Valentine's Day?

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Custom Valentine Card Ideas

This post contains affiliate links-all feeling and opinions are my own.

Valentine's Day will be here before we know it.  Do you remember your classroom Valentine parties?   I have distinct memories of decorating a shoe box, covering it with pink and red paper and gluing on those fancy lacy hearts, thankfully my mom always seemed to have craft supplies on hand.  
Custom-Valentine-Cards
On Valentine's day I would go around sticking the little generic cards in each classmates' box; I had carefully addressed each card ensuring I did not give a boy a card that said something like "U R Cute", well unless it was a boy I thought was cute. 

If you search Pinterest, there are so many cute ideas for cards and you could spend hours putting cards together, or you can take the easier route and go to Minted.com and order from one of their many options of custom Valentines Cards. 
Dinosaur-Valentine-Card

Minted has an awesome selection of Valentine's Day Cards. 
School-Valentine-Card

The kids classroom valentines cards are for exchange by school-aged children, primarily from preschool through elementary school (ages 3-10). They can also be given to children by teachers.

Our classroom valentine cards feature fun, unique designs that can be customized with her child’s name. Starting at only $14 for 15 cards, our custom classroom valentines are an affordable option! We offer many options for her to infuse her child’s personality and make it their own, including:§ FREE die-cut shapes!
§ Matching customizable stickers for every design
§ Photo designs
§ Coordinating backers
§ Add variety by mixing and matching different designs!

All of our Valentine's Day cards are available on your choice of thick Signature paper, 100% recycled Premium paper, or Pearlescent paper. 

I love that you can customize the cards even with your child's name already on it, so your child doesn't have to spend a ton of time addressing each card.  If you have a picture of your kid that you want to share, they have a ton of picture options too. 
Picture-Valentine-Card


Giveaway!
Minted is offering one of my readers $250 in Minted product!  Just follow this link and sign up for the giveaway, that simple!

The Giveaway is open for 1 week- so hurry and enter.

Legal Stuff: This giveaway is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are at least 18 years old as of the date of entry, except officers, directors, members, and employees of the Sponsor, the judging organization (if applicable), or any other party associated with the development or administration of this Promotion, and the immediate family(i.e., parents, children, siblings, spouse), and persons residing in the same household, as such individuals. This Promotion is void outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and where prohibited.


What do you do for your Valentine Cards?

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Our Valentine's Family Tradition

Before Valentine's Day I shared with you an alternative idea to fighting the crowds to eat out, with our Fancy Family Valentine's Dinner.  We did it again this year of course and so today I am sharing the pictures.   Here is our Fancy Family Valentine's Dinner 2015
ValentinesFamilyDinner-7

This year we had heart decor.
ValentinesFamilyDinner-2
ValentinesFamilyDinner-1

Heart tablecloth and heart dollies under the plates.
ValentinesFamilyDinner-3

Hearts on our cups (plastic ones I bought after Valentine's Day last year for a quarter each)
ValentinesFamilyDinner-4

And Heart shaped ravioli.
ValentinesFamilyDinner-5

Each person got a little box that was filled with some chocolates.
candybox

It was a really yummy dinner
ValentinesFamilyDinner-9
ValentinesFamilyDinner-6
ValentinesFamilyDinner-8
Eric and I often get something fancier for us for dinner, but this year we actually went out to lunch for sushi, so we were good eating the ravioli with the kids Valentine's dinner.

What did you do for Valentine's?

P.S. Join me TUESDAY for 10 Things to Smile About This Month!



Emmy Mom

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

A New Twist on Valentine's Day

Are you looking for something different to do on Valentines Day?  Something different then joining the thousands of people who crowd the restaurant on the same day. When I was first married we once waited for 2 1/2 hours to eat at Red Lobster on Valentine's Day.

Now with kids and having to pay a babysitter, we don't want to have to pay for 2 1/2 hours of sitting there waiting.  Instead, our family does something a little different.  On Valentines Day we stay in, avoiding the horrifically crowded restaurants and have a Fancy Family Valentine's Dinner.


It begins with small little treats from the dollar store and Target $ bin
Valentines Day Dinner
A fancy table set up just for the night (with most things again from the dollar store or Target $ bin).  We then have a "kids dinner" and a dinner for us, but it isn't as hard as it sounds.

 I have discovered around Valentines that Costco carries heart shaped ravioli.  Eric and I are big sushi fans so will buy some store bought sushi for our meal (yes not as good as a restaurant but it works).
Heart Ravioli

We eat by candlelight.
Candle Light
The first year we even dressed up in "fancy clothes"
From 2011
It really has become a tradition we have come to love.  Eric and I will go out to eat a different day the week of Valentines just the two of us, less crowds, babysitters actually available and we are able to create a wonderful family tradition.  It is the best of both worlds.

What do you do on Valentines?

Our past Fancy Family Valentines Dinners.





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