Valentine's Ideas

As we rapidly approach Valentine’s Day, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the need to orchestrate your child's Valentine's card exchange or bake sale or various other important crafts that seem to take over this time of year. I find this time of year challenging - two kids with two class lists, various goodies and cards to buy, multiplied by lists that also come from various extracurriculars (Brownies, for instance and Original Kids). When it comes right down to it this means chaos this week as my children write Valentine's for at least five different groups of kids while also juggling homework. It is fun - to a degree, but really few kids can sit pencil in hand scrawling names each night for an hour and really it can be crazy-making for any Mommy. And on top of that of course we cannot forget that we need to spend time with our significant other and somehow also schedule a babysitter. WHEW!

I have a lovely guest post here from BlogEnergizer that suggests fun ways to include the whole family in the holiday. But I want to also point out that we as Mommies need to give ourselves permission to step back and take a break. If there isn't time to get the bake sale goodies done too, then buy something and be happy that you contributed, or skip one or two of your commitments. It isn't possible to do it all, so cut yourself some slack. And remember while children may need guidance and help printing the names every now and then it's okay to step back and let them take ownership of their Valentine's Day. In fact it's necessary.

7 Ideas for Kids

1. Children love to celebrate Valentine’s Day with friends. This is the day of the year that they can show their friends how much they mean to them. One of the best inexpensive crafts that your children can do is to make homemade Valentine’s Day cards to hand out at school.  Some ideas:  help your children to cut out card sized hearts for the cards. The hearts can be cut from red and pink construction paper. The front of the heart can decorated with stickers, glitter and even ribbon to make each homemade Valentine card special. A personal note written on the back and signed by your child finishes the back of the card.


2. Your children will need a way to carry their homemade Valentine’s Day cards to school. A special Valentine’s Day tote bag will be the best thing to carry cards to school and bring all of their cards back home. Start this simple craft with a paper grocery bag. Attach ribbons to the top of the bag to make handles for the Valentine’s Day tote bag. The tote bag it self can be decorated with cut out hearts, markers, ribbons, glitter and stickers.

3. Your children can make special treat bags to go with each of the Valentine’s cards that they hand out. Start by choosing either chocolate candies or conversation hearts to fill the treat bags. You can get pink and red color tulle from your local craft store that can be cut into squares to make the treat bags. Place the square of tulle on the table. In the center of the square, you can help your children to place a small pile of candy. Pull up the sides and tying them together with ribbon.

4. Create homemade chocolate candies or suckers for friends. Many stores offer kits that include the candy molds and instructions for melting the chocolate. Another idea is to create chocolate spoons. We like licorice dipped in chocolate. It's relatively easy too.

5. Many children like to give Valentine’s Day gifts to their teachers. There are a few gifts that your children can make for the many teachers that they have. The first gift idea is to give the teacher her own special candy stash. This usually works best with small chocolate candies but can be done with any type. Start with a clean dry mayonnaise jar with the label removed. Fill the jar with the candy that you have chosen to use. Cover the lid with a square piece of fabric in colors that remind you of Valentine’s Day. Tie the cloth onto the lid with a ribbon. You can help your children to print up labels for the jar saving a special message for the teacher.

6. For bakes sales or teacher gifts you can make cookie bouquets. Start by helping your children to bake heart shaped sugar cookies. Before you bake the cookies you will want to place a wooden dowel into them to make the stem for the heart flowers. Ice the cookies with red and pink icing if you want.

7. You and your children can make a Valentine’s Day apron for a teacher or grandparent. Start out by getting a plain apron from a craft store or cooking store. You will want to make sure that the fabric that you choose for the aprons will take paint. Have your children use paint pens to decorate the Valentine’s Day apron for their teacher. This is a great craft to let your children’s creativity flow on.

One of thriftymommas favourite fun outdoor things to do this time of year for children is: fill a water spritzer or two (so no fights with sibs) with water coloured by red and pink food colouring and spray the snow in your yard pretty colours. The kids may make hearts or names or anything they want. Oh and my final tip, buy up the Valentine's Feb 16th or 15th for next year. Always marked down for pennies.

Friday Finds - Feb. 5th weekend

So many amazing deals this weekend let's jump right in:

This weekend we have Gymboree's Rise and Shine event, only until end of Sunday. Rise and Shine gets you 30 % off all purchases.

At Northern Reflections until Valentine's Day you save $10 off any pant when you try a pair of pants on.

If you subscribe to Gap's email list right now until Feb. 7th you can dowload and print their coupon and get a free Canada T-Shirt with every $50 spend in store.

Old Navy, as usual, has incredible deals this weekend. Feb. 5 to 18 is the Kid's and Babies sale 30 % off all of those children's styles. Also one day wonder deals on graphic shirts just for Feb. 6th. $7 only.

On Monday at Talize (Feb. 8) 50 % off all purchases.

For a limited time buy a kid's meal at Swiss Chalet and receive a $10 off toy purchase at Toys 'R Us.

And don't forget to go to Zellers and buy your red mittens to support Canadian Athletes in the Olympics.

Lemon - a review

(this is a sample of thriftymommasbrainfood my other blog http://www.thriftymommasbrainfood.blogspot.com/)
I have been a great fan of Cordelia Strube from the time she first drew attention for her novel Alex and Zee. Strube's first novel was nominated for the W.H. Smith Books In Canada first novel award and it garnered a fair bit of praise roughly 15 years ago, back when young Canadian authors were being discovered and celebrated regularly, in both this country, and on the world stage. Strube's various other novels Milton's Elements and Teaching Pigs To Sing are firmly tucked away in my own personal home library of great Canadian authors. Teaching Pigs To Sing was a finalist for the Governor General's Award. When I heard of Strube's latest novel Lemon, I quickly contacted Coach House books and asked for a review copy for thriftymommasbrainfood. And from the moment I received this one in the mail I couldn't put it down. I read it on the treadmill at the Y and while waiting for my daughter's at their various activities which they do all over town. I literally could not put it down. And that doesn't happen that often any more as my reading time vies with many other obligations, commitments and passions. Strube is a witty author, with a strong narrative voice, perhaps an aquired taste for some, but her characters are often strong females with a very jaded view of life, or a cynical eye. Lemon is no exception. Lemon is the story of a disenfranchised young girl, 16, named Limone, nicknamed Lemon, who spends her days rebelling at school and her off hours volunteering in a children's cancer ward at a local hospital. At the start of the story when we meet Lemon, she has three mothers. The biological mother seeking her, her adoptive father's depressed ex who tried to kill them both, and her most recent stepmother. Lemon lives with the most recent stepmother, a school principal who has become agoraphobic since being stabbed. The young teen escapes her life by reading voraciously. In her sad world teens beat each other up to feel something, sexting each other constantly, then betraying their friends by posting their pervy messages on sites like Youtube. Cyberbullying is the norm at Lemon's high school and teachers seem to look the other way as most of the students have some secret underground perversion. Despite the claim that Lemon feels she has three mothers, she sees herself as an orphan in a world that is not worth living in and she spends her spare time hiding in trees observing the drug dealers, thugs and lowlifes in her neighbourhood. While she was at one point adopted, those parents have long since broken up. When we meet her, her adoptive mother is dead, her birthmother is searching for her and Lemon is conflicted. Her adoptive father, who eventually it is revealed, turns out to be her biological father, is a horrid skirtchaser she dubbed The Slug. Lemon's closest friend is a child named Kadylak dying of cancer, her one teenage friend is the school slut and her only other friend is a dark intense poet practising to be a psychiatrist. When Lemon's only true friend dies of cancer she receives a package from the family containing the girls' drawings and it plummets her into a downward spiral. "Brightly coloured birds with stick legs under an always smiling sun. Drawings I watched her pen intently with felt marker, wondering why the sun was always smiling. She who could not go outside for fear of burning her chemo-blasted skin always drew smiling suns. I believed she would survive because of those suns." While this book is extremely graphic, Lemon is a beautiful character with an unflinching view of the really desparate world she feels she has inherited. In the mirror she sees her biology tying her to people she either doesn't know or cannot stand. In the end this is a story about the nature of family. When a young drifter who is also an environmentalist comes to live with the odd pair, the novel clearly becomes an essay on the nature of family and what it is that binds us to this earth. Lemon is one of the most humourous, sad and touching books I have read in a very long time. It is very respectful of adoption language and truthful in rendering the emotions involved in this bittersweet process. It is life in an adoptive family, but darker, way funnier and taken to the extreme. This is a story I will treasure.


Lemon by Cordelia Strube

Coach House Books
Toronto, 2009, 260 pages, $19.95 Canadian $21.95 U.S.
ISBN1552452204
thriftymommas rating $$$$ and 1/2 out of $$$$$.

Friday Finds

Well, here it is Friday again and time once more for a few of my excellent ideas, tips and sales for the coming weekend.

First off I want to remind all that tomorrow Saturday while my daughter is grading at martial arts Northland Mall (London) near Huron and Highbury Streets has a very cool family literacy day event going on. So I believe this event starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 2 p.m. Perhpas I'll see you there later. Preschoolers and toddlers will enjoy crafts, singing and dancing with Treehouse's Markus and apparently Sesame Street characters Cookie Monster, Elmo and Abby Cadabby are making an appearance. Can't get enough of that "Me want cookie!" bit.

Also this weekend at Western Fair the Lifestyle Home Show. All weekend. Get tips and ideas on how to renovate or landscape that home now. Oh and Playhouse Disney Live is at the John Labatt Centre where Handy Manny will probably be fixing something on Saturday. Shows are at 12:30, 3:30 and 6:30.

All weekend long at Old Navy wear something red and white, with the word Canada on it or a maple leaf and save 30 % off your purchase. Oh Canada! Now, show me some spirit!

Superstore is giving away a $25 gist card with a $250 purchase this week. I can easily spend that much there if I do some shopping with the groceries.

Also next week don't forget Rise and Shine Feb. 5 to 7 at Gymboree stores.

Haiti and adoption

I have been asked in the last couple of weeks many times, both personally and professionally, to weigh in on Haiti and the international adoptions occurring in light of the earthquakes there. There has been much talk locally in the adoption community and in the community at large about what is best practice. At times the talk has been slanted towards the 'let's all swoop in and rescue the orphans and bring them to other countries.' I wholeheartedly support the transportation of those children whose adoptions were approved and in process prior to the earthquake. They should all be moved, and in fact, should join their new families as soon as possible. Few would argue that those adoptions already in process needed to be expedited as a result of the earthquake. But the smartest statement I heard or read this week was one issued by the Adoption Council of Canada. It was one of the numerous adoption agencies fielding massive numbers of calls about how people can adopt children orphaned by the earthquake in Haiti. In their response, the ACC indicated that while everyone is devastated by the natural disaster and many have a strong desire and urge to help those who have been so damaged by the earthquake, "intercountry adoption, particularly by non-relatives, is not the first response to help the children." The ACC indicated that first steps must:

Identify and protect all those children separated from their parents and provide shelter and emergency help to orphanages.
Trace family members in Haiti and try to reunite where possible.

Late Tuesday Ontario's Ministry of Child and Youth Services issued a similar statement. While everyone hopes for happy endings for children and our first instinct is to protect children, we have to be beyond cautious not to overreach. The earthquake has been a trauma to everyone in Haiti. This is a time to rebuild Haiti and hopefully rebuild families. Adoption should not be the first response. Many will no doubt be left in need of adoptive families, but removing even one child from a living family member who has survived this trauma who may be in search of them would be tragic.

Photo courtesy of Reuters and World Vision Eduardo Munoz

Friday Picks

So here it is Friday again and I have a couple of very cool deals this weekend to share with my friends and followers. First of all I have tried the new Domino's pizza and I have got to say it is a vast improvement. Had it last night and was better than any I have had in awhile. (Having it today for lunch as leftovers) Also they have medium one-topping pizza for $6.99 (Canada, $5.99 U.S) - comparable to Little Ceasar's Hot and Ready at $5 and change, but slightly fresher and tastier. So if you are hunting for quick food options try Domino's this weekend. (My children pick everything else off anyways, so one-topping is great for us.) Also Wendy's my favourite super fast food place has the most amazing kid toys this week. Ad Libs are super fun for readers and elementary school students. Worth the price of a kid's meal.

So here it is:
Sobey's Three Day Deals Friday, Sat and Sunday. Very good in store sales, including 3 for $5 Schneider's products such as Lunchables, Ham Steaks and Bologna. Great Deal.

Gymboree: Use those Gymbucks now before you lose them.

Walmart: $2, $3 and $4 deals. Pop-Tarts and other food stuffs.

Children's Place: $5.99 Monster Sale still on.

Pricechopper: Very good grocery deals again this week. Activia yogurts $3.99 and 12-pack Coke and pepsi $2.99

Shoppers Drug Mart: spend $50 in store and get 7,000 Optimum Points. Also Sunday and Monday Pampers Training Pant and UnderJams only $13.99.

Weekend Roundup - January 15th

Well as promised here it is just in time for the weekend. My weekend roundup of all the excellent sales.

(If you live in London get to Cherryhill Village Mall this week. Sidewalk sales are superb. Ellen's Children Shoes. Huge selection of running shoes, cute walking shoes and sandals $30.00.)

Gymbucks are currently being redeemed ay Gymboree. If you've got them use them. Many new spring styles in store now and on line.

Old Navy has a deal where you can save an additional 50 % off all clearance items until Jan. 18th (Monday).

Children's Place: amazing selection of $5.99 items. WOW! Thanks for this info.. Laura

Tommy Hilfiger Outlet: Still has super clearance event on upto 70 % off.

Pricechopper: is the place to get your groceries this weekend with their dollar event. Many items marked down to $1, $2 and $3.

Superstore: Good deal on clearance clothing...

Sears Warehouse sale still rockin'.

Country Boy is still selling off all their furniture.

Happy shopping!