Author: Launi

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Bear Hug Valentines

In light of the fact that Valentine’s Day is on a Saturday this year, I thought it might be wise to give you tomorrow’s post…now. I’ll think of something else for tomorrow. Maybe something smushy and gushy and smoochie…

…maybe not.

Here you go…

Translation: Teddy Grahams and Hershey’s Hugs and Gummy Bears and Gopstopper Hearts tied in cellophane bags make a great, QUICKIE Valentine.

Note– If your child can only bring wrapped treats- pick up the snack packs of Teddy Grahams and Beary Fruit Snacks…that should help.

Here’s the links to all the other “Valentines” we’ve posted…so far.

Valentine Cookie Packs

Valentine Buckeye Bars

Valentine Gift- Scrabble Tile Pendant

Tiny Cookie Valentines

Valentine Pancakes

Valentine Candy Ipod

Valentine Caramels

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Inevitable

I have found…

that when it looks like this…

and this…

and this…

on the outside…

…it becomes quite necessary…

to find this…

and this…

and this…

on the inside.

Warm tummies, warm hearts.

It can’t possibly be helped.

lincoln

Happy Birthday President Lincoln!

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Candy Ipod

I don’t actually have kids that are taking Valentines to school, but if I did–this would be the project of the year! I found it at Happiness is Homemade and it is just so dang cute.

You start with a box of conversation hearts. Wrap it in any kind of paper. I used white paper and Valentine cellophane. Be sure to print off the scroll wheel and play list that you’ll find at the site HERE.

I used clear packing tape to stick the playlist and scroll wheel on. It made the “screen” look shiny and kinda real. Next take cotton string or yarn and fix it to the top right hand corner of your “ipod” and tape two Hershey kisses to the ends of the yarn for “ear buds.”

If I didn’t believe in choice and agency–I swear, I’d force Rhen to take half a dozen of these to school Friday. Wouldn’t everyone just fall in love with him? Pretty sure that’s why he’d never do it.

Oh, and one more thing…

For my dear Daney-boy’s birthday on Friday, we were very brave and made Beet Soup–in his honor. By the way–he hates it. I guess they eat that a lot in Lithuania because he’s been served it a million times–and each person that makes it puts their own “spin” to the dish, by adding something. So far, he’s told us about hard boiled eggs, spinach, onions and sardines. Pardon me, while I gag. We left ours plain and just added cream to it. It was still pretty gross. To be fair, I’d like to make it again my own way and not by the recipe that we used. I actually like beets so I think if I tweaked the ingredients a tad then it might stand a chance.

Pretty much we were a very wasteful bunch and opted for cereal.

I need to send my son some Campbell’s Chunky. He’s really missing it.

Note: Beet soup may stain your sink too.  :]

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Valentine Pancakes-

My cute niece Tracy—

lyndipictures2-134

–did a post last week about making pancakes into shapes for her girls. They were the cutest things I’ve ever seen.  Anyway–I was so impressed that I decided to try it.

First–we got a mustard and ketchup squirter bottle from the dollar aisle at Target. We washed them out with warm soapy water first. You can fill them with your favorite pancake mix–well, unless it’s blueberry or some other chunky fruit thing–your favorite SMOOTH pancake mix.

Don’t be afraid. It was really fun. Just squirt the batter onto the hot pan–make the “picture” first and then fill it in. To be honest, I was terrible at it, but laughing through breakfast prep isn’t so bad, and they were still edible. The one above looks like it has a spooky little man in the middle. It was suppose to be a heart!

So then, I tried to make a happy face and ended up with some dude with dreadlocks! I told Rhen that I made him a Bob Marley pancake and he thought I was so incredibly cool! Heh, heh…

This heart looks more like a slingshot. Tracy–I need art lessons!

And here was my attempt to make a lacy heart. Can anyone else see a squirrel in there—or is it just me? :]

Perhaps this is more a self portrait than I’d like to think. Ha ha.

To tell you the truth–I’m sure your pancakes will be fabulous if you have the least bit of artistic talent. And if not, and you’re like me, you’ll just laugh your head off and your kids will think you’re the best–or nuts.

Either way, you get breakfast and everybody’s smiling.

Beat that.

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Enjoying the Moment

“Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.

“Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: ‘The biggest mistake I made as a parent is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs.

There is one picture of my three children sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.'”

M. Russell Ballard