Non-Gift Gifts for Valentine’s Day

At a recent MOPS meeting I had the pleasure of listening to the wonderful speaker, Kathi Lipp.  Kathi is a writer and speaker on topics related to motherhood, marriage and women in general.  She has written several books, I am currently enjoying one of them called “The Me Project.”  The subject of Kathi’s talk at MOPS was “How To Be The Wife Your Husband Wants To Come Home To.”  No this is not a throwback to the 1950’s where you are in an apron and heels with dinner on the table and a martini ready.  This is about finding happiness in yourself and what brings happiness to your spouse.  This is also what prompted me to consider what to give my husband for Valentine’s Day.  Not the traditional tie, tech gadget or something else he’ll never use.  More about what “non-gift” I can give and by “non-gift” I mean nothing tangible.  That gift, for my husband at least, is time.  The gift of time.  Give this man some time.  Time to sleep in.  Time to surf.  Time to be with friends.  Time at the house alone.  Time to work on his computer.  Time to watch sports.  Time to clean out the garage (hehe).  Time to simply be.  Another non-gift item? Food.  A healthy meal at the ready for when he wants it.  Fresh chips and salsa in the pantry.  A babysitter on tap and a restaurant reserved.  A way he can enjoy something delicious and ideally kid-free!  Clean laundry.  Yep, I said it.  I actually want to give my man clean laundry.  I do laundry daily.  Its a chore and a hassle.  However I tend to take care of my sons’ laundry needs first, sheets/towels and finally my husband and I until oops!  No clean underwear.  Having neat stacks of clean clothes available and nothing in his dirty clothes hamper for a week would be a gift he wouldn’t ask for but would be thrilled to have. Now that’s the best kind of gift of all.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Easter Basket Ideas For Toddlers

Holidays have taken on a whole new meaning now that I am a mom.  Seeing Christmas, birthdays and upcoming Easter through the eyes of a child have made these days a lot more fun.  It also brings back fond memories of my own childhood holidays, with the ubitiquous photo of sitting on Santa’s lap and handing out cards to classmates on Valentine’s Day.

Last Easter my son was not even a year old so there wasn’t much to do but go to church.  This year we will do the same but also add on the traditions of an Easter basket and a couple of Easter egg hunts.  It took some hunting of my own but I have rounded-up a few ideas for simple but playful Easter baskets for young toddlers.

First…the basket.  The baskets from Pottery Barn Kids are super cute personalized and will last through the years.  Last Easter my mother purchased one for my son and I even use it as a centerpiece on our dining table filled with vintage looking paper Easter eggs in different sizes.  I also love the look of galvanized buckets such as these from Etsy shop BroddersTubs for a more contemporary look.  Of course inexpensive baskets from Target work just as well!

Now…what to put in these baskets? Older children are easy:  candy, candy and more candy.  Peruse the seasonal section at any Walgreens or Target and it is chocolate bunnies galore.  For toddlers, however, I really don’t see the need to give them anything for extra energy.  For candy alternatives I like snack treats such as Annie’s Graham Crackers, mini boxes of raisins or small bags of Happy Baby yogurt melts.  The all natural “Kitty Egg Crayons” from Etsy shop Kitty Baby Love is an adorable gift.  And what child doesn’t love a lovey? A small bunny blanket from Angel Dear provides something soft and lovable.  As a toy option Little People by Fisher Price is just the right size for a basket goodie.  Its a collection of figures in the form of different characters (farmer, bus driver, etc) and even superheroes (Holy Smokes, Batman!) perfect for little hands to hold.  Happy Easter!