{{love, love, love}}

Valentine's Day Restaurant Deals...

Here is a list of restaurant deals available for you, your sweetheart & family!

Applebee’s: 2 for $20 meals featuring two full-size meals and one appetizer to share for just $20. Plus: Applebee’s will also be handing out Valentine’s Day treat sheets featuring 12 coupons, each valid for one free Brownie Bite on a dine-in visit Feb. 15 – March 13, 2011. During Valentine’s Day weekend (Feb. 11 -14), guests will be given $5 off $25 coupons, valid on a dine-in visit Feb. 15 – March 6, 2011.

Arbys: free Steak Onion Rings with your sandwich purchase!

Auntie Annes: Buy 1 Get 1 Free Auntie Anne’s Pretzel 2/11 – 2/14

Baskin Robbins: Buy 1 Get 1 Free Cone – 3/5

Checkers & Rallys: Free Small Milkshake

Denny’s: Free Valentine & Pancake Puppies Sundae

Dennys: Free Pancakes With Entree Purchase

Hooters: buy 10 wings get 10 free!

IHOP: Buy 1 Get 1 Free Entree – 2/14 only

Krispy Kreme: 12 FREE Valentine’s Day Card Coupons WYB 1 Dozen Donuts

Marble Slab Creamery: Free Tirimisu Ice Cream Samples

O’Charleys: Free Appetizer with your purchase of an entree – 2/16

Outback: Sweetheart Meal Deals

Subway: Free Rasberry Cheesecake Cookie Valentines Day!

Sonic: Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sonic Burger

Taco Bell: Free Crunchy Taco

Qdoba: smooch your sweetheart on February 14th for a Buy One Get One Free Entree, no coupon required

How to Teach Him to Romance You...

(This is taken from the book, "Project: Happily Ever After."  Alisa Bowman tells the story of how she went from wishing her husband dead to renewing her wedding vows. )


Not long ago, one of my headlights burned out. My husband stayed home that evening—instead of going out with his friends—so he could replace it for me.I considered it an act of romance. He chose to help me rather than have fun that night—and he did it without me nagging or hinting that I’d like him to do it. I felt absolutely loved.


Now, after nearly 12 years of marriage, it’s these Acts of Adoration that I’ve come to appreciate. There was a time early in our relationship when I wanted him to prove his love with material gifts, chivalry, dinners out or flowers. Then we became parents. Then our marriage fell apart in a big way. Then we worked on things and got to a much better place.


And now I just want one thing: to know he adores me.

Perhaps you are the same. The problem in marriage—and especially after kids come into the picture—is this: we forget to adore each other. We assume our partners already know that we appreciate them. We take our partners for granted. Worse, if things are strained, we not only slack off on the Acts of Adoration, we practice Acts of Romantic Sabotage instead. We make sarcastic remarks, roll our eyes, and criticize more than we thank. Or maybe this only happened in my marriage? At any rate, I can tell you this: when the Acts of Romantic Sabotage outnumbered the Acts of Adoration, my marriage was in its worst state ever.
It took some practice to get in the habit of practicing Acts of Adoration. It helped for me to ask myself this question on a regular basis: Will this make my husband think I love him or that I hate him? It also helped for me to list Acts of Affection. It was in creating these lists that I realized that romance isn’t really about flowers or dinners out.


 It’s really about making someone feel loved and adored. You can do this, too. Here’s how.

1. Show that you’re listening to him. Doing exactly the right thing to show your spouse that you have been listening and paying attention. Getting him a drink from the fridge before he asks for it, buying his favorite strawberry bars at the grocery store, giving him space when he seems stressed.
2. Making your spouse’s life easier–even if it makes your life harder. Pick up his dry cleaning after you hear him mention that he keeps forgetting to do it; do small favors for him
3. Understand his differences. Showing your spouse just how much you want to understand him, especially how he is different from you. Asking about his hobby, watching sports with him even if you don’t like them, making a fuss whenever he takes care of a rodent problem or fixes something that’s broken (especially if you don’t do these things yourself).
4. Letting him know that you think he rocks. Marvel at his parenting abilities, compliment him, and tell your friends how great a husband you have—and do it while he is in earshot.



But, you may be wondering, how do you reverse this? How do you get him to return the favor? One way is to just talk about it. Be vulnerable and tell him that you do not feel as adored as you’d like—and that you’d like him to show adoration more. Then talk about ways he can show that he adores you.


Another is to do what a good friend of mine did: write suggestions on his calendar, like “buy Alisa flowers” and “call Alisa to tell her I love her.” Yet another way is to do what I did and create a Romance Instruction Manual for him to carry around and consult as needed. It would list Acts of Adoration like, “Tell Alisa she’s beautiful” and “Empty the dishwasher without being asked.”


Try it and watch the romance come back into your life in a big way.

Conversation Heart Bingo {Printable Cards}

Looking for a fun game you can play with the kids this Valentine’s Day? This is a fun game that can be played by kids of all ages and puts those Conversation Heart Candies to good use, before you eat them of course.

Download & Print them Here:

FREE Printable Conversation Heart Bingo Game

{This fun family game was found on thepartyanimal-blog.org}

The Power of Encouraging Words...

The power of words is an unbelievable thing. They cultivate a range of emotions. Words can inspire, encourage, devastate, uplift, tear down and ultimately change the direction of a person’s day, week, and in some rare instances, their life.

Be purposely intentional by taking just ten minutes out of your day to make a profound difference for one you love by sharing some encouraging words. Print out some Free “I Love You cards” on white paper or card stock and bullet point ten things that you love about the recipient. 

Place your note in a lunch box, on a pillow, in a briefcase, or even on a car’s windshield and knowing that your ten minutes of intentionality today will change the course of their day (even if they don’t let you know.)

{this awesome printout was found on beautyandbedlam.com}

cute {printable} Valentines

Some cute {and free} Valentine's cards you can print to give to your kids on Valentine's Day or they can give to their friends.

6 print-n-color cards from us

Wild Thing Printable Valentines

Love Note Valentines

Superman Valentines

School-Themed Valentines

Pirate Valentines

Fruit Sticker Valentines

Airplane Valentines

Vintage-y Valentines

Personalized Valentines

Robot Valentines

{all of these cute valentine's were found on parenting.com}

Attention Guys: Top 9 gifts women say they want for Valentine's Day!

Ah, Valentine’s Day. Some of us loathe the candy-coated day, others of us thrill at the thought of a day devoted to romance, and I suspect most of us fall somewhere right in the middle. The day’s a bit cheesy, but a good excuse to eat chocolate and love on each other? Sounds good to me.

If you go to the usual stores to pick up some V-day goods, you’ll be sugar shocked with more pink and red than your swoony heart can stand. What to get, then, that’s not a total waste?

This past week I asked around on Twitter and Facebook for some good, frugal gift ideas for Valentine’s Day. Here’s what you all had to share. (And feel free to forward this on to your loved one if he might need a hint.)

1. A day off

Busy mamas would love time off. An hour off, a day off, Dad in charge – some form of “I need a break!” was the most popular answer to what would be the ideal Valentine’s Day gift.
What would you do with time off? Several of you mentioned bubble baths, a good book, or a nap. It doesn’t really matter… Mamas crave some time alone, getting recharged.
@noteverstill said, “An hour to myself built into the family schedule once a week or so?”
@CrystalC2B said, “1 hour of me time, without a toddler hanging over the baby gate, or the big kid asking me for something.”
@regandbabe said, “A day off! From start to finish not to be the one to cook or clean or entertain the kids…”
@love_drunk said, “Morning time alone to sit in a coffee shop with book.”
On Facebook, Kiersten Patterson said, “At home while my husband watched the kids so I can have an hour long bubble bath with a book!”
Angie Lilavois said, “A spa day… all at home and given to me by my hubby. he can massage me, run a bubble bath for me, give me a pedicure/manicure… and feed me yummy snacks and drinks made by him and served to me. AH, BLISS!”
Stephanie Barr-Brown said, “A day off…my hubby would let me relax and take of the kids needs for the day  ”
Brystal Michalkiewicz said, “Time in the bathtub alone. No kids outside the door. No crying. Me + bathtub+ reading = perfect Valentines present!”


2. A massage

Photo by sellyourseoul
Mmm… Just the thought of this sounds heavenly. Put the kids down early, and give each other thorough, focused massages. Make it more of an event with mood lighting, good music, and scented candles (Soy Delites are my current favorite).
Teresa Lee Jeremowich Tang said, “A foot massage. my husband gives the best foot massages!”
Kathy Mucher said, “Sleeping in, neck/back massage from husband, and of course, just time with my husband, talking and having fun!”
Noël Julian said, “A nice big massage that didn’t have to lead to sex!” (This comment was also ‘liked’ by eight people.)

3. Mark some items off the honey-do list

It’s practical, but simply getting things done speaks volumes to those of us who value acts of service as an expression of love. Look around the house and find those things you’ve been putting off — and then do them. Make coupons and wrap them in a little box, to make it a bit more special.
@LazyChristian said, “I want coupons for stuff I don’t want to do! Especially cleaning my car. #lookslikeiliveinmycar”
Tabitha Austin Crowley said, “I would love for him to finish a few projects that I’ve bugged him about. That would mean more to me than flowers and chocolates!”
Jennifer Poff Gay said, “A completed to-do list, his or mine.”
Anna Skov Nave said, “Honey Do Coupons for work around the house?”

4. Chocolate and flowers

Photo by el7bara
It may be unoriginal, but it’s a classic for a reason — there aren’t too many people who don’t enjoy chocolate and flowers.
Keep it frugal by keeping it small. A good bar of dark chocolate and a simple bouquet of daisies are some of my favorite things for Kyle to bring home.
@Californiaphile said, “I always love flowers. They brighten my home and don’t add to the clutter.”
@SoyDLitesCandle said, “I love getting flowers! Call me simple…oh, wait.”
Andie Lucas Wade said, “a chocolate bar isn’t very expensive.”

5. A clean house

This was also a popular answer. Who wouldn’t enjoy a clean house without having to actually clean it? This simple (yet tiring) act speaks volumes and barely costs a dime.
@simplicitynlife said, “A night COMPLETELY off from dinner, no dishes, no mess, but still have good food and wake up to clean kitchen the next day.”
@toddlerland_ie said, “I’d love if someone took over the laundry for a week. Washing, drying, airing, folding, putting away.”
@MeaganFrancis said, “A clean kitchen. Free!”

6. A love note

Photo by Sergio
Some people love simply being told, “I love you.” Do it a bit more creatively with a love note — make it a quest to find the note with a scavenger hunt around the house, or maybe jot down the things you love about him or her and hide the notes in unexpected places.
@themommytsunami said, “A love letter.”
@fivehivecom said, “A shoebox containing 5 things to signify the top 5 moments in our lives together.”
Erica Underwood Blair said, “101 reasons why he loves me, now. He did a list when we were engaged. It would be fun to see how 5 years of marriage and 3 kids has changed his perspective.”
Heidi Leonard said, “A hand written love letter or poem or ooo! a SONG!”
Audrey Reed said, “Chocolate dipped strawberries that he made himself and a poem that conveys why he loves me–a real poem, not a roses r red!”
Robyn Kline Windsor said, “A note from my hubby remembering something special we did!”

7. Dinner (or any meal) for two

A meal made by your hubby was the second-most popular response– heaven for many of you would be a night off of cooking and a meal made especially for you. It doesn’t need to be complicated; it just needs to be right up your alley; something you’d enjoy.
@felicakes said, “Breakfast in bed cooked by my husband. It can just be toast and a cup of tea.”
@skyfenix said, “A simple dinner made by my husband, at home, after our kid´s gone to sleep.”
@krissa_swain said, “A candlelit dinner for two and snuggling up for a movie on DVD afterwards.”
@TidyLife said, “I would like my husband to cook me dinner for valentine’s day! (Hint hint, honey… I know you follow me on Twitter.”
Laura Shelley Kinman said, “A love letter and/or homemade breakfast made by him and also cleaned up by him.”
Krista French said, “I’d just love a home-cooked meal made by my husband – I don’t necessarily need any frills for Valentine’s Day, but it would be a nice treat to not cook.”
Jessica Moore said, “Cookies or any kind of dessert.”

8. Something handmade or sentimental

Photo by love_fusion photo
Receiving a gift is nice. Receiving a handmade gift says that the giver took time and creativity to craft something uniquely for the recipient. A framed photo, a craft made with the kids, a box full of date night ideas written on slips of paper — there’s no limit to creative, frugal handmade gift ideas.
@LuckyEliza said, “Anything made by my Valentine. I don’t care if it’s just a simple card with construction paper. Handmade is always more personal.”
Kaylene Carpio said, “One year my hubs made a strawberry body scrub. It worked so well, and he had never done it before. Definitely homemade ideas.”
Aj Nielsen-Osborn said, “An art project from the kids; maybe a photo collage”

9. Quality time

Ultimately, romance happens when you spend time together. Many of you want nothing more than quality time with your loved one.
@homegrown_mom said, “Once we did a picnic, just us, on the grass at our library and then browsed books… heaven!”
@phillipsparx said, “An entire day off, hubs with kids all day – feeds, bathes and puts them to bed, then hires a sitter for a date to Taco Bell and B&N!”
@sheerhousewife said, “Would have to say a relaxing bath together, followed by a massage and then snuggling in our comfy bed.”
@nestingseason said, “A family outing entirely planned by my hubby-down to having kids appropriately dressed, packing snacks and leaving the house clean.”
@jajaptc said, “Getting to sleep in; hubby occupying kids so I have some me time, then a romantic dinner where we don’t talk about kids or money.”
Heidi Johnson said, “Best free gift ever: An evening of dancing. Use music you have or create a Pandora station for the occasion, dress up if you want, and pretend your living room is a grand ballroom (with no one watching to judge your dance moves!). Wait until the kiddos are in bed, or let them dress up and join the fun!”

What’s your love language?

Photo by le vent le cri
I love how different love languages come out in these gift ideas. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, believes that most everyone has one primary way they prefer to be shown love. They are:

1. Physical touch
2. Words of affirmation
3. Acts of service
4. Quality time
5. Gifts

Think about your loved ones’ primary love language before you decide on the right gift. Don’t exhaust yourself planning a fancy dinner if your wife would prefer a washed and vacuumed car. If your husband would prefer a back massage and you in a new something-something, don’t assume a three-hour coffee date without talking about the kids will suffice.
Honestly, if you’re like me — all these ideas are great. A little time alone with a book while Kyle straightens up the house with the kids, then an early bedtime for the under-six crowd while we enjoy dinner, a movie, and a massage… Sounds about right.
Ultimately, it’s about knowing your spouse and knowing yourself. Don’t stress over finding the perfect gift — for Valentine’s Day, or any other special celebration. Show the one you love affection and appreciation in the way most appreciated by him or her.

{These 9 frugal Valentine ideas were found on simplemom.net}

e-love...

Need a last minute little something to let the one you love know that you are thinking about them on this week leading up to the big Heart Day? Here are three fun sites that let you personalize a little valentine to send via email.

#1 Candy Hearts - so you may not love to eat these little candy hearts, but you have to admit that it is always fun to find a good one, that says the perfect thing. This site lets you make your own and personalize it. Wouldn’t it be fun to send an email with a whole message with these little hearts?

#2 Kate Spade’s B-Mine section – Here you will find so many fun e-post cards that would be fun to send. All you have to do is add in names, email, quick love note and your e post card is sent out directly from their site. Pretty Cool!

#3 I Love You More Than – this site is so funny. All you do is think of the one thing that you love sooo much, and then it will generate a little “I love you more than” heart for you.

(article written by Kami Bigler / found on babycenter.com on the momformation blog)

Snow Day Special...

Love Letters...

I love celebrating holidays. Even the ones that were created by evil people out to get my money, like Valentine's Day.

I came across this mailbox idea on several blogs I follow and knew that I wanted to try it. I like the idea of letting my boys know that it's more about giving to each other than the {yummy} candy!

I found these little mailboxes in the $1 section at Target. I added the stickers to the front for each family member. 

Letters can include proud moments of the day, things you love about the other person, and things you think they are good at. 

Anytime your flag is up, you have mail. 

We started this on Friday & the boys are more than {thrilled} to find their flag up... even Chad!!

twenty activities to do on a snow day...

If you need some inspiration for how to use a bonus day try one or more of these ideas:

1. Bake cookies. {If you have school age kids, its a great day to teach them how to read a recipe, measure ingredients, and enjoy the fruits of their labor.}

2. Stay in your jammies all day.

3. Let the kids build a fort in the house and let them have a picnic lunch in their fort.

4. Teach the kids how to play solitaire... not on the computer... with real cards!

5. Pull out a board game you haven't played in ages.

6. Put together a jigsaw puzzle.

7. Have a tea party.

8. Have a marshmallow fight.

9. Blow bubbles in the house.

10. Fill the bathtub, pull out pool toys, pull out the swimsuits, and let the kids go "swimming" in the bathtub.

11. Because you have the time, try a new recipe for dinner.

12. Have the kids draw pictures for grandparents or aunts and uncles who live far away. Teach them how to address an envelope and prepare something to be mailed.

13. Shut off the television, the computers, the video games, and have everyone read for an hour.

14. Make puppets out of paper bags and have a puppet show.

15. Fill spray bottles with colored water and let the kids spray paint pictures in the snow.

16. Make homemade valentines for the kids to give to friends, grandparents and other special people in their life.

17. Make snow ice cream.

18. Watch family movies or look at photo albums with the kids.

19. As much as you possibly can… be a YES mom!

20. Do a good deed and clear a path for some neighbors!

Rowdiness... Creative discipline ideas when your kids are rowdy & rambunctious...

When your kids get rowdy and hyper, try these tips:

• I heard from a mom who had tired of her three sons' ceaseless noises and sound effects — so she got creative. If her boys did not take their commotion outside, she would make them sit down and listen to the "Barney" theme song cassette for 10 minutes. For adolescent boys, it's torture!
• If your little one gets too hyper, come up with a code word to remind him to stop the action without embarrassing him. Whenever Tucker started getting too rowdy in a group, I would yell, "Hey, Batman." He knew that he needed to calm down before I had to take more drastic measures.
• Physical exercises, such as running laps around the house or doing push-ups or jumping jacks (even in the grocery store),can be a productive punishment. They also serve a dual purpose for ADHD children or active boys in general. This type of correction is not only sufficiently unpleasant, but it also drains some of the pent-up energy that probably fueled the offense in the first place. This can be an appropriate form of correction for laziness as well.
• When the kids run up and down the stairs after having been told not to, have them crawl up and down on their bottoms. Use the same principle for running through the house, only have them crawl on all fours to get to where they were going in such a hurry.
• Kids intuitively know that we're reluctant to correct them in public. Call their bluff. The next time your young one starts acting up in a restaurant or store, warn her first that if she doesn't straighten up she will have to stand in a corner in public. If she doesn't believe you and continues to misbehave, point to a nearby corner in the restaurant or store and require her to stick her nose there for five minutes.

{written by Lisa Whelchel & adapted by Focus on the Family, Helping Families Thrive blog}

Redbox: FREE Movie Rental Every Month

Get one FREE movie rental every month when you sign up for Redbox text messages.

Do you have unlimited text messaging on your phone? Redbox mobile club members get a FREE one-night rental the first Monday of every month via text.  The free rental code that you receive each month is good for one day only and is a one time use code.


Text DEAL to 727272*

Family New Year Resolutions...

Many people are for them, others hate them... I'm talking about New Year Resolutions.

I must admit, I got a little sad when I looked at my list of goals from last year and had only accomplished about half of them. But what about the ones I did accomplish? Would I have achieved those goals if I had not set them? Probably not. So I guess I should measure my success by what I accomplished, not by what I didn't accomplish.

Today, {first day back to school} I got an email from Kaden's teacher informing me that she had talked about New Year Resolutions for just a little bit in class. She told the 1st graders one of her goals and then gave them a writing assignment where they had to write a goal of their own. Kaden wrote, "To help my Mom cook dinner every night!" I plan on holding him accountable to that! {haha}

I challenge you to talk to your family about goals that you want to achieve in 2011. And don't underestimate your kids. Who knows how much your family could grow this year if you set some goals and stick to them. 

Here are a few simple ideas:

Read Bible stories every night

Play games instead of watching TV

Eat dinner as a family

Serve someone less fortunate.