Tips on Tuesday: Making Loved Ones Feel Loved

Thanks so much to those of you who took the time to share your great ideas!!! I just love hearing what other people are doing to make those around them feel loved.

Sorry I'm posting so late in the day. We have a "no screens till noon" policy for the boys so they will focus on their schoolwork without distraction. Unfortunately they like to see me keep the same rule by keeping the computer and TV off, too. Sometimes I sneak a quick look at my e-mails but it doesn't give me much time to post. So perhaps this should be called Tips on Tuesday Night After Homework, Dinner, and Bathtime.

The following idea is from a mom with one young son who also cares for a girl and her siblings(who live with their grandmother) that she met through the big brothers/big sisters program.
"We have some kids that we minister to each week who seem like part of our family. We met them through the big brothers/big sisters program. We are matched with Hannah and have since fallen in love with all four of the kids. Hannah spends a few nights each week at our house and we feel like she is just one of our family. For Hannah what we have done in the past is the night before Valentine's Day, we make cookies or cupcakes together that are love themed. Then we eat them while we write out her valentines cards for school. Then the morning of, we leave the sweetheart candies with messages on the stairs for her to find when she comes down that morning and then we have a little v-day stuffed animal waiting for her and we eat heart shaped pancakes for breakfast with strawberries on top.

She often gets left out of things at school that the other kids have parents for and a lot of parents send things to be delivered to the class so I always surprise her by taking a gift bag with little candies and a card and some sort of cheap necklace or something special to be delivered to her room. Her teachers have said that she just lights up and soaks up the chance to "show off" what her family did for her like the other kids get to. That night we always spend as a family and she LOVES to hear us "tell our story" of how my husband and I fell in love. This year we will incorporate our son into all of this now since he is finally old enough to kind of understand.

My husband and I also do a scavenger hunt with each other. He always has little love notes hidden around the house with some sort of clues and then I find them and there is always a sweet love letter he has written me." Teri from Florida, at The Delucca Family (a precious blog about a sweet family with a lot of love)

This tip was shared by a writer of a cute blog that makes me miss being 20-something and a newlywed (*sigh*):
"For me, heartfelt words can go much further than anything else. My husband and I still write 'love notes' to one another, and these never fail to put a smile on my face. I'd rather have a genuine note from my husband than flowers and chocolate any day!" Meg at My So-Called Blog

The following was shared by a blogger who had a recent post full of ideas called 100 Ways to Make Your Husband Feel Loved. I share a few of my favorites below but check out the whole post for many more:
"Warm a towel for him while he’s in the shower, so a hot towel is waiting for him instead of a cold bathroom.

Play footsie – dinner time can often be crowd control from opposite sides of the table. If you can’t play footsie, maybe sit next to each other if that is usual for you.

Pick a book that interests both of you and take turns reading to each other.

Give him a long foot rub.

Play 'your song' or other sappy songs that remind you of your early days together.

Take a 'kissy' picture together! Our pictures are from our wedding, we need new 'together' ones!" From Quirky Mama at Quirky Momma--Activities for Kids, Tips for Moms

"Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Even though my kids are grown, I still give them a Valentine, usually something little that I know they really like and Chuck will get his fav dessert made, rice pudding. I always send my mom a Valentines card and I always make cutout Valentine's cookies. I've been seeing some GREAT ideas on these blogs. I will be making my grandson a Valentines Ginger bread train and hopefully will take a picture to post..so I'd better get busy baking." Karen at Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and the Things that Make Up Days

We do some things that I'm sure many of the rest of you also do. We have "Daddy/Mommy Dates" where one of us will take one child somewhere of their choosing for one-on-one time. Sometimes it's breakfast with Dad, horseback riding with Mom, swimming at an indoor pool with Dad, pottery making with Mom. You get the idea. Of all the things we do with our kids, I think perhaps these "dates" will be what our children remember the most. Brad and I also try to have a date night with each other on a regular basis.

Like others mentioned above, we also write notes to each other. I hide them in places from lunchboxes to pillowcases, in their basket of clean-folded laundry or in their school lockers. Be creative with your little "love note" deliveries. I've even hidden them in shoes, in drawers, in coat pockets, in school books, under dinner plates. I buy cute stationary and notepads when I find them. I'm going to stock up on Valentine's cards after V-Day for the boys and use them throughout the year by scratching out the word "Valentine" and replacing with "Superson" Day. (They won't mind the editing because they will be too excited to see Spiderman.)

Our winner of our Valentine goodie drawing is Teri. (Teri, can you e-mail your address and I'll send it to you.) Happy Valentine's week to all of you!

With Love,
Kathie