Brotherly (and sisterly) love - Heart Chart

From Kiwi Magazine, February/March 2010
Written by Traci Paige Johnson

This Valentine's Day (and throughout the year), jump-start sibling bonding by creating a "heart chart," which encourages kids to be kind to each other to earn rewards. At the end of each day, ask your kids these three questions:

* "Did you treat your brother (or sister) the way you would want to be treated?"
* "Did you use nice words to express yourself?"
* "Did you give your brother (or sister) a compliment or perform a good deed for him (or her) today?"

If the answer for every one is "yes," your kids earn a heart sticker on their calendar. Once they receive 10 hearts, they get to pick something special for you to do together as a family (see a movie, go bowling, get ice cream even though it's freezing outside - whatever they want). You can take this idea beyond siblings, too: See how nice your child can be to friends, classmates, even you! Kids will not only learn how to treat other people kindly, but they'll see how much more fun it is to be nice than it is to be mean.

"Sweets for Your Sweeties" Recipes

I saw two excellent-looking recipes in the February/March 2010 issue of Kiwi Magazine. The two recipes were Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes and Fruity Pizza - just look at these pictures!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes (above)

Fruity Pizza (above)

You can find the recipes here.

"6 Delightful Valentine's Day Desserts"

Woman's Day Magazine's February 17, 2010 issue featured some great looking desserts. With the economy like it is - skip the gifts and make your sweetie something special to eat.

"Give the gift of a homemade treat for Valentine's Day this year. Show that special someone how much they mean to you by presenting them with a unique dessert inspired by this love-centric holiday. From individual serving, heart-shaped Cupid Cakes to pink French Macaroon Kisses, these dessert recipes are the perfect way to begin or end a day dedicated to romance.

Cupid Cakes

Valentine Lollipops

Strawberry Valentine Cake

Orange-Kissed Churros with "Hot" Chocolate Sauce

French Macaroon Kisses

Mocha Espresso Cheesecake Cups

You can find the recipes here.

"Hearts and Crafts"

Parents Magazine featured some Valentine's Day projects in their February 2010 issue.

Hearts & Crafts - Teach your children that love is all around with a whimsical party of sweet valentine projects and charming eats and treats.

Here's information on some of my favorites from this article, but you can find the entire article and other crafts here.

Yarn Heart Cards

What you'll need: Colored cardstock, scissors, tape, needle, plastic child-safe tapestry needles, colored yarn

Make it:

Parent: Cut a 4"x8" piece of cardstock and fold in half. Print the heart template (download below) cut it out, and lightly tape to the front of the card. Unfold the card and lay it flat. Using the template as a guide, punch holes in the card with a needle; discard template.

Child: Thread a tapestry needle with colored yarn and knot the end. Starting from the inside of the card, stitch yarn from side to side. Finish by knotting on the inside of the card and trimming any excess yarn.

Paper Blooms - A simple wooden spool covered in ribbon holds a precious flower bouquet.

What You'll Need: Cardstock, small circle and heart craft punches, straight pin, craft glue, cloth-covered floral wire, small buttons, wooden spool, grosgrain ribbon (same width as spool)

Make It: The Flowers

Parent: Punch out a circle from cardstock and poke a small hole in the center with a straight pin.

Child: Punch out five heart shapes and fold in half lengthwise for petals. Glue the petals around the circle, leaving the hole unobscured; set aside to dry. Thread one end of a length of floral wire through two holes on a button and twist to secure. Push the opposite end of the wire through the hole in the middle of the flower shape for a stem. Repeat to make more flowers.

The Vase: Wrap a length of ribbon around the spool and glue to secure. Trim the flower stems and stick them into the spool to display.

Flair and Square - Decorate simple sugar cookies with anything your heart desires!

Flower Power - Guests can play she loves me/she loves me know when pulling a veggie petal to eat. Place small bowls of ranch or Thousand Island in the center for dipping.

Valentine's Day Activities

Parenting Magazine featured these "9 Ways to Have Fun" in their February 2010 issue. There's some cute ideas to celebrate Valentine's Day!

9 Ways to Have Fun
1. Give love a thumbs-up. Decorate valentines with thumbprint hearts. Have your child dip his thumb in red poster paint (fingers work fine, too), then show him how to press it onto paper twice to create a heart shape.

2. Eat your hearts out. Make a pan of Rice Krispies Treats, cool slightly, and then let your kids use a heart-shaped cookie cutter (coated with cooking spray) to punch out edible valentines. Decorate with frosting and/or candies.

3. Look for love. Play the "I love you to pieces" game: Cut out a big heart from construction paper, and tear it up. Hide the various pieces around the house for kids to find and then reassemble with tape.

4. Go cocoa. Melt a bag of chocolate chips in the microwave, then stir in raisins, marshmallows, candy hearts, etc. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking sheet, and let set in the fridge until hard. Wrap the candies in pink cellophane and tie with ribbon to give to friends, sitters, and teachers.

5. Name that passion. At dinner, hand out three scraps of paper to each family member and ask them to write down something they love on each one (parents can transcribe for little ones). You might write "cheese," "tennis," and "sleep" on yours, for example. Fold up the papers, put them in a bowl, and take turns picking one out and guessing who loves what.

6. Have a heart-y laugh! What do you call a very small valentine? A valentiny! How about this one: What does a caveman give his wife on Valentine's Day? Ughs and kisses!

7. Check your pulse. Teach your child how to find her pulse in her neck or wrist. Then tell her to run or jump in place for 30 seconds. How fast is her heart rate now? What about after she lies down for a minute?

8. Get carded. Make a pop-up Valentine's card from Crafting With Kids, by Catherine Woram: Cut out three hearts of descending size from decorative paper. Fold all the hearts in half, and adhere the largest one to the inside of a blank card with a single line of glue down the fold line. Layer the smaller hearts on top the same way for a three-dimensional greeting.

9. Cozy up. Cuddle together on the couch and watch Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown.