The Ultimate Family Valentine’s Day

Saint Valentine’s Day is not a public holiday in any country, yet many people turn it into a shopping frenzy, overspending on cards, flowers, chocolates, and other gifts for their loved ones. Our recipe is way simpler and has to do with the whole family – but most of all – love.

What do you think of when you hear the words Valentine’s Day? To a couple in love, it is all about romance, love letters, gifts, hearts… But for families, it’s about fun family trips, game nights, and wholesome activities that strengthen the natural family bond.

True, family Valentine’s Day may not be so idyllic – but it can also be very cute, as long as you put some effort in it, coupled with the magic ingredient – love. Here are some simple ideas on how to brighten up this day for your loved ones with little things without having to buy any gifts.

Valentine’s breakfast

It can all start at breakfast time. Here’s our advice: make freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast and pour it into champagne glasses for a change. Not just your partner, the children will also enjoy this change. Checked.

The next item is also very important. Prepare a toast with a heart-shaped neckline. You probably have cookie cutters that you can use to form a heart shape. And do buy the larger, American toast so that the egg has enough space to bake. First, you fry the toast, then cut out the heart and place it in a pan adding an egg. The cut-out heart can be offered as a decoration and, of course, for dipping. If you have fresh strawberries on hand – they will be just the tip of the iceberg of a fantastic yet simple breakfast.

Of course, don’t forget to add a small note near the plate where you write a little dedication to your partner and children.

I love you because…

Even though the ancient proverb says actions are more important than words – words can have almost magical power. Don’t know what to write? How about this? Write down the reasons why you like your partner. Want to spice it up? Put the reasons on small post-it notes and stick them around the apartment. Alternatively, you can prepare a jar in which you place the notes – trust us, this will also be a very enjoyable and sweet read.

You can also write something beautiful on the bathroom mirror – and stop worrying about cleanliness – it needs to be wiped off anyway because the mirror is sprayed from brushing your teeth in the evening.

Feeling capable of delivering more than a single (love) message? If you are a romantic at heart, you can also write a very simple or complex love letter, as there is enough space to spill your soul and brighten someone’s day.

Hot chocolate

Who doesn’t enjoy chocolate? A good idea is to prepare Valentine’s Day hot chocolate for the whole family.

The recipe is quite straightforward. You will need:

• 3 dl of whole fat milk
• 3 dl sweet cream
• 140 g of chocolate with the highest possible cocoa content
• cinnamon
• liqueur
• 2 tablespoons of thickener”

This is how our chefs prepare the hot chocolate:

Take a few tablespoons of cold milk and mix it with the thickener until there are no more visible lumps. Heat the remaining milk, together with the sweet cream, in a small pot (but do not boil it). Add the broken or grated chocolate and wait for it to melt while stirring constantly. Then add the thickened milk mixture. Slowly pour it into the pot, use low heat, and stir constantly. Finally, add cinnamon to suit your taste. This is the end of the recipe for children – for mum and dad, a drop of some rum or other liqueur can sneak up.

No, you’re not done yet. For the proper atmosphere, decoration is necessary. You can use some sweet candies in the shape of hearts, or sweet confetti for decorating cakes. Another idea is to cut out a heart shape and place it on top of the cup with hot chocolate.

Feeling extra romantic? Add some fresh strawberries. It is that simple.

Baby footprints

Children grow up very fast and before we know it they are big. As parents, we often think we will forever remember every interesting moment of their lives. Unfortunately, those memories can fade a bit. But we have a nice solution for a trip down memory lane.

Save some colored baby footprints on the paper. At family gatherings like these, you can take them out and easily evoke the memory of the moment we created them and how small your children were.

Additionally, if you have some molding material at home, you can make a proper footprint and let it dry. Or even better – shape the outskirts in the shape of a heart. Such homemade masterpieces can also be gifted – especially grandparents will be very fond of them.

Small home-made gifts

Still think you must gift your loved ones on Valentine’s Day? How about you gift them something you or all family members helped create? Simple and homemade gifts are always a good choice. More so, the kids will also have a lot of fun while creating with their little fingers.

This years’ idea of gifts for grandparents, teachers, neighbors, etc. are Valentine’s brooches. You will need the following items:

• transparent pebbles
• white paper
• scissors
• colors
• hot gun
• brooch clips
• adhesive

And this is how you prepare them: Print small baby fingers on white paper, possibly in the shape of hearts. Children can also write in a circle that corresponds to the size of the pebble. Imagination should do the rest.

When the creations are dry, smear the bottom of the pebbles with glue and stick them on the creations. After the glue dries, you can cut the circles together with the pebbles and glue them to the brooches with a hot gun. It wasn’t that hard, was it?

What’s left is to enjoy the smiles on the faces of everyone you made happy.

Happy Valentine’s Day!