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After sharing over 10 Valentine’s Days together, my husband and I have come to the practical, albeit very unromantic, decision that Valentine’s Day should be a celebration that includes our children.  We’ve come to the conclusion that Valentine’s Day is a highly overrated holiday, when trying to make dinner reservations at our favourite spots is next to impossible, as is finding a babysitter. And after all, it is our kids who look the most forward to this funny ‘holiday’ – probably because it is hyped up too much at school and on television.  But whatever the reason, our two young daughters really look forward to Valentine’s Day…..they prepare their valentines for their friends, enjoy the parties at school and look forward to the surprise they might find on the kitchen table the morning of Valentine’s Day from me (this year it consisted of valentines-themed board books and chocolates, and in other years it has included balloons or Valentine’s Day-themed cupcakes).  And tonight, for the first time since I’ve known my husband, our dinner plans will not involve just the two of us, but will include our two little girls.

It is not that we do not enjoy each other’s company – we will just enjoy quiet dinners out on other occasions but Valentine’s Day.  So tonight we have thought up a fun kid-friendly menu.  It will consist of a fabulous meal where we each grill our own pieces of meat on a special ‘hot rock’ and for dessert we will make chocolate fondue, with strawberries, pineapple and bananas for dipping on melted chocolate.  We are all just so thrilled about our meal, we can’t wait to spend tonight together as a family.  And we hope that this Valentine’s Day will be the first of a new family tradition (interestingly enough this year Valentine’s Day weekend falls on the same weekend as the newly-introduced Family Day Weekend in Canada).
Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – fine girls’ smocked dresses

It is amazing how much knowledge children can absorb from their surroundings.  I know that my children will probably know a lot more about computers than me in a few years as a more digital world surrounds them.  But I have found it very refreshing to find that my two young daughters are teaching me to be more ‘green’.  From shutting the lights behind me when I leave a room, to closing the tap when I’m not using the water, to just name a few things, my kids are making me even more aware of the need to conserve energy and care for our planet.

We try to be environmentally conscious at home, trying to recycle as much as we can in the kitchen and just in general around the home, to trying to walk whenever we can instead of using our car (we are lucky we have all the conveniences we need, including my children’s school, very close by).  But it is so encouraging, for the health of our planet, to see that the youngest generations are adopting a ‘greener’ way of life in strides.  A lot of the credit I must say goes to my daughters’  school teachers, as our young kids are being encouraged to adopt a ‘green’ way of life by their teachers at school, without the kids even realizing they are learning.  Bottled water is a big no nowadays, their schools also don’t waste any paper anymore and they are encouraged to bring no-waste snacks (only recyclables and reusable containers).  They also hold an Environment Week when all the school’s lights are either turned off or dimmed.  And it is great to see that these little people are absorbing all this knowledge and actually making it just a way of life.  It is definitely encouraging for the health of our planet in the years to come.

Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – fine girls’ smocked dresses

My 5-year old daughter has suddenly become very interested in collecting money as she just discovered that those little coins can actually buy her toys.  This interest has been sparked I think by the fact that her Kindergarten class is learning about money and coins, and that her best friend is already receiving an allowance.  So far though her only way to ‘make money’ is to collect all the change she can find in my wallet and my purse, as she still does not receive an allowance.  All this has made me think though that this might be a good time to start giving my little girl an allowance, in return for doing small chores around the house.  I think this might bring home the idea of the value of money to some extent.So, my husband and I have decided to give her $2.50 each week – half her age.  My daughter will in return have to make her bed in the morning (i.e. pull her duvet cover over her bed), take her empty plate to the sink when she is done dinner and allow me to comb her hair every morning without crying (this is a big win for me!).  She will then put her coins into her piggy bank and at the end of the month she might be able to buy one of her favourite stuffed animals.  My daughter is very excited about this, but I would not have done it any earlier.  We saw the interest in her and that was the best signal to tell us that she was ready to understand this concept.  I had read that somewhere between 5 and 6 was about the right age to start teaching children about the value of money and start giving them an allowance – and in my daughter’s case it has happened right on queue.  Now let’s see if I can get her to stop taking all the change out of my wallet!

Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – girls’ fine smocked dresses