If you know me in person, you know that I live for holidays. For me, holidays are an opportunity to make an ordinary day a little more special. So while it’s a little cheesy, I like planning a low key Valentine’s Day at home with Danny. In this post, I’m sharing a few simple ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day at home with your partner (or friends!) and also with your kids.
Ideas For Celebrating Valentine’s Day At Home
With Your Partner
Cook A Fancy Meal at Home
We do this almost every year. We tuck the kids into bed, and together we prep a nice meal to eat with each other. Almost always this is a nice steak with some kind of potatoes and vegetable side. Some other ideas are this pasta dish or a braised meat dish like this one from Ina Garten.
Order Take Out from A Nice Local Place
If the idea of cooking (and cleaning the dishes) doesn’t sound like a celebration to you, order takeout instead. We’ve done this before many times.
Paint with Bob Ross
A few years ago, Danny surprised me with this activity. He bought paint and two blank canvases, and we followed a YouTube video of Bob Ross painting a mountain scene. Of course, Danny, who is much more artistically talented than me excelled at this while mine looked more like the kids did it, but fun was had all around.
Make it a Spa Night
Face masks, massages, aromatherapy baths (oh la la!). You get my point here.
Watch a Romantic Movie
I don’t get the opportunity to watch many romantic movies these days so it’s always fun to stream one. My all time favorites are Serendipity and While You Were Sleeping, but I really love anything by Nora Ephron.
Pick Up a Fancy Dessert From a Favorite Bakery
I don’t love baking so when a special occasion arises I will stop by one of my favorite local bakeries to pick up a fancy dessert. I like leaving this to the professionals.
Have A Game Night
Sometimes it’s nice to connect with your partner without the use of a screen. Occasionally, Danny and I will pull out our Scrabble board and play a game or two. This would be a fun activity for Valentine’s Day.
Make a Special Valentine’s Day Themed Cocktail
I love making a fun drink for special occasions. My absolute favorite is a classic margarita (with fresh limes, not from a mix!), but there are some other cute Valentine’s Day ones in this list. Or, if you’re skipping the alcohol these days like us, try one of these mocktail ideas.
WITH KIDS
Make a Valentine’s Day Themed Breakfast with Heart Shaped Pancakes
You just need pancake ingredients and a heart shaped cookie cutter for this one. My kids go nuts for any food made into a shape. For indulgent pancakes, I highly recommend this amazingly fluffy recipe from Cafe Delites. For healthier pancakes, we love Cookie and Kate, especially this whole wheat banana pancake recipe and these whole wheat pumpkin pancakes. You can top the pancakes with raspberries or strawberries to make them extra festive.
Make Valentines to Send in the Mail to Friends and Family
If you live far away from family like we do, this is a fun activity for kids to connect with friends and family they don’t get to see very often.
Gift Your Child Some Valentine’s Day Pajamas
I don’t know about you, but my kids could always use more pajamas so whenever a holiday comes around, I’m usually buying a pair for each of them. We almost always get our holiday pajamas from Hanna Andersson. The quality is the best.
Gift Your Child a Valentine’s Day or Love Themed Book
I almost never buy my kids toys (they get enough for their birthdays and Christmas!), but I love buying them books for special occasions like this. Some of our favorites books about love are listed below:
Love From The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (for younger kids)
Love by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Loren Long
I am Love: A Book of Compassion by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool by James Dean and Kimberly Dean
Little Blue Truck’s Valentine by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Jill McElmurry
Love Is by Diane Adams and illustrated by Claire Kleane
Make a Valentines Day Snack Mix or Snack Plate
My bougie kids love a charcuterie board. On Valentine’s Day, I like putting together an easy snack board with mostly healthy things, but also with one or two small treats as well.
You may also enjoy these posts:
How To Gift An At Home Spa Night
Minimal Valentine’s Day Outfits
Fall Date Night Uniforms
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