You guys have probably figured out by now that I love the holidays…even the little ones.  They give me a chance to break up the everyday routine and inject a little fun into our family life.  This Valentine’s Day I decided to try a new family tradition…we’re calling it our Lotsa-Love Fest.

I found the orginal idea on Family Fun’s website in their Valentine’s Traditions section.  In the post, Teresa J talks about setting up a “Secret Post Office” in their house so her family can send each other anonymous messages throughout the month of February.   I thought it was a cute idea and a great way to encourage my family to spread the love in the two weeks before the big day. 

In our version, I had the kids color and decorate their own Lotsa-Love envelopes.  I made one for Mom & Dad as well and then we posted them on the wall in the kitchen.  I also printed some simple fill-in-the-blank valentine messages to make creating a lotsa-love message a little easier.  You can find the free file download below.  I keep the notes and a stash of crayons in a heart-shaped basket on the kitchen table for easy envelope access.  Over the course of the next two weeks, we’ll spreading the love by leaving messages, pictures and treats in each other’s envelopes.  Each morning at breakfast we’ll check our envelopes and show off our new mail.  To kick off our festivities tonight, I wrote a special message for each of my kids and added a small stuffed animal (from the dollar spot at Target) to their envelopes.

It’s not much…just a simple and inexpensive way to jazz up these chilly winter days and help my family show a little extra love this Valentine season.  If you’d like to check out lots of other great Valentines traditions I recommend you check out Family Fun’s website.  I found several clever ideas that I plan to try this year.  Just thought I’d pass it on. 

If you’ve got a Valentine tradition that your family loves I hope you’ll post it for the rest of us in the comments area for the rest of us to enjoy.  Thanks.

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Okay, I know, I know…I haven’t posted in weeks.  I’m so sorry for the long delay.  I promise I have a very long list of perfectly viable excuses.  I won’t bore you with the details.  Just know that as of tonight, I should be back on track. 

Remember, if you ever get sick of checking the site…only to find the same halloween countdown post again and again…you are more than welcome to subscribe to my Feedblitz feed.  Once you sign up, you’ll get every new MeckMom post sent directly to your inbox.  I generally post once or twice a week, so you can expect 4-8 bright idea emails each month.  If you’re interested, just follow the Feedblitz link on the right.

Today was my son’s 6th birthday so I thought I’d post two of my favorite family birthday traditions.  They’re not fancy or expensive, but they’re a great way to add a little sparkle to your child’s big day.

Breakfast Doughnut Tower

This simple little idea stemmed from my Mom’s breakfast-in-bed birthday tradition.  When I was growing up, my birthdays always began with a hot plate of french toast in bed and a birthday serenade from my family.  In order to create that same warm and cozy feel for my kids without exerting tons of effort, I created our breakfast doughnut tower tradition.  As you can see from the picture, the idea is pretty simple.  When my kids wake up on their birthday, they find a balloon & crepe paper covered kitchen and a big tower of doughnuts waiting for them on the table.  We add one doughnut for each year and then top the tower with a number candle.  The family sings, we take some pictures and then we all dig in.  We rarely have sweets for breakfast so my kids are thrilled about this tradition even if it’s not their birthday.

Birthday Present Scavenger Hunt

I love drawing out the present-opening process.  For some reason, it seems like my kids appreciate each present more when they get to hunt for it.  Here’s how our little tradition works.  When the kids wake up in the morning all their presents are wrapped and on display.  This way they get a chance to count up their stash and make their predictions about what’s inside.  While they’re away at school or during their nap, I hide their presents in various tricky locations around the house and yard (the locations get a little tougher as they get older).  After their birthday dinner the scavenger hunt begins. 

My clue method changes with each birthday.  One year I hid the clues inside balloons and had the kids stomp them to find the present locations.  Another year I snapped zoomed-in pictures of the present locations and sealed them in individual envelopes.  One of my favorites was the year we hid the paper clues in the birthday cake before frosting it.  It was messy, but the kids loved digging through the goopy cake to find the clues.

This year, I came up with a simple target shooting game to kick off my son’s hunt.  First, I printed and laminated seven numbered targets (these targets could have tons of uses, so I included the free file for you below).  Next, I used a dry-erase marker to jot down the present locations on each (ie ‘in the Capn Crunch box’ or ‘in the washing machine’).  Next, I used masking tape to stick them to the wall.  When it was time to hunt, I gave my son an inexpensive Nerf dart gun ($7 at WalMart) and had him shoot at the targets.  When he managed to nail a target with his suction cup dart, he pulled the target off the wall and read the clue aloud.  Once he and his sisters located the present, they brought it back to the living room and tore it open.  The game continued until he’d located and opened all seven presents. 

Regardless of the method, the end result of the scavenger hunt is always the same.  My kids come away from their birthday appreciating each gift a little more, their siblings have fun helping in the hunt, and my digital camera is full of fabulous family memories.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

If your family has fun birthday traditions that you’d like to share, please do so in the comments area.  I’m always looking for new ways to spice up our family fun!  Thanks.

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Easter is just around the corner so I thought I’d share a few of my favorite family fun ideas.

Puzzling Easter Egg Hunt
Purchase and hide a small, shareable prize (like a package of Peeps or a new game) somewhere in your house. Write down the prize location on a sheet of heavy cardstock and cut it into a 15-30 piece puzzle. You could also purchase an inexpensive Easter puzzle and write your secret message on the back. Add one piece of the puzzle to each plastic egg before your annual family Easter Egg Hunt. The puzzle adds a little excitement to the hunt and saves your family from the annual candy overload.

Easter Basket Search
Make your kids search for their baskets this year by creating a yarn trail. First, buy a different color of yarn for each child in your family. Next, hide their Easter basket in a remote location of the house. After they’ve gone to bed, tie their color of yarn to their doorknob and wind it all through the house (under couches, around corners, over tables, etc.). Tie the other end of the yarn to the handle of their hidden basket. In the morning, they’ll have to follow their yarn to find their prize.

Easter Bunny Trail
I haven’t tried this one yet, but I thought it sounded like a fun way to add a little magic to Easter morning. When your kids are in bed, use baby powder and your finger to create small, white Easter bunny footprints near your front door or next to your child’s Easter basket.

If you have any fun & easy family traditions that you’d like to share, please feel free to add them. I’d love to try something new this year. Thanks.

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St. Patrick’s day was always a little dull at our house. We usually do the green pancakes and such, but I wanted something a little more fun for my kids to look forward to in March.

One year my oldest daughter fell asleep on one of those green beaded necklaces. When she woke up on St. Patrick’s Day, she had a strange green marking on her belly. She didn’t realize what had happened, so I told her that a lucky leprechaun must have snuck into her room late at night and left her his good luck mark. I told her the mark was very special because it promised an entire year of good luck. She was thrilled. Whenever she was nervous or scared during the following year I reminded her of the mark and she’d get a sudden burst of courage.

We had so much fun with it, that I’ve made it a St. Patrick’s Day tradition. Each year, I sneak into their rooms at night and draw a tiny green clover somewhere on their bodies. When they wake up on St. Patrick’s Day, they search for their mark and then rush in to tell me all about the great luck they’ll have that year. It’s an quick and easy way to brighten up an otherwise uneventful holiday. Just thought I’d pass it on.

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