What to do with all those little Valentines

Is your house overflowing with little Valentines? My girls both brought home bags of Valentines from their classmates this week. Of course they are very special and the girls want to keep them forever. I have been wondering what I can do with them and thought I would do the same thing that I did with our Christmas cards this year.

In January, I had Emily (3) paint one of the clementine wooden boxes we have piling up from the grocery store. We put all of our Christmas cards in it and each night the girls pick one out and we pray for that family. It has been a great lesson for our girls to learn and practice praying for their friends and our extended family members. This past week the girls have selected a few Christmas cards of their school friends, and I thought why not add their Valentines to the box too. I look forward to hearing the girls pray for friends and foes alike.

(I am going to put Emily's class picture in the bottom of the box to help Emily identify her classmates.)

Do you have ways that you are helping teach your children to regularly pray for thier friends or classmates? If so please share them.

I love you mail

Last year at MOPS we made little metal mailboxes for Valentine's Day. I loved them so much, that I bought three more and made one for each member of my family. We put the boxes out for the week of Valentine's Day and surprised one another with little notes or treats throughout the week. It was so fun.

Yesterday we got out the mailboxes and the mail has started already. It is so neat to see how the girls have changed since last February. Last year, Emily was just two and did not really participate in the giving side. This weekend she has been filling our boxes with her little treasures. Pete received a yellow lipstick ring, Sarah received a jewel and I have gotten stickers. Sarah's mail has also changed, from little treasures, to actual mail. Now that she can write more than her name, it is so fun getting little letters. The girls have been checking their mail boxes constantly as well. I have a few little inexpensive surprises for them this week including pink headbands, valentine socks and funny Pez dispensers. Each of them will get letters from me each day too. I have to admit that I have never really enjoyed Valentine's Day - but I am really looking forward to a week full of I Love you mail!

I'll let you know what turns up in my mailbox - I keep telling Pete that jewelry would fit nicely! :)