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Would you believe that after all that advance prep I managed to realize, 5 minutes before the party was set to start, that I’d forgotten the Rice Krispies for the cupid hair? So I literally ran (because I’d walked up to the school) back to my house and drove back, then explained to the children how to apply cupid’s wings while sweating profusely. Valentine’s Day is so much less romantic than it used to be. . . .

Anyway, I just remembered a tardy suggestion for Valentine’s Day, especially for those with young kids: an internal date, no babysitting required. Come to think of it, we haven’t done this in a while, so we need to do it, too.

The girls each received a Creativity for Kids: Petite Sweets Soap kit today. I’d had them tucked away for months, ever since I’d seen them on clearance for $5 (usually $15), I think at New York Toy & Hobby back in July. Basically, the kit includes soap “clay,” so it’s easy to mold, and there are decorative items like bath salts, glitter, and little flowers. The craft was a big hit, and the results were such pretty little soaps that I found myself wishing that I’d bought all of the kits, because these would make a great activity for kids to make a special gift for a mother or grandma.  The clay was a bit dry, so we needed to add water, and it would be nice if you could easily reseal the little plastic bags, but overall, it had lots of things I love in a craft: unusual material to make it seem special, plenty of variations possible for creativity, and a super-satisfying end product.

Here are J’s soaps:

It was a busy day with Grandma and Grandpa including an 8:25 am soccer game (sounded terrible until we saw a friend who had played “the early game” before us!) which included a goal and an assist for M, rehearsals for Cute W and M for their show at church tomorrow, a cooking project, the movie Big Miracle (wholesome and enjoyable, but a little sadder than expected because I didn’t remember the story at all), some shopping, and dinner out.

Between shopping and dinner, J started to lose it. It would be understandable if she were just plain tired, but she had chills and a headache, so I fear that she’s getting sick. We’ve been driving around in two cars to fit everyone (not environmentally friendly, I know, but when relatives aren’t visiting we’re guzzling less gas than those minivans which I’m too scared to drive anyway). So I aborted the mission and J and I ditched the restaurant and came back home to cuddle in bed. Now I’m wondering if tomorrow morning we’ll a) have a nice healthy J, b) have a sick J and I’ll miss the show entirely, c) have a sick J and I’ll pull a babysitter out of the ether, or  d) have a sick J and I’ll leave her alone just long enough to drive over and watch the one song that M’s singing with the junior choir). Clearly, I’d prefer option a. Sigh. At least Cute W has a video camera.

Anyway, the cooking project was actually an attempt to figure out our edible craft project for M’s Valentine’s Day school party. M’s 4th-grade teacher wanted to try these cute cupids from Family Fun. I said “Sure!” when what I was really thinking was that they were slightly too ambitious (the two different colors of decorator’s gel shared by 21 children, the piped frosting, etc.) and also that I didn’t like how Aryan the cupid looked in our multi-ethnic class.

So I pondered how to address these concerns. Because I am freakish that way. Perhaps I should have said no. But that’s not sporting.

First, I made frosting in two colors–vanilla frosting with a bit of food coloring to make it pink and brown chocolate frosting. I figured that kids could choose and/or mix. I also got Cocoa Krispies in addition to the Rice Krispies for hair options.

One pleasing innovation was  these heart-shaped Peeps for the wings. Half a heart is even better as a wing shape than a marshmallow. This was Cute W’s idea. He’s so clever. I think that I’m going to cut them ahead of time, because otherwise I’d have to provide multiple pairs of clean scissors for 21 4th-graders. Again: ambitious.

I also decided to blow off the decorator gel. We decided that Twizzlers would work for the mouth, and we experimented with chocolate chips, M & Ms, and TicTacs for the eyes. Oh, and I got gummy hearts instead of foil-wrapped, because I couldn’t find foil that was plain red without a words to advertise something, and besides, who wants wrapped candy on their cupcakes? We’re blowing off the piped-on hand entirely. Just not happening.

The girls and I each made one cupid cupcake to test the difficulty and ponder our eyeball options. Our results: a preference for chocolate is apparent, but we actually each mixed both vanilla and chocolate. We went with different eye techniques, none of which were entirely successful.

All in all, these cupcakes make me laugh. It’s a bit like when they show you the advertisements for a Big Mac and then the actual Big Mac. Except in this case it’s the adorable cupcakes prepared by the food stylists at Family Fun vs. cupcakes prepared by actual children of mothers who are not willing to buy little tubes of icing. It’s a clever idea. The wings worked much better than I’d expected. And of course, a parent could make a full batch of those adorable cupids at home with some decorator gel and piped icing and then show up at the school party pretty much feeling like The Most Awesome Parent Ever.

But we’re all about class participation. We’re all about process, not product. Which is pretty clear from the picture. Oh, also? They’re tasty.

Valentine’s Day fever has hit our household. Both girls started working on their Valentine mail boxes today. At our school, kids are supposed to make these at home and bring them in along with valentines for each child in their class.

The paper was flying. We had some American Girl products that I’d bought when they were 40% off, and they’ve been super fun for crafting. First, there’s a huge pad of scrapbook-style paper , which the girls have been using for pretty much everything but scrapbooking.  I’m even more enthusiastic about the American Girl Paper Posies Pad, which has punch-out flowers and other shapes with small adhesives that allow crafters to stack stickers for artistic effect.  They recommend it for ages 8 and up, but I think most 6-year-olds would be able to remove the slightly delicate shapes from the paper. But my favorite part is that some of the punch-outs have little messages, and they’re all so lovely and affirming, like “Challenge yourself. . . Stand tall. . . Grow. . . Change your world. . . I can do anything. . . Dare to be different. . . Friendship matters. . . Be kind.” Today I couldn’t restrain myself: I made a little flower with “Be Brave” in the middle.

Anyway, here are the creations:

J's Valentine Flower Box

There was minor drama concerning J poaching some of M’s origami paper from an origami kit we got her Christmas 2010. I would have been more sympathetic if I’d witnessed M making a single origami item, like, ever. And she got another kit as a gift since then. Luckily, J craved a gorgeous piece of silver foil paper, and I happened to have an entire roll of gorgeous silver foil. It was nestled safely between waxed paper and plastic wrap in a drawer in my kitchen. If you’re wondering exactly where this appears in the final creation, well, frankly? I am, too. Sort of doesn’t seem like it was worth sobbing over.

M's Castle of Valentines

M was quite pleased with her box. J loved it, too. J asked M, very persistently, which box she liked better. M struggled valiantly to be both honest and kind. It was heartwarming to behold. She said something about how they were both really gorgeous, but of course she was emotionally attached to her box because of the time she’d spent planning and executing the project. So she liked hers better, but not because it was superior, just because it was hers. “And if I were you, I’d probably like yours better,” she concluded, clearly relieved to have navigated the treacherous terrain.

Sweet J turned to new project. What about Isis the Cat? Surely Isis needs valentines? She added some decorations to a miniature basket for her, then wrote out a very small valentine. “Don’t you want to make Isis a valentine, too, Mommy?”

Valentines for Isis

Of course I did.

I’m pretty sure that we’re going to the store to buy some valentines tomorrow. I think we’re all crafted out.

While I was trolling for pictures of my firstborn’s snarled hair, I stumbled on bunches of photos from little games  that I’d play with the girls when they were little, and I thought that they might help some folks out there with babies and toddlers while away the long not-exactly-winter. For a little while, we had a stash of photo paper and color printer, so I’d print pictures galore. If you order all of your pictures, you can have some extras like these on the computer waiting for the next time you need to order a few extra pictures to make the price per print go down. I’d recommend printing the pictures out wallet-sized and then laminating them for maximum use.

One game we liked to play (this was probably starting when M was about 1 year old) was scavenger hunt. I had a bunch of pictures of household objects, like this bath toy:

or this measuring cup.

Then when I needed a minute to myself, I’d send her on a hunt. For this one, it helps to include objects that aren’t always in exactly the same place, like a shoe or a toy.

The variation on home scavenger hunt is the grocery store edition. I took pictures of items that I buy frequently at the store, and then a daughter would be in charge of whatever photo cards she had.

MMMmmm. . . love me some Cabot anything.

And we go through a surprising amount of Kalamata olives.

I also took pictures of various places that we’d visit regularly.

The girls loved the Crossings.

This was more an attempt to communicate better than a game. When the girls were very little, we’d talk (and by that I mean, I’d conduct monologues while they’d look attentive and occasionally babble) about what our plans were for the day.

How is it that Hannaford never recruited her as their poster girl?

Later, I was trying to teach them about the calendar and our routine, and I’d post the pictures on a little poster board.

Huggin' the old-school Tyke. Anyone else remember Marcy & this mangy puppet?

This reminds me that at some point in each girl’s toddlerhood I created a visual clock with explicit instructions not to get out of bed until after 6 am.

Our midwife's office

And, okay, this wasn’t part of any game, but the midwife picture reminded me, and I couldn’t resist.

How cute is this girl? Can you guess what she’s doing?

. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

Got it?

She’s checking the imaginary baby’s heartbeat!

That’s a toy mixer that she’s using at a fetal doppler thingy.  She was dragged to many appointments. Usually by the end she’d be astride my hips, wedged in the increasingly small space between my pregnant belly and my thighs.

Cute W got into the photo fun act, too. When M was driving her riding toys too recklessly, he made her a little fake driver’s license. Then when she’d crash or speed too quickly, he’d take her license away and tell her it was suspended.

Anyone else have fun with photos?

I’ve been getting the KidsOutAndAbout.com newsletter ready tonight, but luckily I’ve got a big list of links that I’ve been meaning to share with you.

All Over Albany has a post on The Snow Train to North Creek.

I just love Glennon’s approach to dealing with tantrums over at Momastery. Seriously, I can’t look at that thumb’s up photo without giggling. It reminds me of one of my favorite things about blogging. When the day’s going crappily, I know that I can kvetch to you all.

The TU’s Parenting Blog has a post with folks suggesting where to donate used toys.

Mamatoga visited a new indoor play center in Ballston Lake, The Wonder Room.

The TU’s Your Day Blog shares that you can get two lift tickets for $20 to ski West Mountain on Wednesday nights.

And you’ve probably already seen this “I’m Elmo and I Know It” parody video that’s been going around, but just in case.

Update: okay, okay. Have I mentioned that I’m not too tech-savvy? My first plug-in, which would have kept you in the dark at Capital District Fun all day, didn’t work, so you just got a teensy blackout. And here’s more info. if you’d like it:

If you spend slightly less time on the internet than I do, or if you’ve been taking care of toddlers or sick children, you might not realize that there are going to be quite a few blacked-out sites tomorrow. Capital District Fun will be one of them. I wanted to give you a little warning in case you want to look something up and write it down with an old-fashioned pencil.

I am blacking out because I like to link & comment with wild abandon, and I like to link to people & places where people are talking about all sorts of things. Sometimes these are vitally important and politically relevant. Sometimes they’re tasteless, not-suitable-for-the-kids spoofs of pop culture. I want access to all of them without fear that my site, or the sites that I love, will be shut down.

Here’s more information, in case you’re looking for it.

FightFortheFuture.org video (this has a quick form to send to Congress) and information on the SOPA Strike.

TechDirt’s got what it calls The Definitive Post On Why SOPA And Protect IP Are Bad, Bad Ideas.

If you don’t feel like reading, and you’d rather listen to a guy ranting in a British accent while you, I don’t know, fold laundry or wash dishes, here’s your link.

Here’s a commentary from Time’s Techland Blog.

Here’s a legal memo by a smart guy from Harvard.

The Bloggess takes on SOPA in video form and makes us fall in love with her all over again.

A surprise hit among the Christmas gifts was this Thames & Kosmos Electronics Workshop:

Cute W picked this out for M, and they’ve had fun doing the experiments together. Today was M’s favorite one yet: they made an electrical circuit that was only complete when they put the two ends of a wire in a cup full of water.

This has been a father-daughter venture, so I didn’t know much about it. I decided to interview M:

Me: “So, are the experiments easy or hard to do?”

M: “They’re pretty easy if you’re someone who know what they’re doing. Like me.”

Me: “Did I hear you guys reading a story or something?”

M: “Yes. It’s got a story about Robert the Robot who’s going into space. It teaches lots of technical science stuff, which sounds really boring, but it’s actually cool. Really cool.”

Score one for STEM promotion at our house!

Now the girls are settled in their pajamas and reading, but they’re going to be allowed to say up late to watch the Broncos with Daddy. Soon it’ll be time for some Buffalo Chicken Dip. Life is good.

I wrote a review of Saturday’s Laurie Berkner Band concert. It’s over on KidsOutAndAbout.com. I was a little scattered that day because we were running straight to the show after ice skating, so I forgot my camera. But there are photos from the concert over on The Angel Forever, in case you’re wondering what a “a surprisingly chic giraffe-print pouffy party dress with pink ruffles” looks like. The review is a love-fest, and not just because we got review tickets and a giveaway: pack I just love her. Oh, and not only that, but Deb tweeted the review @KidsOutAlbany, and Laurie tweeted back. It’s like, she almost talked to me.

And speaking of cool women, I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out that Amy Poehler and friends have a web-based show called “Smart Girls at the Party” with the tagline “change the world by being yourself.” Holy cow I think she’s fabulous. The girls haven’t seen any of the shows, because if I said, “Girls, girls, look, look! Check out this cool show,” then they’d watch it, all skeptical, and possibly roll their eyes. If I look like I happen to be watching it all by myself when they walk by and look over my shoulder, they will be hooked. So, what is this exactly? Tragically manipulative? Not passive-aggressive surely, but passive-awesome? Discuss.

And if you aren’t already overwhelmed by social media, the splendors of the internet, and the fabulosity (yes, I just made that one up) of womanhood, did you hear about the Bloggess and her traveling red dress? If you’re a regular reader, you know that I think that The Bloggess is hilarious, although between the guffaws she’s also shared that she suffers from depression and anxiety. Just about a week ago she posted that she struggles with trying to control a self-harming disorder, and when she did, her readers and fans, in addition to passing along comments and virtual hugs, showed their support by donating to support her traveling red dress. To hear more about that, check out  the original red dress post with lots of follow-up updates, and here’s an article from Forbes.com (which made me laugh at the end, because the writer discloses that she bought a bunch of red dresses after researching the story).

And finally, in honor of future supremely awesome women, if anyone needs to be hooked up with Girl Scout cookies this year, it’s M’s first year selling them. If you’re local or family and want some thin mints at the end of the month, she’s your gal.

I’ve been collecting links to share. And I’m too lazy to write. So, here’s what I’ve got:

I thought that saying I’m an organ donor on my driver’s license was enough, but apparently it’s not. So here’s a form for New Yorkers to fill out to register as organ donors.

I thought that this video, created by a girl with her sisters to support The Girl Effect, was awesome. Her mom must be so proud!

New Moon Girls has a list of Girls Choice Books.

Have you heard about Khan Academy? If you or your kids want to learn about something–math, art history, economics–there are tons of free tutorials.

The family of a woman who died of liver cancer on December 15th is collecting breast milk for her newborn baby Violet. They live in Dutchess County and there’s a drop-off spot in Coxsackie, but if I hear of someone collecting closer, I’ll update this. Update: Call 813-9290 or 788-7821 if you want to donate locally. This is a friend of a friend of that Katie girl whose blog you read, if that’s enough of a reference for you!

Today I’m just sharing a bunch of holiday links. Because I’ve got Ewok cloaks to sew. Ready?

The TU’s Parent to Parent blog has Tips for a Toddler Christmas.

Mamatoga has Ten Chanukah Crafts.

Albany Kid’s got a post full of cold, hard facts about Santa’s sleigh.

The Bloggess proves that Santa is real.