I spent the bulk of yesterday afternoon trying to get my kids to pony up to the immensely difficult task of writing their first names on the backs of 20 Hannah Montana/Transformers/Incredible Hulk Valentine's Day cards.
At one point there were stickers and small bags of conversation hearts to accompany each valentine, but like the dinosaurs, these objects couldn't withstand the force of their predators and went extinct.
"We'll have to go out and buy some more candy," said Camber, giggling.
"You ate all of your friends' valentines," I stated matter-of-factly, hoping that the weight of my words would trigger some semblance of remorse.
My daughter shrugged her shoulders and went back to writing gigantic C's and A's on each valentine. There wasn't enough room on each card for the rest of the letters in her name.
Kellen needed to be shown the precise location of the perforated line separating each valentine.
"Please don't rip your valentines in half," I begged.
Cortlen was unusually focused and cooperative.
I was in the process of praising my son's work ethic when I noticed the writing on each of his valentines. My son had written something on each of his cards, but it was definitely not his name.
"What does this say?" I asked, pointing to the letters. They spelled S-I-G-L-R.
"My new name," replied Cortlen. "I changed it yesterday."
"To what?" I wanted to know.
"Kyle Singler," he replied, naming one of the starters of Duke University's men's basketball team.
"That's normal," I said, and turned my attention to the tape dispenser and Kellen's stack of dismembered robots.
***
How goes the fun task of Valentine card-making in your neck of the woods?
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I love to exchanging valentine cards...
At 17 and 14 our kids are (too)far beyond this stage. I admire your having the kids sign their name and do their own work. In high school, we still run into parents (lots of them) who want to do little junior's work for them.
This year, my 4th graders told me they were too old. I thought I would be sad. Instead, I think my neighbors might have heard me shout for joy.
Ha...ours are still tucked away, out of site. Guess I should pull them out so they can do them tonight.
I'm down to only one needing to do valentines. There are 27 kids in his class and we had half of the cards done yesterday.
It's a relief to have a middle schooler......
My Kindergartener and I have both had the flu (high fever, chills) and haven't even started the Valentine thing yet, including the box which need to be there TOMORROW! Yikes! Usually this is our favorite in-school holiday because it's also his birthday. This year, not so much.
We worked on that yesterday. I made the mistake of taking my eyes off of my five year old and she decided to write in cursive. Every one had a G followed by a wavy line.
I have a kindergartener, and I have been putting this off. Now, I have to go to Target and buy some Valentines, and hope and pray that we finish them by Thursday. I'm glad my son likes his name and doesn't think it's too long of a name-but he might shorten it along the way...who knows.
Several years ago, we applied to a public charter school, and our eldest had to sign her name at one point. She signed some random name, which we all looked at, puzzled. "I changed my name," she explained, and none of us were very happy that we had to fill out THE WHOLE THING AGAIN.
Ugh. We're doing that tonight. NOT looking forward to it.
Oh man. I NEEDED this post. I almost threw the whole pile out yesterday while they were at school. Then at the last minute, I shuffled the remains of mis-perforation into a pile that may or may not have added up to the size of the class and wrote (in my best LH 4 year old writing) my daughter's first name. In the way that WE spelled it on her birth certificate. Not the way that she and her older sister have decided to spell it.
Don't hate me but I let my kids make homemake valentines. It was realtively painless. Usually I dread it but this year it was nice time spent with my two girls, with a boy thrown in here and there. We still need to finish the boys valentines for preschool but the girls for thier classes are done! I enjoyed talking with them and getting to know who they were friends with by how much time they spent on each valentine. My oldest even made up poems for some of them, and she was quite fast at it. They generally just had to do with a rhym for that childs name, but still cute.
Thanks for reminding me how today is going to go. Valentines schmalentines.
My daughter's teacher sent home the list of names two weeks ago urging the parents to get the kids started now. There are 16 kids in the class and at only 4 cards per day we had PLENTY of time to get another box and re-do them when my 4 year old dumped water on the completed pile. Accidentally.
I did hers for her.
Is there anyway you can get pre-printed Valentines with the kids names already on them? My kids are claiming carpal tunnel from having to write their names sooo many times. Once again Jana, you've been looking in my windows and writing about my family. My kids are on day 2 of having to write them out. Funny thing is, my 5 year old is the only one done. The boys have to cry and complain and drag it out forever. Must be a male thing.
this explains why the other moms at daycare stopped talking to me after last year. I put my 2 yr olds hand prints on cardstock and hand wrote, "A big high-five from Ryan!" on each one. no wonder they hate me.
I want to know when they stopped putting envelopes in with the cards??? Now all you get is the little folded over card with a sticker to seal it shut. I am all about saving paper and all, but come on, a Valentine is VERY PRIVATE when you're in 5th grade, or so I'm told.
Yeah, my nine yr. old did them painlessly.. the whole pretty cursive handwritting, with little hearts to dot the i's.
My 4 yr. old however is a different story.. his Cars Valentines came with tattos, in which he felt the need to "go to the bathroom" and came back with arm loads of tatoos on him.
He signs the same: HUGE 'NAT' followed by a very tiny and slanted off the edge 'han'.
I dread having him write out the kids name in his class.. I might let my daughter do that part! :)
Reading your blog is like looking into my future! Mine is only 18 months, so I did all hers last night for her daycare friends. Do 1 year olds even eat candy? Well, her friends should be hyped up Friday for sure! Wasn't me?!?!?!
www.whenwill3become4ormore.blogspot.com
My 8 year old daughter signed, folded, added stickers, etc. all by herself last week (Tinkerbell Valentines for the girls in her class, Kung Fu Panda for the boys), put them in a baggie and took them to school on Monday to give to her teacher to keep until the party Friday.
My 10 year old son has yet to remember to bring home his class list. Although he assures me that he remembers "some of the people in his class."
My almost 4 year old just wants the extras to color, bend and put in her purse.
There are 25 kids in my son's class (counting him) and only 24 valentines in the box we bought. As he was bemoaning this fact I asked my son if he needed to give himself a valentine too. Apparently he thinks he does. I guess he can make himself his own special valentine card.
Valentine's Day in Brazil isn't for months.
And they don't do cards. HA!
haha.. at least he is imaginative lol. WE are doing ours tonight, shall be fun!
We are also doing our Valentine Cards tonight. My Kindergartener and my pre-schooler got the exact same valentines for their classes. I'm sure there will be drama :)
I bought the cards. I only needed 5 but somehow the boxes don't come smaller than like 25 so we will have a few extra. Do you think I could substitute 5 cards for one card and a bag of something that has yet to be purchased but needs to be acquired before his party on Friday?
He is only two!! How did I get roped into this so early??
Hahaha! I have given up on getting my boys to write on the tiny space they give you. I buy a box of small envelopes and have them write on the front of each envolope. This year we found heart confetti and we put a pinch in each valentine.
ugh. dont remind me.
Jana, as usual you make me laugh. I hate Valentine's day so much, I'm not gonna lie. Forced love=not cool. Its Arizona statehood day on Saturday. Please ask Kyle Singler to send me a card about that.
Last year my son was 5 and also changed his name. Signed cards and school papers with "Nrtoe Fox" which is close to the name of an anime character. However, it bears no resemblance to his actual name (Billy).
that is so funny. my daughter is almost four and loves writing out her valentine's this year. with her own name even. :0)
My 2nd grader is freaking out about getting them all done. I think I was in the car all of 6.7 seconds before she whipped out the class list! I told her to chill and that it will get done before Friday! Her dear teacher suggested that "students only sign their own name" so that writing valentines "wouldn't take as much time" but of course, "Students are allowed to write both if they so choose."
I'm so glad that she pointed that out to me, otherwise I could have spent hours writing out all those names!
*What I find interesting, the 2nd grade decided not to throw Christmas parties b/c it was too much work, but they will throw a Valentine party and require Valentines?*
Ugh . . . we're doing ours tomorrow. But they got into the package of Kung Fu Panda cards today. (I'm meaner than you . . . my twins do not get different flavors. Because they each only need 16 cards and the box came with 32 and it was only a dollar.)
And when I got them all collected and put back in the box, so I can save them for tomorrow, I counted. And now there are 28. Which means I have to go get another &%$@ box of Valentines tomorrow. With three children.
I can't believe we do these things!
For the lady who asked....YES you can get them made with their names already on them! They may not be "traditional" Kung-fu Panda cards, but they are so cute (and pretty cheap too). Here are the one's I ordered in this post....
http://alabamaslackermama.blogspot.com/2009/02/award-and-valentines.html
I did make them write their friend's names on all the envelopes. though.
I am SOOO doing this again next year!
Funny you should ask, we just finished here. Let's see... the pack says 10 cards but they don't tell you one says "teacher." So for the 30 I needed, three say teacher. Hmm.
Jacob couldn't make his whole name fit so suddenly decided he was Jake. Cool? Yes. But he has NEVER called himself that and I'm wondering if the kids will know who it's from.
After only one meltdown, that one valentine didn't make it and we had to send it to valentine heaven... we finished and he's asleep. Probably with carpal tunnel syndrome.
ah, I'm European. Which means I get to be smug about this ;-) because we stick with the original tradition, which is to ONLY give Valentine's to those you are in love with, not to friends. Hence, less work. The "less work" part is what the "smug" thing comes from ;-)
How much do you dislike me right now? :-D
Finished tonight. The boy's hand might fall off. BLESS the Kindergarten teacher for requesting that we "just" write the from part. I'm thinking that computer-generated labels may be in our future--the teachers use them!
For once, just ONCE I wanted to be the cool mom who makes homemade V-day cards with her kids. We were up late tying pipe cleaner "Love Bugs" to cards, and gluing Googly eye's on the left over Halloween mini playdoughs and now my kitchen looks like a gory crime scene all splattered in red, pink, foam hearts, and googly eyes. About half way through my kids started to complain that it was taking too long. I can't blame them. With 30 kids in each class I was running a literal V-Day sweat shop trying to get them done before I hit the 9pm insanity state.
Next year we are doing SpongeBob and cheap chocolate lips like we've done every year before.
Too funny. I only had one doing Valentines this year. My oldest is in middle school and too cool and my third missed his preschool party. Bliss!
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