Share that Lovin' Feeling in Families Too!

There is so much talk about the romance of Valentine's Day. Chocolate and flowers are great and it so wonderful when a loved one thinks of us enough to give us a token of loving. Classrooms of kids make paper valentines for every member of the class so no one feels left out and although this totally makes sense, I wonder if there is much feeling or expression of caring behind it.How can we make the essence of Valentine's Day - the expression and sharing of the joy of love for those closest to us - more real, less stressful and truly fun? What about Families? Let's bring this loving feeling into our families and increase the expression of love not just February 14, but every day!Here are 5 ideas on how to bring the fun of sharing your loving into your family time -- enjoy and let me know YOUR ideas.

1. Write notes of caring, appreciation and love and put them in lunch boxes, underwear drawers, homework folders, wrap around the toothpaste, etc. Depending on the age of your kids, everyone can participate - write secret notes together and hide them - it is so much fun to "discover" them, especially when they are well hidden and found days later! Examples: "I love you just because you are YOU!" " I love you just the way your are." " Your goofy jokes make me laugh and bring joy to my day." "BIG HUG is waiting for you."
2. Bake cookies, french toast, pancakes, make sandwiches, etc. in the shape of hearts and eat them or pack them in lunches. Do this together. You can also bring these items to a homeless shelter, nursing home or other place with those who might not experience being loved and cared about. Being of service together is a great way to express your love inside and outside the family and creates wonderful family experiences together.
3. Discover each person's Love Language and share your love for them in the way they will most "get it." -- The 5 love languages are: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time and Physical Touch. The theory is that each of us has favorites, ways we really feel loved. For example my primary love language is quality time. I feel cared about and loved much more when someone takes the time to be with me, even for a short while than if they buy me a gift (unless of course the spent special time thinking about me to choose the gift - see how that works?) That is not to say I don't like gifts, it is just how it really touches my heart deepest.
4. Go around the family sharing what you appreciate about one another. You might pass a stuffed animal around or make a stuffed felt heart (cotton balls work great for stuffing!). As you pass the heart around, the person who has it is talking and everyone else is listening. Listening is a wonderful way to share your love.
5. Have a scavenger hunt of love expressions. You could include massages, doing the dishes, cleaning your room without being asked (now there is love, right?), words of love and caring, etc. Get creative. Here is an example of how it might look -- On the kitchen table there is Clue #1 - if you have more than one child you can have parallel hunts or together, depending on your children! Clue #1 - go give Mom (Dad, Aunt, etc.) 3 big hugs and get Clue #2. Clue #2 (after the hugs of course) - once you have finished this rhyme go sing it to ___________ and get Clue #3. Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, something I like about me is ___________ and __________ is what I like about you! Clues can be in a pile and retrieved after doing the task so everyone can play. Be creative, have fun, adjust for the age of your kids.

All of these can be played all year round to bring love, connection, laughter and fun into your family life. We all like to know we are loved. Bringing home the tradition of expressing love in our families can make Valentine's Day and everyday, a sweet celebration of the heart in families of all kinds.