1. Buy box of Valentine’s Day cards.
2. Thank the Lord that child picked a box that has 34 Valentines rather than 1 box with 12 Valentines. No need to buy 3 boxes.
3. Break out the 3 sheets from the Kindergarten teacher which have all 26 kids’ names and photos on them. These are to glue on each Valentine. Think to self, “Great! This should be easy.”
4. Help daughter begin making Valentines. Note that it’s 3 weeks before Valentine’s Day. Plenty of time!
5. Watch daughter cut out very specifically and from the middle of each page the first 3 kids’ names and photos that she wants to make Valentines for.
6. Watch daughter use glue stick to put the names and photos on 3 Valentines.
7. Help by folding 3 Valentines in half and using heart stickers to secure the Valentines.
8. Watch daughter write her name on each Valentine.
9. Realize an hour has gone by and there’s dinner to cook, laundry to fold, and extracurricular activities to attend.
10. Put Valentine’s cards away.
11. Ask the next day if daughter wants to do Valentine’s. Listen as she says no thanks.
12. Repeat 11.
13. Repeat 11.
14. Repeat 11.
15. Make daughter do 3 more Valentines. Say encouraging words to show her how FUN this is. Allow her to start signing her nickname instead of her full name.
16. Repeat 11. Every day for the next 2 weeks.
17. Realize there are only hours left before Valentines are due. Beg, plead, and encourage daughter to work on them.
18. Start helping. A little glue here. A little cutting there.
19. Feed daughter M&Ms and promise lots of cuddle time if She. Just. Does.Valentines.
19. Help a lot more. Just keep smiling.
20. Send 26 lovely Valentine’s to school with daughter.
21. Drink wine.
22. Repeat 21.
23. Repeat 21.
24. Repeat 21.
How did it go in your house making Valentines this year?
Image courtesy of luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Are you spying on me??? We did Valentine bracelets on Saturday. My nine year old finished hers pretty independently. My 2 year old handed me beads like a champ. My five year old son? Still working on them. I *made* him do four last night. If we can do another 4 tonight and the next night we’ll be set. He got stuck when he got to a kid he didn’t like. He told me that Isaiah was mean and he didn’t want to give him a Valentine. GRRRR!!!
Rabia @ TheLiebers recently posted..An Interview With Your Hostess
Ha ha! Must be the age? My kindergartner definitely picked out the kids whose Valentine’s she wanted to make first. Then I ended up with 3 ragged, hanging sheets of paper with all the second class citizens on them! Ours were due yesterday so we’re done. Phew.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..24 Steps for Finishing Kindergarten Valentines
I don’t get it. Isn’t St Valentine’s day about lovers expressing their love for each other? How can a Kindy kid have 26 lovers? To quote a mutual friend of ours – “crazy yanks!”
Wait–you don’t do Valentine’s in Australia? I’m soooo moving back! Except maybe I’d miss the candy at Halloween.
We have Valentine’s Day but one would not dream of giving a card to anyone other than a (and that means one) boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife. Although, things could change as we are starting to have halloween more and more as well………
Interesting. We gave our whole classroom Valentines even back the 70s!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..24 Steps for Finishing Kindergarten Valentines
I remember those days – too funny! So politically correct to give EVERY kid a valentine. And so silly. My kids are grown now, so I just make brownies for my husband. Much easier. Happy V-day!
Mare recently posted..Notes from the Dugout
And Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I totally get that!!! It is GRUELING isn’t it?? I remember one year I finally just gave up and wrote the damn things myself….
Chris Carter recently posted..February Friend #3:
Yessss. By the time we had, what, 4 Valentine’s left to do, her eyes were glazed over and it was all I could do not to try and sign her name for her!
LOL!!!!!! I have a 2 year old and we are working on our Valentine’s cards for his party after he wakes up from nap here in a few hours. Luckily we only have to make 9!
We made cards for grandparents yesterday but that involved paint so to him, it was the best day ever. Give him a few years and I’m sure his eyes will glaze over too lol 
I totally appreciated your toilet paper craft on your blog! Too cute. Thanks for stopping by from the Blogelina comments.
Hahahhahah, I had to do 30 Spider Man one’s for one son, and 27 Toy Story ones for the other son. They completed 3 between the two of them, and then started fighting over the markers. I was annoyed out of my skull. There has to be a better way!
Not Winning Mom of the Year recently posted..I Made A Wish
When you find the better way (and if it involves wine), let me know.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..24 Steps for Finishing Kindergarten Valentines
Oh man … I have a kindergardener too and he showed absolutely no interest. I just bought rice krispie treats and printed off labels with his name on it and smacked those stickers on. Of course he’ll be super excited today to hand them out and receive them. This sadly is a trend with homework too – I make him do the homework of course, but he whines and whimpers the whole time. Ugh!
Kerry recently posted..Today My Kids Were the Minority
I give credit to our teacher for printing out the picture/name labels and giving them to us so long ago. I just didn’t realize that even with all that time and prepackaging (!) it would still be so labor intensive! On my part.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted..24 Steps for Finishing Kindergarten Valentines