A Saint's In Town

I thought it was very considerate of my 2yr. old to suggest we make special little Valentine treat parcels for his daycare classmates to affirm how special they are to him.  I also thought it was considerate of him to use up all the stickers that were supposed to go on the cards to decorate his body with instead.  O.K. maybe it wasn’t his idea to make the gifts, but I bet if he knew what Valentine’s Day was and what it meant to millions of people around the world he would want to…or maybe he would just say, “ewww gross!”  Either way, I think it was a nice thing to do.

We don’t usually go all out at our house in celebration of St. Valentine.  Not quite sure why we celebrate the way we do by sending cards, chocolate and fuzzy toy animals which are usually heart clutching gorillas, bears or monkeys  donning a message something to the effect of giving up the heart to the lucky gift receiver.  I suppose any holiday centered on expressing to loved ones and friends that they are cared for is worth celebrating.

People have been sending Valentine’s Day cards since the 1800’s to proclaim their love to their special someone.  I came across a couple on Wikipedia when I did a search on the history of St. Valentine’s Day…

Valentine card, 1862: "My dearest Miss, I send thee a kiss" addressed to Miss Jenny Lane of Crostwight Hall, Smallburgh Norfolk.

A tiny 2-inch pop-up Valentine, circa 1920

I think Valentine’s Day traditions change depending on what stage of life you’re in.  With kids in the house you’re typically not spending a full day with you partner drinking champagne by a fire and eating peeled grapes while expressing your undying love for each other.  With kids a big part of the picture, why not make it fun for them too.  You can always get a babysitter for the following weekend to go to that romantic restaurant you wanted to go to on Valentine’s Day.   This way you won’t have to sit shoulder to shoulder with other couples at tables arranged in a mess hall fashion in order to accommodate the maximum capacity of patrons out in celebration of a Saint no one understands the relevance of.  The closeness in seating arrangement makes it impossible not to hear the “first daters” awkward conversation fillers, and for them not to hear your riveting conversation about how awesome a deal you found at Walmart today on diapers.  Yes…it’s much better just to wait a week or two and then get your romance on.

So then, that leaves February 14^th. for a family day of fun.  There are some great suggestions for a Valentine’s Day full of fun for the family at “She KnowsParenting.com"

I’m on board with the one about making a special breakfast for your clan.  It could be a thoughtful breakfast in bed for your spouse and kids, but I would stick with breakfast at the table or highchair or else you’ll have an extra thoughtful load of bedding laundry to do.

For us, eggs are the perfect choice for a special breakfast…everyone from babies to teens to adults usually love them and they are super easy to prepare.  The Egg Farmers of Ontario at “getcracking.ca" have some great nutritional info., recipe ideas and fun facts about eggs including the fact that eggs are packed with 14 essential nutrients that you and your family need to stay healthy and active.

Eggs do pose an allergy concern in babies, however it’s the protein in the egg white that presents the greatest risk.  Babies 8 months and over can have scrambled egg yolks but you should wait until they are 12 months before using the entire egg just as a precaution.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Let’s Get Crack-a-Lackin…on Toast

Age – 8 months +

Ingredients

·         1 egg yolk

·         1 tbsp. milk

·         1 tsp. unsalted butter

·         ¼ cup of cheddar cheese

·         1 piece of whole wheat toast

Baby Steps

·         Melt butter in pan over medium heat.

·         Separate egg yolk from egg white and use only the yolk.  The white can be added to another egg you’re cooking for yourself or another family member.

·         Add milk to egg yolk and stir together.

·         Add eggs to pan of melted butter and cook thoroughly until no longer runny, approx. 5 mins.

·         Make toast.

·         As soon as toast is ready transfer to a plate and let it cool for 2 – 3 minutes.

·         Sprinkle ½ the cheese on to toast.

·         Add cooked eggs to toast on top of cheese.

·         Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

·         Let stand for 2 – 3 minutes so cheddar starts to melt and meal cools off a bit.

·         Cut into manageable pieces for your baby to eat with their hands as a finger food.

Makes – 1 BIG serving so you can share with another family member.

Note - For older babies you can try adding tiny chopped tomatoes on top of the egg before adding the cheese.

No matter what you’re doing this Valentine’s Day I hope you all have fun and most importantly are not out paying an exorbitant price for dinner because a Saint’s in town.