On the day of the blizzard, I took Mazzy and Harlow over to Gavin and Luke’s for a Valentine’s Day themed playdate put together by my dear friend Little Miss Party. I call her “LMP” for short.
If you’ve seen our Project Playdate series, you know three things: 1) None of the crafts or snacks we make are that hard to pull off. 2) Everything is designed to keep the kids occupied for as long as possible. 3) There is always alcohol involved.
Alright, first we’ll start with the table set-up, which is optional.
Would I be sitting around with heart shaped balloons and red roses if I wasn’t photographing this shindig for the blog? Absolutely not.
This is why everyone should have a party planning friend.
BRUNCH ACTIVITY: Heartless Pancakes
What You’ll Need: pancakes, waffles, heart shaped cookie cutters, berries, powdered sugar
Seri and I believe you should make everything as interactive as possible. If you just hand out pancakes and waffles and told the kids to dig in, you’d have them occupied for ten minutes tops. But if you hand them heart shaped cookie cutters and tell them to cut hearts out of their breakfast before inhaling them? You’ve practically doubled your activity time.
For added fun, give them powdered sugar in a shaker to sprinkle.
CRAFT: HEARTLESS Valentine Tote Bag
What You’ll Need: Canvas tote bags, large heart cut outs in card stock, pencils with erasers, paint, jewels, glue, cupcake liners (use for glue and paint cups), q-tips, fabric markers
1) Cut out card stock heart and tape to tote bag (heart will come off at the end)
2) Set out cupcake liners filled with glue, paint colors and jewels (always give each kid their own set of everything so there is no fighting over supplies and less mess)
3) Set out pencils for each paint color and q-tips for the glue
4) Show the kids how to dip the eraser side of the pencil into the paint and make a pattern around the edge of the heart. Try to have the paint nice and dark around the edge of the heart stencil.
5) Let them decorate with additional jewels as they wish, instructing them to decorate the bag and not the top of the heart, since that will be removed
6) Let dry (we let the bags dry while we ate)
7) Once dry, gently take away the heart stencil of the tote bag. A heart shape is revealed!
8) Afterwards, they can use fabric markers to write their name or “Happy Valentine’s Day”, etc.
DESSERT: HEARTLESS cupcakes
What You’ll Need: Chocolate cupcakes (bake your own or buy them), small heart-shaped cookie cutter, pink frosting (we couldn’t find pink frosting, so Seri used vanilla frosting mixed with strawberry jam and pink food coloring), powdered sugar
1) Cut off the top of cupcake
2) Frost the bottom stub of the cupcake with pink frosting, making sure to really glob it on liberally
3) Take a small heart shaped cookie cutter and cut a heart out of the top part of the cupcake, making sure you keep the top intact
4) Sprinkle the heartless top of your cupcake with powdered sugar.
5) Stick the newly sugared cupcake top over the iced bottom half of the cupcake.
Voila!
DRINKS FOR MOM: strawmosas
What You’ll Need: Pink prosecco, fresh strawberries, fresh basil, fresh mint, some really fabulous glasses
1) Add 1-2 leaves of basil and mint to each glass
2) Fill glass with Pink Prosecco
3) Garnish with sliced strawberries
When the kids are done with their crafts, set them up with a movie so you and your mom friend can enjoy your drink in peace. You did crafts. You did pseudo baking. You fed the kids. Even if there was no protein or vegetables involved, your job today is done.
Time for screen time!
Also, watch out Mazzy. I think Harlow is moving in on your boyfriend!
See last year’s Valentine’s Day Project Play Date for more ideas, here.
If you want to host your own Valentine’s Day celebration, the Little Miss Pink Party in a Box is the perfect one-stop-shop for festive decor and tableware— you can order a party for 12 people here!
LOVE the cupcake idea! Never seen that before! Super cute and easy!
Those LMP boys are such players ……..I love the pic of Harlow and Gavin. xo
I hope you have this blog forever and follow Mazzy and Harlow into middle school, then high school, then college, then their 20s, and when they get married.
How fun! I like the idea of having them use the cookie cutters on the pancakes. Keeps them occupied and maybe they are more likely to eat them. My kids get weirded out by different shapes on their food but maybe if they do it themselves they will like their super cute breakfast. Thanks for the ideas!
Cookie cutter “pampakes” every morning. We have an entire tub of them, but the hearts are the favorite! Happy Valentines Day!
We did shape pancakes a long time ago. Might have to break them out again for Valentine’s Day!
I love the cookie cutters on the pancakes. My child plays with her food more than she eats it anyway, may as well have some fun with shapes 🙂
I’ve this! Can’t wait to try the cupcakes and the frosting with my son. It looks like a ton of fun! Thanks for sharing!
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