What to get for Valentine's Day?

February 14 or Valentine's Day, the holiday of love. The celebration came to us from Europe and for many decades has been stubbornly introduced in our lives. Someone resists, saying that the holiday is not "our", someone is glad that there is another beautiful romantic day. In any case, this is a great occasion to once again declare your love to your loved one, believe me, it is not superfluous.

Here are some ideas for a nice gift for Valentine's Day.

A romantic weekend, invite your loved ones for a horseback ride, ice skating, drinking mulled wine by the sea. The options are many, it depends on your hobbies. It is important that you can use proven options or try something new.

Gift certificate to a spa, beauty salon, lingerie store, etc., as almost every retailer can give you this opportunity👍.

Jewelry and 💐 Flowers, we won't dwell on them, they are old classics!

Books, you can think of me as old fashioned, but a good book is always appropriate. Buy classics or modern literature, choose to your taste, so that later we can discuss a pleasant aftertaste after reading (if you need advice on the choice of work, write in Direct)

An animal is a touching and gentle gift, will not leave anyone indifferent. However, here it is better to be reassured and make sure that the giver has no allergies or other problems.

And finally Valentine Day balloons!!! There are endless variations.🤩Hearts balloons, balloons with personalized inscriptions, Surprise Box (fits any of the above gifts), Hat Box with flowers and Bubbles balloon, balloons with compliments and jokes, surprise balloons, balloon shapes, assembled bouquets of balloons and balloon compositions. And much more, including unforgettable photo-zones and Valentine's Day decorations!

Order themed balloons or decorations right now by phone or online. Please order in advance!

 

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How to be a cool mom and stay beautiful

If a woman has recently become a mother, then this is by no means a reason for her to forget about her beauty. Naturally, in the first months after the birth of the baby, the young mother is drowning in household tasks, and all 24 hours a day are devoted to the baby. But this is not a reason to forget about your appearance, skincare and trying to be confident at least for yourself if not for your man and children. If you stay powerful, keep up with your motherhood, stay stunning and happy, not only you will feel better, but your spouse will notice it. He will definitely appreciate your efforts and do everything for you, as well as a happy mom makes the atmosphere in the home more healthy which will help the baby.

 

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What to do if the kid is acting up

It often happens that the child acts irresistible, freaks out with no particular reason and tries to show his stubborn ego. And when trying to stop this, parents receive only more tears as a result. The thing is, at such moments there is a large amount of adrenaline that is boiling inside a small growing human being, emotions overcome the baby and she/he can not cope with them without the help of parents.

 

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School Cones (Schultuete) from KinderCone.com

 
Mini School Cones from Kindercone.com

The very awesome Vivian from Kindercone.com contacted me after seeing my previous posts on the Schultuete (German school cones) that I give my kids each year.  She sent me a great package that included a set of Mini School Cones, Kinder Journals, a Karli the Cat plush, KinderCone bookmarks and KinderCone tattoos.  I was so excited to receive this package and share it with some of my friends and their children.  Many people have seen my kids with their cones on the school playground and have asked about them.  I love being able to pass on this fabulous German tradition.

The tradition of the Schultuete or “school cone”, which dates back over 200 hundred years,  is one of the most celebrated and long-standing traditions in Germany. At the beginning of every school year, children all over Germany set off with their large and shiny Schultueten, also called school cones or sugar cones by many. These large, colorful school cones, purchased or home-made, sweeten the child’s first day of school as they come filled with little gifts, school supplies and sweets.

We decided to invite some of our friends over for a Back to School Party and give out our cones.  I filled them with pencils, erasers, bubbles, pads, the bookmarks and tattoos from KinderCone and few other small things.

What I used to fill the School Cones

 We didn’t do anything too fancy.  We served some snacks and the kids played.  We had originally planned to be outside in the backyard, but unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with us.  I used a bunch of free Back to School printables that I found on Pinterest to decorate.

Food Table for Back to School Party

 

Karli the Cat Enjoying Brownies

 

Back to School Party Banner

 After a few snacks, it was time to hand out the Schultuete/School Cones.  The kids were so excited to open them and find out what treats were inside.

Opening the Cones

 Siblings compare their treats.

Opening the Cones

The big kids had fun checking out the School Cones!

Big Kids Love School Cones!

Some Adults were a little jealous of their kids’ School Cones.

Adults are Jealous of their kids' School Cones

 All in all, the kids and parents had a great time at the party and receiving their first ever School Cones from the very awesome KinderCone.com!  Next year, I suspect we won’t be the only ones with our cones on the playground!  Thanks again, KinderCone.  YOU ROCK!

Kids Have a Blast at Back to School Party

 Bilingual Babes has also posted about school cones.  Check out her homemade ones!  They are great.

 

 

 

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End of School Class Mom Gift to Kids

End of School Gift from Class Mom to Kids
As class mom, I wanted to give the kids a little something at the end of school.  However, I didn’t want to fill a bag with candy or crappy little toys.  So, I decided to make them a useful, little safety bag.  In the bag, I included a 2 pack of glow sticks with lanyards purchased at the dollor store, a box of funky patterned bandaids scored on Woot.com for dirt cheap, a suncreen lotion wipe purchased in bulk on Amazon, and a bracelet whistle purchased from Oriental Trading. 
Contents of End of School Gift from Class Mom to Kids

I attached a tag I made using a graphic I found on Google Images that said “Have a Safe Summer!”.

 

Graphic Used for Tag

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Glow Bath = Cheap Fun

I don’t know exactly where I saw this (Pinterest, perhaps?) but whoever came up with this idea…..PURE GENIUS.  RUN to the dollar store and pick up some glow sticks (any kind will do).  Crack ‘em and throw ‘em in the bath.  Turn off the lights.  Figure out how to get the flash on your camera to work properly in the dark.  Watch your kids have a BLAST!  You’re welcome.

Glow BathGlow Bath

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glow Bath Alien

 

 

Glow Bath-Blindfold

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Glow Sticks in the Bath

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Teacher Gift - Plants

Each year, I like to give my childrens’ teachers a gift for Teacher Appreciation Week, as well as the end of the year.  This simple, inexpensive gift could work for either.

For my younger son’s 3 nursery school teachers, we used these adorable chalkboard plant markers and planters that I found in the dollar spot at Target, along with some pink geraniums.  I purchased the geraniums in a 6 pack at the grocery store for $10 right before Mother’s Day, which conveniently coincides with Teacher Appreciation Week (You could also use these for Mother’s Day by simply altering the chalkboard message!).  On the marker I wrote “Thanks for helping me grow this year” using a paint pen (found at AC Moore) so it wouldn’t come off.

Teacher Gift - Plant with Marker

For my older son’s kindergarten teacher and aide, I purchased flattened silver spoons that had the phrase “Teachers plant seeds of knowledge that will grow forever” pressed into them (from JLynnCreations on Etsy).

"Teachers plant seeds of knowledge that will grow forever"

 We packaged each plant in a gift bag from the dollar store.  Such simple gifts and we received nothing but thank yous and compliments from all of the teachers.

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Zucker Kuchen (German Sugar Cake) Recipe

Zucker Kuchen (German Sugar Cake)

 
The very awesome Sofie of The German Foodie worked with me to try and recreate a German recipe from my childhood.  The “Hausfrau” (german for house woman), Frau Krauth, that lived in the apartment under my aunt always had a “Zuckerkuchen” (german for Sugar Cake) ready for me when I arrived for my summers in Germany.  It was a heavenly cake - sort of a cross between a custard and a cheesecake.  I can still almost taste it in my mouth when I think about it.  Unfortunately, when I hit the internet searching for a recipe, I couldn’t find anything like it.  I found many recipes entitled Sugar Cake, but nothing that was like Frau Krauth’s.  When I found Sofie’s blog, I emailed her to see if she was familiar with this type of cake.  It turns out that she is from the same area in Germany where my family lives.  After a few email exchanges, Sofie put together a recipe for me.  I modified it to fit my dietary needs.  Here is the gluten-free, corn-free, soy-free, closest version of the famous Zuckerkuchen that we could come up with.  ENJOY!
 
Crust
3/4 cup gluten free flour blend (I used King Arthur’s)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 knifetip corn-free baking powder (I used Gefen)
1 egg
2 tsp guar gum
 
Topping
1 large container of sour cream (16 oz.)
3/4 Tablespoon Vanilla
2 eggs
1/8 cup tapioca starch
7/8 cup sugar
 
Plus
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tablespoon cinnamon
 
Combine all ingredients for the crust into a mealy, cookie-like dough. Let it rest in the fridge for about 20 - 30 minutes to give the butter a chance to firm up.
 
Combine all ingredients for the topping, leave out the starch. Beat thoroughly until thick and creamy. Sift the starch on top. Put mixer on low speed and keep stirring until starch has been incorporated.
 
Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a greased 9″ springform, roll out (or just press into pan) the entire crust dough on the bottom, prick a few times w/ a fork. Pour the topping into the form and smooth out. Sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.
 
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
 

Zucker Kuchen (German Sugar Cake)

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