Hey Andrea,

Count me on protesting the gift baggies for every damn occasion too. We could afford it, but we just refuse to play along.

The Boy came home with 6 or 8 little packages from school, (plus valentines) but we only gave out superhero valentines. Maybe when he is bigger, we might (MIGHT)make cookies for the class party, but we will not be sending home little packages for every kid.

I understand that most people aren't showing off, that they just think it is a nice idea, but I can't helping thinking of the parents who can't afford it and who feel pressured to produce 18 baggies of goodies for every holiday. It must feel like another way they can't give to their kids.

I echo Chris's comment above. When I was a kid we couldn't always afford the "nice" cards even. Believe you me, past a certain age ALL the kids know when you're bringing in bargain basement things to share!

Awww.... I'm jealous of anyone who got to be Frances vewy special Valentine!

I've been doing these for a couple years now, them pre-made Valentine's cards. I wrote the names all out the other day on the cards and couldn't figure out how to fold them without the person knowing who it was for. I thought they went in envelopes and I didn't have enough envelopes for 18 kids. Now I see I was to fold them with the name on the OUTSIDE then stick the sticker to hold it. Duhhhh... thanks for that lesson. Better luck next year.
I don't go all out like some parents do with the little baggies full of goodies. It's not Hallowe'en afterall!! The stuff A came home with will have me putting on 5 pounds!
I think it's sweet Frances has a best fwend. We all should!

AWWWWWWWW, hew best fwend. My Friday mantra:

I heart Frances and all things Frances.

Yeah. She's perfect, isn't she?

Chris & Miche--good point. I hadn't even gotten that far--just being lazy and irritable, as per usual.

Frances is adorable.

It never occurred to me to give Valentines to the kids in my kids' daycare, and yesterday when I picked them up they were loaded down with candy & cards. I felt terrible. But you know what? I don't know the names of all the kids in their daycare. In fact I don't know how many of them there are! Blake doesn't either. Sasha might. Ptttpth.

I always got hit for 35 - 40 cupcakes ( per kid!) when my kids were in junior elementary school. I love the boxed Valentines, much easier. Miss three-year-ol grandkid and I did them for her daycare last weekend. Then she steamed up and had to deliver them all early. When her mother started growling, I reminded her of the cupcake thing. Guess you couldn't do that now, between nut allergies and lack of sanitation.
Your Frances is twuly a sweetie.
M

I'm back, thankfully here they don't do EVERY Holiday, for some reason they don't celebrate Easter. I find that odd since Easter IS bigger than Valentine's day. No class party, no treats, nothing. Perhaps because Easter is a religious holiday? But then again so is Christmas (for the most part.)

I'm into making little cards and things, so I made cards for my students. We do a little more than just the little cards for Valentine's, but we manage to mash a lesson or three in there with the cards and candy. We talk about letter carriers, and what the job they do entails; we talk about love for one's family; and we do lots of math and counting with hearts. (One of the more popular lessons is to give each child a handful of the chalky hearts with the messages on them, and have them graph out the hearts by color. Once they've graphed them correctly, they're allowed to eat the candy.)

I don't go all out for each and every holiday, but I do enjoy giving the kids fun stuff to look forward to. They have to see that learning can be fun, or it colors their whole perception of school for years to come.

I am glad, however, that Offspring is out of the whole cartoon character Valentine mode. Less work for us!

Ugh. Because we don't celebrate Valentine's Day, I didn't even think to send Mme L to daycare with cards. I'm with you, though, on the escalation.

In the last daycare she was in, it was de rigeur to give "loot bags" to the other kids when it was your kid's birthday (this daycare was in a much wealthier neighbourhood than the one we're in now). There was no way I could afford that. Her class got homemade birthday cupcakes the week before VDay, though, so I figure I did my duty.