The History of Valentine’s Day Sign up here to receive freebies, deals, and resources!! Our kids make paper hearts and exchange valentines cards in mass quantities. For my boys, valentine’s is all about candy and love. Have you ever studied the origin of this rose colored day? Here is what the History Channel has to say. The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France. Origins of Valentine’s Day: A Pagan Festival in February While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Valentine’s Day: A Day of Romance Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois. Typical Valentine’s Day Greetings In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines. Sign up here to receive freebies, deals, and resources!!
Hooked on Phonics Really Works Sign up here to receive freebies, deals, and resources!! This post contains my referral link which helps support the work of this site. Here’s my full disclosure policy. When our oldest son was 4 my husband and I splurged on Hooked on Phonics. At the Time the system was a stretch for our budget, but honestly this was one of the best things we have ever purchased. All 5 of our boys have either learned to read or become stronger readers with the Hooked on Phonics system. The activities, workbooks and readers are colorful, engaging and really work. My youngest son is finally deep into the workbooks. He has been our most reluctant reader. The good news is that once again, the program is yielding results. I am pretty sure my future grandkids are going to reap the benefit of that original purchase!
9 Valentine’s Crafts, Games, Food, and More!! Amazing Valentine Day Crafts and Gifts. Sign up here to receive freebies, deals, and resources!! This post contains my referral link which helps support the work of this site. Here’s my full disclosure policy. Precious Handprint/Footprints D.I.Y. Surprise Balls Grab handful of wonderful goodies from the dollar store. Wrap them one, with colorful crape paper. Your kids (or hubby) will be delighted as they unwrap these balls of wonder! Aren’t they gorgeous? Classic Game- Candyland This is a fun way to celebrate your child’s sweetness:) For Your Hubby… Heart Shaped Food!!! Bacon- courtesy of Paper Mama 10 More Heart Shaped food Ideas from Coralie Free Valentine’s Day Activity Pack-by Simply Living Mama Valentine’s Day Mailbox for Kids- by Camp Clem Free- Valentine’s Printable Bingo sources: D.I.Y- Surprise Ball Embrace Your Chaos- Handprints Honestly WTF- Surprise Balls The Frugal Girls- Gifts in a Jar The Paper Mama- Heart Shaped Bacon LoveBug’s and Postcards- More Heart Shaped Food! Simply Living Mama- Valentine’s Coloring Pages! Camp Clem-You’ve Got Mail Craft Crazy Little Projects- Valentine’s Bingo Sign up here to receive freebies, deals, and resources!!
Why Freezer Meals? The Last Thing You Want To Do is Make Dinner Inside: One those 27 days out of the month that you don’t feel like cooking, you’ll be thankful for the 2 days you did THIS… At the end of the day, after driving down the mountain with all the kids, shopping at two busy stores, teaching my kids that ‘it’s not ok to slap your brother with the package of bacon’, and realizing that I lost my grocery list somewhere along the way, the LAST thing I want to do is make dinner. I had to come up with a plan. It made no sense to corral 4-5 squirrely boys down Mt. Everest to trudge through the heat and crowds to save a few bucks only to be so tired when I got home that I blew the budget on take-out food. MY SOLUTION? Freezer meals. Ladies, those freezer bags in my freezer saved my life too many times to count. Natalie at A Turtles Life for Me shared how she spent around $100 and was able to freeze 46 meals for her family! I am inspired! Inspired by the book, Dinner’s in the Freezer, Don’t Panic Natalie shares how she shops, prepares, and freezes “perfect sized” meals for her family. Cooking in bulk is a necessity for me. We are busy, my boys eat food by the truckload, and our big stores are down a mountain. Plus, There is a sinister black cloud that hangs over my head all day if I am not prepared for dinner! I may be crazy, but I prefer to pretend to have it all together. My hungry boys ask me all day long what the next meal will be. They have come to depend upon my expert cooking skills. (Laugh with me here). I have used my “Bulk Cooking Days” to teach our sons to cut, prep and prepare meals. Homeschool Life Skills in action! Anytime I can double, triple, or quadruple a recipe I do- and I freeze the extra servings. It’s saved my sanity more than 3.4 dozen times. Freezer Meal Resources: Freezer Meals By Once a Month Mom “Once a Month Meals gives you everything you need to shop, prep and cook a bulk of your monthly meals in just one day — and freeze those meals for when you want to eat them.” Freezer Meals on the Cheap: By A Turtle’s Life for Me “Have you ever heard the story about the boy who woke up on a gorgeous day and his dad told him he had to go out back and chop firewood. The boy asked why he had to spend a warm, summer day chopping firewood and the dad said it was so he didn’t have to do it on a cold, winter day. That’s how I feel about freezer meals. It’s all about sucking it up and committing to an afternoon of slaving away in the kitchen, because you know it will make life SO much easier for the next couple months. This way, when you have that warm, summer day when you’re running your kids here and there and life seems so chaotic… dinner is already made and you look like supermom for doing it all and still putting a healthy dinner on the table!” Cooking Camp for Kids: Teaching Your Kids to Cook- One Tasty Recipe at a Time. By Bekki @ A Better Way to Homeschool “Teaching kids to cook is an invaluable life skill… but it takes time and commitment. With Cooking Camp 1, you will have everything you need to coach and train your kids to become “experts of their meal” over time. Cooking takes practice. There is no way around that. These are family loved recipes shared from my home to yours.” [leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=146e73e46639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox] Cooking Camp: Teaching Kids to Cook Don’t Panic! Dinner’s in the Freezer! “Hectic lifestyles and over-full schedules make traditional cooking methods nearly obsolete in many families. The results are poor nutrition and budgets strained by the high cost of fast food or commercially prepared meals. Don’t Panic-Dinner’s in the Freezer offers a simple and economical alternative, featuring dozens of recipes designed to be prepared and frozen for future use. With 100,000 copies sold, this book gives practical tips for planning, organizing, and shopping for meals, as well as unique ways to freeze and reheat prepared foods. Every recipe includes measurements for cooking alone or as a joint venture with one or two friends. Families, singles, retirees-everyone who needs to eat-will find fast and easy answers to the question, “What’s for dinner?” Trust me, That’s enough to get you started.
Seed Strips: Gardening Craft I am really excited about this craft/gardening task.I have to thank Amy at Raising Arrows for sharing about this tip last week. One of our kids is completely inspired by all things farming. We really try to find projects that nurture his love for growing things when planning our homeschool day. I was thrilled to stumble upon a tutorial for teaching him how to make his own seed ribbons. If you want to learn more about planting with seed strips, Gardeners.com is a great resource. If you and your kids want to make your own seed strips, you can follow along. Materials needed:Seed packetstoilet paper (We used Costco brand)FlourWaterbowlpaint brush (We used chop sticks) Instructions Place Flour into a bowl and mix with water until it forms a paste. Measure a piece of toilet paper so it is the length of your table.Fold the paper in half. Read Seed packets to determine how far apart to “sow seeds”. Using a ruler, mark the paper with a pen at the proper spacing. (This makes it much easier for younger helpers!)Place a dollop of glue on each mark.Place 1-3 seeds per dollop of glue. Use your table or workspace to create a production line.Cover your table with seed strips. Let the strips dry. If you have enthusiastic helpers, you will need them to rest over night. If you have enthusiastic helpers, you will need them to rest over night. (Kids love using too much glue) Simply (and gently) roll the strips and label. Wrap with rubber band until planting day! When you are ready to plant: Dig trench to the proper planting depth.Unroll strip.Lay strip into trench.Cover with soil.Water. Voila! Planting made easy! My boys LOVED this project. We are ready for our early plantings, how about you? [leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=142a79846639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox] [leadpages_leadbox leadbox_id=143dc6846639c5] [/leadpages_leadbox]
Are You New to Homeschooling? In this video, I am answering questions for one of my viewers in Kansas. As I recorded this one, I realized that many new homeschoolers feel the same way she does: frustrated and confused. In this video I talk about: 1. Setting Homeschool Goals 2. Finding your State Requirements 3. Encourage you to consider joining HSLDA.org 4. Choosing a “golden thread” to build your homeschool around. Be sure to leave a comment or question for me after watching the video. If you are a veteran homeschooler, please add wisdom. If you are a newbie, please add questions or concerns that you would like to have addressed. Don’t forget to enter your email to the right so you do not miss any updates. Have a wonderful day!