But first, here’s the full post on how we celebrate Valentine’s Day, if you’re curious of our other traditions, like our Waffle Bar.
When my sisters and I were growing up, Mr. Valentine would deliver a small gift basket for each of us by our front door while we were at school…or while my mom took the trash out. ;) We LOVED it and I want to continue this with KK and her siblings.
We do set aside a little money all year long for this tradition. (Same with our Easter baskets.)
I love when holiday gifts aren’t just clutter, but instead are things they can actually use all year. (I also love following a formula for all my gifts.) This year I’m focusing KK’s basket more on consumables - like art supplies and craft projects. Maybe an experience gift or two.
We also use our Mr. Valentine basket as our yearly reminder to prioritize new socks, undies, bras, and/or toiletries, if needed. Because really, Mom and Dad deserve to have, say, underwear we love or good face soap, and I love the Mr. Valentine basket as an annual excuse to indulge in these fun - yet practical! - things. (And like I said - I like to give holiday gifts that we actually use. And there are lots of fun options of these particular items this time of year.)
ALSO! Mr. Valentine brings a gift basket for both Brett and me, too! It’s more fun that way. ;) Just because, again, I love an excuse to make a small, holiday-themed gift basket to show someone I love them.
faq: Brett really enjoys that I buy my own gifts, and I enjoy it, too. This works really well for us.
I bought plenty of white baskets - enough for Brett, me, KK, and future siblings - at Target to be used year after year for Mr. Valentine, Easter baskets, etc.
2021: Here’s KK’s first Mr. Valentine basket!
2022: Here’s what we did for all three of our baskets! I hadn’t fully decided yet at the time of publication, so I listed out a few possibilities…aka more inspiration for you.
And here’s what’s in our Mr. Valentine baskets this year!
KK:
KK has plenty of toys, so we wanted to focus her basket on consumables - stuff she could use up. Each evening KK is allowed to work on a special activity, so we thought to add some fresh supplies for this routine in this year’s basket. And I’m trying to stick to shades of pinks, reds, and whites for the basket, because why not.
a few sticker books KK loves with pink/red/white covers
and/or dress-up sticker pad
and/or play house sticker pad
this Valentine’s Day coloring book
and/or this red coloring book (we love this series of coloring books!)
this foam hearts craft kit from Target
and/or this big pink tub of chalk for our Daily Outdoor Time
a Valentine’s-y Magic Painting Book - KK’s favorite activity
and/or this Paint with Water book
a few other easy art activities for our March Farm-Themed Month of Play
play dough from my favorite favorite small shop
and/or one of her precious play dough kits!
Related posts you may love:
a full list of KK’s all-time favorite toys we play with all the time
(and the four activities from which KK is allowed to choose)
my amazon store of favorite art supplies, play dough tools, etc
Joey:
nothing this year - he’ll be two months old on Valentine’s Day and truly only wants my boobs, so we’ll use his portion of the Valentine’s Day Budget towards my basket :)
Haley:
a few bags of my favorite candy
comfy underwear that I feel pretty in because Mama deserves it
a few workout tops (that match my capsule-ish wardrobe)
to better fit my postpartum body and to celebrate getting cleared to workout again in February - I could barely move this pregnancy so this is especially exciting!
we leave the house every single morning as part of our daily rhythm - usually our morning outing is a beloved Fit4Mom class with my friends or a swim at my beloved gym :) I’m a better wife/mom/human with some sort of daily movement, and can’t wait to get back to it.
see the full list of things that make me feel my best here!
see more on our capsule-ish wardrobes here
and/or anything from my beloved skincare routine
and a gift card for a niiiiice facial, if budget allows
my favorite thing to ask for as a gift - Mother’s Day, birthday, everything!
one of my monthly routines is to double check that I have a haircut, a pedicure, a brow tint, and a sugaring appointment on the calendar - one of my favorite, easy ways to make sure I’m prioritizing myself!
Yes, I buy my own gifts. Brett and I both prefer it that way. :)
Brett:
socks
a few gift cards to new-to-us coffee shops around Austin, attached to a coordinating family adventure that’s near that coffee shop (for example, one coffee shop is next to a park I’ve always wanted to try)
I’ll reference my Local Places List for ideas
and/or i’ll get him a coffee subscription
two magazine subscriptions he wants for our evening Quiet Family Time
in this season we like to get tangible magazines/books when possible so that KK can see us reading actual material (as opposed to reading on a phone)
Did you enjoy this post? I’d love if you said hi on Instagram! I share allll the innerworkings of my routine-and-tradition-loving heart there. (Along with quite a bit of dinner ideas. Woo!)
Other blogposts you may love:
Yearly Tasks and Expenses List! (aka how I remember EVERYTHING for holidays)
Our Decide Once Gifts (aka I have a formula for everything, not just Valentine’s Day)
Cheers to special memories and intentional traditions! Happy dreaming, y’all.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
