making valentines for the day of love

Today was SJ's and Bob's Valentine's Day parties at school.  When I picked them up from school yesterday, I told them that we had to work on their boxes and their valentines.  "I hate Valentine's Day!"  declared SJ.  "Why do we have to have a party for that?" he asked.  "Why are you complaining?"  I asked him.  "You get to have treats and not do work at the end of the day," I told him.  "But it is a girl's holiday," said SJ.  "And I hate girls!" he said.  "Don't say you hate girls, SJ.  I am a girl and you don't hate me," I said.  "You don't count as a girl.  You are Mom," said SJ.  "One of these days in the very near future you will like girls.  Until then, you need to be nice to all your classmates and make the valentines," I told him.

I had cut out some construction paper hearts and made stickers for the boys to place on their valentines.  Bob didn't want to use the hearts.  I had him use some blank business cards instead.  SJ's hearts were yellow, so I told him he could draw Charlie Brown's black zigzagged line on them.  I helped him put the stickers on the other side. 

"Um, Mom.  Can you do me a solid and write their names on them?" asked SJ.  "Why can't you write them?"  I asked him.  "It is too much work for me.  I will get so tired," he whined.  I had a very long day at work and wasn't up to forcing him to do this task.  So I agreed to write the names on the back sides of the hearts.  When I wasn't sure how to spell a name, SJ would look it up in last year's yearbook to spell it for me. (Several of the kids have the same first name, however, they are all spelled differently!)

Both boys finished their boxes on their own.  Bob found some pictures online that he liked.  He printed them and used them as decorations on the top of his box.  SJ decided to do a Pac-Man design on his.  He used some of his many markers to make the grid, the ghosts and Pac-Man himself.  Overall, I was very pleased with the end result. 

When I picked them up at the end of the day,they had their boxes stuffed with all the valentines that they had received along with many treats and candies.  Bob only eats certain chocolate candy and SJ doesn't eat chocolate at all.  He tends to favor fruity candies, such as Skittles, Starburst, lollipops and fruit snacks.  I always thought it was odd that they were both so particular about their candy likes.  Oh well, that is just more candy for my husband and I.