Month: January 2021

Your Guide to Valentine’s Day 2021

It’s time to start planning your Valentine’s Day festivities. Skip the fancy date night and overpriced flowers (and even the store-bought chocolates) this year and opt for a fun weekend making memories instead. 

Valentine’s Day 2021

Heart Notes

Plan a simple love note to write on a construction paper heart every day from February 1st – 14th and hang them on your children’s bedroom doors while they sleep at night. They will wake up to a new heart each morning!

Matching or LOVE Themed Sweatshirts

Hit up Etsy really quick and order one of their gorgeous heart sweatshirts (or shirts if you happened to be down south). There are dozens of options. We went with different versions for each person and cannot wait to snuggle up in them! 

Fuzzy Socks

If you are throwing on sweatshirts, fuzzy socks should also be on the agenda. Even the boys will love a fun pair of Valentine’s Day socks. 

New Books

Books are gifted on every holiday in our house! I love searching for a book that matches each child’s personality. I’m loving the choose your own ending chapter books for the oldest kids, an easy-to-read chapter book for Lyle, and fun picture books for the littlest two. 

Natural Bath Bombs

These can get pricey, instead of ordering each person their own box, order enough for each child to get 2-3 actual bombs of their own. Stick with natural versions to keep the skin happy.

Homemade Heart Chocolate

Grab a few molds from Amazon, melt your chocolate (we use Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips), and toss it into the freezer! We add whole almonds, crushed almonds, peanut butter, and chipped bananas into the center before freezing for a fun addition. 

These are definitely best frozen, so pop them out of the mold and into freezer baggies or a mason jar for easy access. 

Homemade Hot Cocoa Bombs

We are a hot chocolate family, but we enjoy ours with almond milk and an organic/healthier (haha – nothing is healthy with hot cocoa) option. Instead of purchasing hot cocoa bombs at $4-5 a piece, we are opting to try the DIY version at home and use our own dairy-free, organic ingredients! I even splurged on natural marshmallows for a few kids to try!

Heart-Shaped Pizza

Hand out a dough ball to each kid and let them roll away! You can help shape everything into hearts, even using cookie cutters for the pepperoni!

Family Paintballing

If you want to get out of the house together, think about doing something completely out of the box and booking a family package at your local paintball arena. We ventured out to try a few outdoor, safe, family Valentine options and paintballing won the prize! (We’ll report back on indoor race car driving soon!)

Plan a Quick Romantic Bed and Breakfast Escape

You know I’m always ready for a getaway, and this last year has been rough on our traveling souls. We are enjoying little weekends away, and I highly suggest you book one. Skip Valentine’s weekend away and spend that with your kiddos but plan it for another weekend in February. (This is much needed for reconnection and remembering why you chose your forever valentine!)

The Quaintest (Romantic) Getaway in Virginia

We have spent more time together than ever, and while we have loved it, there still was very little time for John and I to just be.

Ready to pack your bags?

In need of time away to reconnect?

We were. So we did – and you should too! Your relationship will thank you.

Recently, John and I decided after 13 years of marriage that we deserved an actual retreat together. It was the first time we have left the kids this long (FOUR NIGHTS!) and could not have done so without the help of my mom. 

Isn’t it funny how life turns into the same thing day in and day out – even during a pandemic? We have spent more time together than ever, and while we have loved it, there still was very little time for John and I to just be. Sure, we binged some Netflix, read some books, played games, and finished puzzles. Hell, we even took the kids on some great road trips. But we needed some solo time.

Insert all of the crazy here because we could not figure out what to do or where to go. We knew it needed to be driving distance from home to get back (just in case), and we wanted mountains. In truth, we wanted to snowboard, but we knew that it would be cutting it close to opening days due to the warm winter start in Virginia, so that option became 2nd priority. Our biggest hurtle was figuring out where to stay after pinning down a central location: Charlottesville, VA.

Due to the pandemic, John and I have not done anything other than rent through VRBO. We literally order our groceries, workout at home, and have friends over to our place (especially since soccer is on winter break). The mask situation completely creeps us out, and we’d rather not partake in it all if given the option. This left us asking if a resort was really where we wanted to stay, as all VRBO mountain rentals were booked or outrageously overpriced. And then I stumbled on the answer: A bed and breakfast outside Charlottesville.

The Fenton Inn came across my Duck Duck Go search a few pages into researching. Located at the bottom of Wintergreen Resort, it was the perfect location if the mountain opened to snowboard! After stalking their social media pages for a week, I booked the Swallow’s Nest room (OMG-THAT VIEW!).

Our anticipation grew as the trip grew closer, and in mid-December, we packed our bags and headed on the road together.

What you should bring on your B&B getaway:

ANYTHING YOU WANT because you are not packing for the kids.

Fun lingerie or whatever will help reconnect the two of you.

Snacks (you know you are used to snacking throughout the day!)

Appropriate clothing for adventures together.

The Fenton Inn did not disappoint! Please make room in your life to visit this gorgeous little German-inspired slice of heaven. It’s quaint charm and seclusion will have you wanting to snuggle up with hot tea and watch the fog roll in from the mountains. The owners are beyond kind, there are hiking trails you can jump on from the property, and the breakfast is brought wherever you’d like to enjoy it. Make sure you add a couple’s massage to your stay, and follow it with some hot tub time overlooking the views. 

Of course, you’ll want to leave the bed and breakfast at some point, right? Well, you’ll have to if you’d like something other than breakfast, ha! Because the mountain delayed its opening date, we only had one resort restaurant nearby, and we did enjoy some beers and food to-go from it, however, the best decision we made was to save our big meals to be eaten in Charlottesville! The drive was winding, pretty, and not the shortest, but well worth it. We splurged on one really nice dinner our first night, and the rest of the days were spent sampling wines, beers, appetizers, and foods nearby. There are vineyards and breweries as far as the eyes can see, so don’t worry about stopping at the store to pick anything up for the room. Seriously, grab a flight to sample and then purchase your favorite bottles to bring home.

The pictures do not do our trip justice. We went without seeing another guest all but once in our 4 nights there. (Although, I long for the days of normalcy and to see this B&B packed!) If you are longing for some time together away from the world, pack your bags and head out to reconnect. I promise it’s worth it.