Happy 1st Day of February! I don’t know about you, but I am so excited to leave the month of January behind! We started the new year in virtual school, and while that was not a terrible experience, I finally feel like we are back in the “normal” swing of things! February also happens to be the official month of LOVE and any excuse I can get to spread a little cheer I will take full advantage of!
Since COVID struck, our family has enjoyed finding creative ways to have fun at home. We realized early on just how special those small quiet moments at home can be! Rather than celebrating holidays or birthdays at large party spaces or out to dinner, we’ve come to appreciate celebrating milestones safely under our own roof. Don’t get me wrong, my husband and I love to go out for a nice date night meal. But the kids often prefer to be home, and doing special things as a family rather than anywhere else.
Since last March, Ben and Olivia have enjoyed so many at home activities, such as baking, coloring, swimming, playing sports outside and learning how to ride bikes! It’s really been an hard season of life to be sure, but one that I know my heart will ache for someday.
Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Dessert Board
While we love real charcuterie boards filled with cheese, meat and fruit on sometimes, they are usually not very interesting for the kiddos! So we put together a fun Valentine’s Day themed board that is sugary sweet and kid approved! We love making these boards for special holidays and occasions because you can throw whatever you have in your pantry and it instantly feels fun and elevated!
My kids love grazing plates when they are sitting around coloring or watching a movie, and I like to load up healthy snacks like grapes, chopped carrots, cheese sticks, crackers and salami slices. They eat as they play and it’s a fun way to make eating healthier feel a bit more effortless.
But for Valentine’s Day, we like to be a LITTLE extra! So we put together some of their favorite sweet treats from our local Trader Joe’s, Swoozies and Whole Foods. I love festive treats because in moderation they make the holidays feel special, and we like to enjoy these Valentine’s Day treats all month long! For our board we picked:
-Trader Joe’s Pink & White Shortbread Cookies
-Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Mini Hearts Cookies
-Trader Joe’s XO Soft and Chewy Gummy Candy
– Trader Joe’s Dried Mixed Berries
-Safe + Fair Birthday Cake Popcorn
-Yum Earth Lolipops (our absolute fave)
-Yogurt Covered Pretzels and Love Note Graham Cracker Cookie from Swoozies
-Linzer Tarth Cookies were a Home Goods find (and quite delicious too!).
I hope this gives you some fun inspo for your own family!! If you decide to make a festive Valentine’s Day dessert board, I would love to see! Be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can share it too! Wishing everyone a great start to this beautiful month of LOVE!
