February 14 is coming up. Here in the United States it means Valentine’s Day. As a boyfriend or husband you give your girlfriend or wife flowers, chocolate or a diamond ring (Seriously, I just heard it like that on the radio). Maybe for some wives and girlfriends this does work! Not so much for me, so what do we do?
Valentine’s Day in the US and the Netherlands
Flowers
My husband gave me a bouquet of flowers in the first year we lived in the USA. At that time, he probably didn’t know exactly how Dutch I am! I hope I wasn’t too direct!
Flowers here in the USA, are too expensive. I loved the gesture, but I rather spent the money on an annual plant for the garden or in the house. Some of the bouquets in the USA have unnatural colors. It just doesn’t look right to me. I know it is a personal taste, but I like the natural colors of flowers, added with raffia ribbon, brown paper and other natural materials. When I’m lucky, the US bouquets last 4 days or maybe a week. Not really worth the money, but again…that’s my opinion.
Chocolate
Chocolate…mmmm….maybe! I know a lot of women who do NOT like to gain more weight. My husband still gives me (this includes him) chocolate every year. Okay, okay, I’ll take it!
Diamond rings
Diamond rings….yeah right! With 3 growing kids and all kinds of daily expenses? By the way, I would never wear a diamond ring. With crafting, cleaning, holding babies and playing volleyball, there is not much time to be fancy. Besides losing the thing and possibly hurting the kids, no thank you. I’m surprised I haven’t lost my wedding ring!
But I have to admit …..I’m beginning to like Valentine’s Day more and more! Why?
These unique Valentine’s Gifts for him are even fun to make.
Valentine’s Day in the Netherlands .
In the Netherlands we’re not into celebrating Valentine’s day that much. It is kinda cute when you just have a relationship, but in general the Dutch think it is just another commercial hype. I recently heard that Holiday’s like Valentine’s Day, Halloween and even days like Black Friday’s are getting more and more popular every year.
Now, we are living in the Unites States and we just go with the flow. My sweet hubby made a reservation at our favorite restaurant and they always do something special. A special aperitif or a bonbon at the end of the meal. We haven’t been there for a while. I always look forward to it!
Crafty Dutch Girl is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Valentine’s Day Home Spa
The kids are getting bigger and they’d like to be involved in Valentine’s Day activities. Two years ago when the kids were in bed, I made a Home Spa evening for my husband and I. It was a lot of fun and soooo relaxing! We had nice music, we talked and luckily we didn’t get interrupted;)
Somehow the next day, the kids were asking why there were plastic bins in the kitchen sink. We told them that we made foot baths and a mask for our faces. Really? We want that too! So, the next year they reminded us to have a Valentine’s Day Spa for them too. That’s how our Family Tradition of having a Home Spa for Valentine’s Day started.
Update 2020: We are in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and this activity is just the perfect thing to do, especially this year! Even though we started this tradition a few years ago, it is still a big hit with the kids and we still will continue this tradition….because this year we cannot go anywhere anyway!
Try this Home Spa on a wintry day (it doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day) to get relaxed with your loved ones, which can also include your children. Our 7 and 8 year old loved it a few years ago! They’re now 14, 12 and 6 and they still do! Our youngest helped me to set up. She was so excited! As you can see on the video below!
1. Be prepared
Prepare as much as you can, because you don’t want to run back and forth to the kitchen when you suppose to relax… I made a Checklist (including a printable to help you explain the activity), so you can start quick and easy. Make some snacks before hand too. Last year we had small yogurt parfaits with crunchy cereal, berries and yogurt. This year we are going to make these Heart Shaped Apple Hand Pies or “roze koeken”.
2. Stay hydrated
Make a smoothie (milk, banana, strawberries, honey and vanilla) or make a drink with water and lemon, so you stay hydrated. Here are more ideas. At this time we also put 2 Rice packs in the oven on 200 F for 20 minutes (You can also use warm water bottles).
3. Warm Bath
You can start with a nice warm bath. Light some candles (at a safe distance) and add nice ingredients into the tub, like a bath bomb, epsom salt or to make it more fancy, look at the recipes in my Family Home Spa Bundle!
Slip in comfy PJ’s after and you’re ready for the next step.
4. Foot Soak and rice packs
We slipped into our PJ’s and had a nice foot soak. For this soak we used some crazy ingredients, but it worked. Our feet were soft and smooth afterwards. You can use a pumice stone or a scrub sponge to deal with those dry heels. We slathered our feet with thick foot cream after. Then we put on a pair of cotton socks to allow the cream to penetrate the skin. At the same time, we took the warm rice packs out of the oven and laid them carefully on our shoulders/neck or back or wherever relaxation or warmth was needed. We relaxed for about 30 minutes. You can do this during the foot soak too.
5. Foot scrub
After the foot soak, we had a foot scrub. For this recipe you can use your choice of essential oils (We used Lavender Oil from Melaleuca. Please comment below if you’d like more information) I was very ticklish in the beginning, but my feet felt so nice after I cleaned them off with warm water.
6. Facial Mask
Now it’s time for our faces. I couldn’t go wrong with an “Edible Kid Mask”, a special one for kids…just in case they got it in their mouths. I know that strawberries and avocados are good for your skin, but you can find a good variety for everyone’s needs. Add slices of cucumber on your eyes too if you like. The following pictures could be shocking, so watch out:)
The kids were very quiet and almost asleep on the couch (They asked for the rice packs again and they loved the masks. I think because it looked and felt so weird!)
7. Hand soak
The last thing we did was a hand soak. After that, you can cream your hands in with a thick hand cream. The kids were ready for bed…. and they asked if we could do it again… tomorrow!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!!!
PS: In case you need inspiration for easy Valentine’s Crafts for Kids, check these out…..so cute!
Don’t forget to pin…
Hello everyone,
Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.