Be My Valentine Gift Guide
Valentine's day is a tough holiday. It's the Queen of all Hallmark holidays. Back when my husband and I were dating I used to say "don't waste your money on flowers," or "I don't even like Valentine's Day." Much to my surprise, he dutifully obeyed my statements only to find out on Feb 14th that I had changed my tune. Flowers and a thoughtful note are pretty nice to receive, but not just on Valentine's Day. We should be telling the special people in our lives that we love them daily. My favorite Valentine's are homemade, but if you're not the crafty type, I've put together a list of some of my recent favorites, that don't have to do with lingerie, chocolates or flowers.
Grandparents : Ever since I had a child, I've come to realize my parents and in-laws no longer care about Brian and I; Alexandra is the star of the show. So any personalized gift having to do with her is a win-win all around. I found this awesome company Treat House where I was able to upload a picture of Alexandra to be put printed on top of the most delicious rice cereal bars you've ever had. These aren't just any cereal bars, they come in about 20 mouth-watering flavors like Chocolate Pretzel, Birthday Cake, Smores, M&M, Caramel Sea Salt, Pretzel Monster...the list goes on. Not only are they customizable with photos, but with any theme you can dream of. These yummy and adorable little bites arrived at my house in 3 days. PERFECT for a last minute gift! Treat House, $38 for 12 custom treats or $26 for 12 valentines treats
Husband : Going from an apartment in the city to a house in the burbs is a huge change. Besides the obvious differences, one thing we didn't realize would be a huge annoyance was taking care of heating/cooling systems. For years we had no control over our system, as most buildings in NYC simply turn on the heat in October and shut it off in March. But now we have multiple thermostats and zones and had a hard time keeping it all straight. That's until we discovered Honeywell's new Wifi controlled thermostats. We do everything else from our Smartphones, why not control the heat and AC? You can set schedules, monitor humidity and change the temperature right from the palm of your hand. It's so amazing and comes in especially handy when we are away on vacation. A great gift for your techy husband. Honeywell, $199 each Thermostat.
Toddler : I recently discovered a toy that holds my kid's attention for longer than 3 minutes, isn't on an iPad/iphone/tv/leapfrog, isn't related to Disney or Nick Jr, and actually builds critical developmental skills and promotes imaginative play and creativity...intrigued yet? Check out Magna Tiles. I might be late to the party with these genius things, but I am super excited to be here. They are small tiles in all shapes and colors with a magnet on each edge. So kids can stack, build and create for hours. The secret is the unique ability to attract even when the tiles are flipped - they always connect! And I love them even more for my 2.5 year old because they don't contain any super small parts like legos. Magna Tiles, sets start at $49.99
Wife: There are a lot of initial and date necklaces out there, and we know moms adore anything that has a special meaning. This necklace just might be the coolest one I've ever seen. Since there are no dashes or space, it just looks like a series of numbers only you and your significant other will be able to decode. Your wife will be happy, I promise. Winifred Grace, $113.00
Yourself : Getting a massage should be easy and convenient. There is nothing worse than waking up with a sore back and calling your local spa only to find out they can't fit you in until Monday. Introducing Zeel Massage on Demand. You can now book an in-home massage with a highly trained, professional masseuse that same day, in as little as an hour's time. Happy Valentine's Day to YOU!Zeel, massages start at $120