Mixtape Valentines

Anne and I have a Valentines Day party tomorrow to look forward to! Over the weekend, we sat down to put together our Valentines. We thought just a simple card would do, no candy, nothing edible -- because there's going to be enough sweets to go around, we didn't want to add to the sugar rush. 

I broke out the stamps and we had a good time inking up our paper, but our Valentines just didn't seem as special as they could be. While digging through my craft box for extra glitter, I came across a stack of CDs and had a flashback to the 1990s. I thought: why not make each of A.'s friends a Valentines mixtape?*

Anouk was in charge of stamping the covers (and her face, and hands, and stomach, and the placemats...) while I was in charge of scrolling through our music library to pick the best kid-friendly Valentine-themed tracks. Anouk was surprisingly helpful on this point: for her favorites, she bobbed her head like crazy; if I picked a song she didn't like, she let me know with a resounding "NO, mama." 

Finally we had a playlist of the five head-bobbingest songs burned to disc** and it was time to put it all together. I used the CD cover insert as a template and cut our stamped cover papers to size. Then we slid them into the case and used a Sharpie to write "Love Anouk" on the CD itself.  

Et voila! A truly rocking Valentine for a truly rocking Valentines Day. 

*OK so, technically, they're mix-CDs, but that doesn't sound as cool as mixtape, does it?

**The songs on our CDs were purchased through iTunes and burned to disk on an external CD drive for noncommercial use. In summary, no recording artists were harmed in the making of these Valentines.

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What are some of your favorite romantic, Valentines-worthy songs? I love pretty much anything from the WWII era, especially this song by the Kay Kyser Orchestra. 

SweetART at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art

Last Saturday evening, we went to the SweetART family night at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach and had a great time. In addition to amazing interactive art exhibits, there was food, crafts, live music, kiddie spa treatments (courtesy of the Klumsy Moose), and even an open bar for the parents (score!)

Anne and James and I attended the event with our friend Sarah and her Baby A. I think it's safe to say that we all had a blast. We decorated heart-shaped cookies, made Valentine's cards for friends, and then explored the art gallery a little. Some of the things we enjoyed seeing included some really cool avant garde jewelry, a custom Vans exhibit, and even a few of our old favorites from the Chrysler!

But best of all was probably the ArtLab, "a space of activity and exploration" for children of all ages. Anouk and A. spent a lot of time sticking felt shapes onto different surfaces, playing with chalk, and jumping onto the giant beanbags that littered the gallery.

After a while in the ArtLab, we were called back to the main courtyard by the strains of the C-Shells, who did a live performance that had most of the room up and dancing. At the end of the set the lights came up and we left with our goody bags. But I know we'll be back again soon.

The next Family Fest at MOCA will be held on Feb. 24. And Feb. 21 is Pre-K Art Day! Will you be there?