Kids are usual pretty easy on Valentine’s day – a stuffed animal (perhaps with the year) and some candy that they normally don’t get to eat and you’re done right? Nope. These kids are wanting more so here are some ideas.
For the babies…
Pajamas – every baby store sells something with a heart – its cute and fun (or funny). Take some photos all dressed up, so you can embarrass them in years to come.
For the little ones that wont remember…
Stuffed Animal or little toy – they’ll love it for a second and forget about a moment later. Take some photos and videos of them playing with it and feed them a special dessert.
For the young ones old enough to remember…
We can get them toys (to add to the junk pile a minute later) but what about taking them out to get the toys… make it an experience, going to the American Doll Store and building their own doll or to FAO Schwartz for a Monchichi [Link] that you might have had as little kid.
For the ones too cool for school…
This is all about the experience, check out the Nike iD Studio [Link] I’m sure they have them around your neck of the woods and if not you can build out a pair online [Link]. You could also go retro with name necklaces (as seen on Carrie from Sex and the City) great deals to be found on over on eBay [Link] I’ve purchased from this seller before for my wife.
For the ones too old to care…
Candy, Cash, and maybe flowers if they’re not getting any from someone else but please dads don’t write cards making them think its from someone else [not cool]. If they’re up for spending time with you, try dinner out on the town.
My wife is an amazing woman, she cleans, she cooks, she takes care of our son, she is starting her own business – Suzanne Cohen Photography [Link] and once in a while she takes care of me (I’m joking all the time!). My feeling about buying gifts for my wife is only the best of whatever she wants. Here is a list of items that I’ve either given to her with great success or that she’s been asking for (she’s got great taste and can really trend too).
Jewelry – Helen Ficalora [Link] best known for her charms (image to the right) she’s been featured in Lucky Magazine and pretty much every other celebrity mom. My wife has a couple of charms at this point an M for Marc (our son), a cut out star, a crown and a small puffy heart.
Perfume – Crystal Noir by Versace [Link] is up in the air against Stella by Stella McCartney [Link]. Now I don’t think that I even have to say this but everyone’s taste in perfume will be different.
Travel – One of the best ideas is to get away. While many think thats just crazy, if you do the simple math of fancy dinner, gifts, and headaches if anything goes wrong try an all-inclusive vacation. You could find short trips at a very amazing price (plus its a gift to yourself!). Check out “Cancun OR Riviera Maya Last Minute Steal!, Airfare, 6 Nights, All – Inclusive Beach Resort $349 [Link]” from TravelByJen.com [Link]. Jenny is my step-sister, she travels all the time with her family of 6 – knows all the spots and I book all my travel with her!
Electronics – Everyone is talking about the iPad (which isnt out yet) so you could get over to Apple and purchase a giftcard to cover the new item. You could opt for an ebook reader like the Kindle DX (9.7 inch screen) [Link] or the smaller Kindle (6 inch screen) [Link]. Which will save a ton of space/weight when traveling. You could get a Flip Video Camera MinoHD 120minutes [Link] which makes video capture just one button (we own 2 both sets of parents own one too – love them!) they download in a second and make emailing videos a super simple process.
and finally I wouldnt be doing my job as a husband without offering the idea of…
Photography – These moments don’t last for a lifetime but photography does. Take a look at Suzanne Cohen Photography [Link] and perhaps think about signing up for a session.
I’m not sure about you but Candy is a must have on Valentine’s day. Seriously, If my wife doesn’t get an unhealthy amount of chocolate someone is going to get it (and by that I mean death and by someone I mean me).
The historical chocolate in the heart can be found at any drug store in America. Yes, its lame in a kind of cheesy way its so over done way.
You could step it up and go with a gourmet Chocolatier such as…
Max Brenner [Link] My Mother-in-Law considers this her crack (she loves it!)
Being a guy doesnt mean I dont have a romantic bone in my body. It just means pulling teeth to show it off. With Valentines day coming I think its important that we remember that Date Night isnt just once a year. Last week, my Sister baby sat (which is a win/win – 1. its free 2. she gets to play with Marc for a bit) but even if you need to pay a sitter it’s well worth it.
We live in Union Square and lately NYC has been freezing… we walk just a block to the W Hotel – where the Todd English’s Olives is located in the lobby. If you’ve never been RUN dont walk over there one night and drink you’re self silly. The cocktail menu is wonderful, yes the martinis are $12 but in Manhattan thats pretty much going rate.
My wife loves the dirty martinis or the lychee martini. I love the super tart passion fruit cocktail. After sitting the W Hotel’s Lobby living room for a round, we asked to move to a table to enjoy some lite bites from the Olives Menu. The food was great just what we both had wanted. The prices once again werent out of line for a Manhattan restaurant either – I know that people usually think of hotel food and thing chicken fingers and fries – this isnt the case at Olives.
I’m starting to get off topic here, while this date night was awesome… its still the principle of having a date night. We often forget to take care of ourselves, once we have a child. I think its great that we all put our children first, because we shouldn’t be selfish at this point. But that doesn’t mean we should just forget about the bond that us together as parents. We need this adult time together, we need to remember we love each other, we need to laugh, and we sometimes just need a drink.
