Not really sure why the month that spotlights all-things love and kisses and hearts is the shortest month of the year, but that just means you’ll have to be even more intentional to squeeze in all the family fun you can think of in just 28 days. Find a way to create enough warm memories to overcome the frigid temps the Boro has experienced and pack in some positively perfect family fun in February.
Try some of the wild, but actual, celebrations below or make up some unique family ones for the month of February.
National Hot Breakfast Month — Work together in the kitchen to make these Pepperoni and Cheese Swirls for a delicious, hot breakfast treat. Unroll a can of refrigerated breadsticks and separate into 12 breadsticks. Cut slices of pepperoni into four pieces, like pie-shaped wedges. Lay the pepperoni wedges on top of one breadstick from end to end, but leave the very edges of dough uncovered. Peel string-cheese into thin strips and lay strips end to end on top of the pepperoni. Starting at one end of the breadstick, roll the dough into a coil, pinching the end to the dough to help it stayed coiled. Carefully place the swirl on a lightly-greased baking sheet. Repeat the process with all 12 breadsticks, placing them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the swirls with a beaten egg. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and basil on top of each swirl. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned. Enjoy!
Umbrella Day — Have umbrellas ready for each family member, and on a rainy day that’s not too chilly, pop open the dome-shaped protectors and go for a wet walk outside. Jump in puddles with galoshes and watch the rain bounce off limbs and leaves. Once you’re back inside and dried off, read some rainy-day picture books, like, "Rain," by Linda Ashman, "Who Likes Rain," by Wong Herbert Yee or "Tap Tap Boom Boom," by Elizabeth Bluemle.
Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day — Speaking of rain, the classic scene with Gene Kelly in the movie "Singing in the Rain" was often purported to have used milk in the filming so that the "raindrops" would show up better in the film. Supposedly, however, that’s just a myth –— no milk was spilled, and it was instead a cinematic affect of backlighting. Celebrate no spilling of milk that day and keep your own milk safely in a glass. For fun, add a few drops of red food coloring in the glass to turn the milk pink, just to get in a Valentine’s mood, and then watch the classic movie together and sip some unspilled milk.
Valentine’s Day — Make some fun, heart-shaped flowers to celebrate the day. Use a medium-sized cookie cutter to make heart patterns on pink, purple and red construction paper. You’ll need four hearts for each flower. Cut out the shapes and fold them in half vertically, matching curves. Unfold, then glue one-half of one heart shape to one-half of another heart shape. Continue until you’ve glued all four hearts in place, to resemble somewhat of a tulip shape. Tuck a green pipe cleaner for the stem in-between the last two heart pieces that you glue together, holding tight until the glue dries. When the glue is completely dry, arrange several flowers in a vase and add the vase to the dining room table for a centerpiece.
Love Your Pet Day — Give your furry or feathered friends lots of attention and affection this month, like always, and then play a fun game with the family. Together, brainstorm pets or possible pets from A to Z. Write each name on a slip of paper and place the papers in a basket. Take turns selecting a paper and acting out the animal, using no words, but sounds are acceptable. The first person to guess the animal is the winner. Give two points to the person that guesses the right animal and one point to the charade "artist" for excellent acting skills. Count up the points at the end of the game to crown a winner! That person gets to skip pet poo-patrol for the remainder of the month!
Be intentional this month to make incredible family memories. Find a way to make every day a holiday in February.
Statesboro native Julie Bland Lavender is married to David Lavender and enjoys celebrating with children Jeremy, Jenifer, Jeb Daniel and Jessica.