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5 unexpected Valentine's gifts
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Christmas is over and Valentine's Day is right around the corner! It's time to start thinking about the perfect gift for that special someone. Here are 5 fun, thoughtful, and unexpected gifts that will wow your spouse or loved one. - photo by Steph Javid
Christmas is over and Valentines Day is right around the corner! It's time to start thinking about the perfect gift for that special someone. While I would never personally turn up my nose to a bouquet of beautiful roses or a box of chocolates, these ideas go the extra mile to show your love.

1. Love letters book

For our 2nd anniversary, my husband put together a book of all the letters, emails, and Gmail chat conversations we had and put them into a book.

They were easy to gather as our email accounts saved everything. Not all of them were love letters either, some were just silly, meaningless conversations that made me laugh out loud! This compilation totally brought back the carefree and happy feelings of being young and in love. It was a totally unexpected and an AWESOME present!

There are a lot of websites out there to help you create books, so Google your price range and get to work on creating a wonderful memory for you, your spouse, and your kids who will eventually love to read it too!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153396719508137&set=pcb.10153396721208137&type=3&theater

2. Dating brochure

The Christmas before we started dating exclusively, I made my boyfriend a date brochure featuring dates with me! I picked an "intellectual date" to the art museum, a "sporty date" of skiing in the mountains, and a "mystery date."

Under each date, I gave him descriptions of what each date would entail. He totally loved it! And it gave us something to look forward to in the months ahead.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153396719538137&set=pcb.10153396721208137&type=3&theater

3. Spot the difference book

My husband created a book for me where you had to spot the difference between two of the same pictures. This was HILARIOUS!

He would make his nose HUGE, change the color of a sign, or remove jewelry. Some of them were tricky, but thats what made it so fun! You can use old or recent photos and have fun Photoshopping, or just use any photo editing software, to add minor differences for a major good time. Just make sure to include an answer key at the back of the book. (As an added benefit, my kids now use the book in church.)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153396719533137&set=pcb.10153396721208137&type=3&theater

4. Apartment cruise

My husband and I went on a cruise for our honeymoon. When we got home (aka back to reality as poor, young college students) we realized that we wouldn't be able to go on a cruise again for a long time. So we decided to create "apartment cruises."

We would take turns planning the evening. We would prepare "spa night" in our bathrobes, and face masks (my husband is a good sport). We would also do "fruit carving," where we attempted to make amazing creations like they did on our cruise. And one time we even set up a "zip line excursion" through our house (this consisted of an excessive amount of yarn, willingness to jump off furniture, and a lot of creativity and imagination).

With the same bit of imagination and creativity, you too can recreate a special night/activity in your home while your kids are sleeping.

https://www.facebook.com/maplelawn/photos/a.10150244204468771.340304.88518663770/10153743084583771/?type=3&theater

5. Chocolate tasting

I saw this online awhile back and have wanted to try because I love (LOVE) chocolate in all forms. If you do too, then this will be a winner!

Instead of just bringing home a box of chocolate for Valentine s Day, make it a little more interesting. Buy a variety of chocolate bars- white, dark, milk, extra dark, fruity, with nuts, caramel, etc. Buy some that you know your spouse will love, and then get adventurous on the rest.

Make a basic chart labeling each chocolate bar or you can go here for more ideas on how to make it a little fancier. Look up some lingo on how this one has "a fruity aroma" or this one has a "floral" undertone. It makes you sound sophisticated.

Now get to work to create that special, thoughtful, unexpected gift to show your special person how much you care.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153396719503137&set=pcb.10153396721208137&type=3&theater
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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