The Super-Post of February

What is this? A post two days in a row?

Well, I'm just dying to get caught up after the crazy holiday rush of February. Stay with me on this doozie!

February is my 10th favorite month, so, not good. But it is not the worst.

1. MAY (the trees and flowers bloom in honor of my daughter's birthday, my birthday, and four siblings'/sib-in-laws' birthdays)

2. JUNE (summer!)

3. JULY (summer + fireworks)

4. AUGUST (I am finally warm in my bones)

5. APRIL (winter really is over)

6. MARCH (winter is really almost over + memories of flying kites)

7. SEPTEMBER (everything is still green and leafy but a few leaves begin to turn)

8. NOVEMBER (Thanksgiving + Christmas decorations go up)

9. DECEMBER (Christmas)

10. FEBRUARY (Groundhog Day + Leap Year)

11. OCTOBER (I get sad that there will be no more warm days until spring)

12. JANUARY (January holds no redeeming qualities, and the only holiday is the day I wish I hadn't stayed up so late the night before)

But back to February.

We have celebrated Groundhog Day...

Brownie the Groundhog: brownie, frosting, chocolate chips, almond, cashew halves, powdered sugar, green sprinkles

and the Super Bowl...

TOUCHDOWN!

Don't use frosting! Use whipped strawberry cream cheese and fold in some Cool Whip!

and we are gearing up for a holiday on which I have been massaged, bored, depressed, stood up (as in on a date--can you believe that!), sugar-highed, and romanced over the years: Valentine's Day. 

But in Finland, it is Friendship Day, and that is my favorite way to celebrate it. On Valentine's Day, I will show you friends the valentine my daughter made!

Quick! Make sure you have these pro-love books ready for Valentine's Day:

Best for 3 & up (but appeals to all audiences) :

I Love You More [click the title to learn more about Duksta & Keesler, aka "The Bald Chick and the Hippie"] (2009) written by Laura Duksta, illustrated by Karen Keesler

Read this sweet and poetic testament of love between mother and son, and then flip it upside-down and backward and read more! Flip story! Need I say more?

 Best for everyone:

Pooh Loves (2010) uses the classic Pooh illustrations (my favorite) to show what things Pooh loves. I'll bet you love those things, too.

Best for grown-ups who love cartoons and hugs (but appeals to all audiences):

Hug Time [click on the title and see the author reading it on YouTube] (2007) Patrick McDonnel, the well-known cartoonist of the Mutt series, tells how a kitten makes the world better with hugs, and how we can, too. Amazon recommends this for ages 4-8, but I say that children ages 2 & up will get the concept, and all ages will enjoy it.

Best board book for babies:

Peek-A-Love (2010) by Salina Yoon just came out in December and it is adorable! Bright, basic pictures with reveal what the bee, the butterfly, and other creatures love behind large flaps. Curious babies who grasp can move the flaps down with help. I recommend it for a speedy, cuddly read.

What are your picks for lovey-dovey reads?