J Otto Seibold's Olive, My Love contains all the best things about the holiday... Love, hearts, friendship, adventure, chocolates and dogs. Such a fun Valentine's Day book we had to mention it twice!

Read more about this fun Valentine's Day story here. Happy Valentine's Day!

My 3 year old daughter fancies herself a chalk artist of the sidewalk variety. And although she has this fabulous double-sided easel she prefers sketching on the ground. Unfortunately, the rainy weather has kept her from Mary Poppins-ing the heck out of our sidewalk.

Being the mom of a 10 year old Guitar Hero World Tour rock god I really appreciate and love this guitar-shaped Valentine's Day card tutorial from Zakka Life's Kawaii Crafter. Nothing could be cooler and easier to put together thanks to the directions and printable template. Grab a bag of heart lollipops, turn up the iPod, print and rock out a batch of these babies.

Happy Groundhog Day to you! As you may or may not know (or care) the rodent has spoken and it's six more weeks of winter...Oh joy. Yup, good ol' Punxsutawney Phi (via text) has made his yearly prediction. A silly American tradition yet a tradition none the less.

We love kindie rockers Gustafer Yellowgold. Their music delivers the goods on so many levels and on stage they are a whole 'nother level of awesomeness...A musical experience parents can truly enjoy along with their children. And the best news is they are coming back to the West Coast!

Uber-talented, super crafty mama Chey Townsend, the woman responsible for this recon tot dress from men's shirt tutorial (awesome) has shared with Otterhop a fun Valentine's Day banner to make with your toddlers. She came up with the idea when she saw a banner her friend's kids had put together using a kit purchased at a chain store and immediately got to work on a homemade version to do with her own kids.

Aubrey from The Mother Huddle has shared her idea for making Valentine's Day lacing cards. This is a really great activity for toddlers because it hits some important developmental skills.

I'm not one for baking with over processed commercial products. However, that doesn't stop me for borrowing an idea or two from their sites. And who'da thunk that Betty Crocker would be queen of birthday cake ideas? Ok, ok, ok...you're probably thinking "Um, duh, how about anyone who has ever "homemade" a cake from one her boxes and cans?" But seriously, I was blown away by the site's awesome collection of birthday cake tutorials.

Coming off weeks of hype leading up to Apple's newly unveiled iPad, some tech-minded parents and pundits believe the new "magical" touchscreen tablet could have appeal for kids in an educational context. Textbooks on-demand, homeschooling apps, word processing, art and learning tools; the form and function is near perfect, and portable. And at $499, it's a real alternative to a notebook or desktop.

Recycling runty loser crayons into fun-shaped shiny new ones is always a great project to do with the kids when you're feeling like they could use a little lesson in conservation. And there are many ways to do it. When we upcycle our crayons we almost always use the microwave or stove top methods.