5 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day Weekend with littles near Orlando 2022

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for lovers! There are many people in our lives that we love differently- and of course that includes our little sour patch babies! Here are 5 ways to show our sweet & sour littles that we love them!

  1. Take them on a FREE Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt! Mead’s Botanical Garden in Winter Park is making it so simple! It’s this Saturday Feb 12 from 10am-noon. The weather is perfect to get some fresh air! LINK: Mead’s Scavenger Hunt
  2. You’ve never been THIS fancy at the farm! Lil’ Bit of Life in Mount Dora is hosting “Dessert in the Dirt” Farm tour Sunday Feb 13th. $17 per adult & $10 per child which includes the tour and a box of desserts! But HOLD UP, Adults will also get a complimentary glass of champagne! Sounds like fun for everyone! LINK: Dessert in the Dirt
  3. If you have a little Princesses at home, the Festival of Love Princess event is just for them! Sunday Feb 13th from 12-1:30 they can meet some of their favorite princesses, enjoy decorating cupcakes & cookies, have a dance party, do crafts and receive a Valentine gift from a princess! What a dream! Located in Casselberry at Tutu Tales Party Productions. Prices vary. LINK: Princess Party
  4. Have little night owls? What setting could be more fitting for them than the ZOO! Central Florida Zoo in Sanford is hosting a Kid’s Night Out Saturday Feb 12th from 6:30-10:00pm. Best part? It’s a DROP OFF event. You literally get to drop your little human animals off at the zoo and have the night off to be each other’s Valentine. They’ll be locked in a cage &– oh wait, no, they’ll play games, do crafts, eat snacks & be at the ZOO! It’s ONLY $30 per child ages 5-12yrs old which for 3hrs 30min of babysitting on a holiday is a pretty sweet deal. There is a discount for pass holders (yes, you will want an annual pass). LINK Zoo Drop Off
  5. What is cuter than taking your little Valentine to a Strawberry Festival? Saturday Feb 12th till 5pm enjoy Earth’s finest natural red candies in every form imaginable at the Atwood Family Farm! Parking & Admission are FREE, however if you’d like to pick strawberries and participate in some fun activities like the bouncy pad and pie eating contest you’ll want to bring some cash! Strawberry fields would be the perfect back drop to some adorable Valentine’s photos! LINK Strawberry Festival

If you’re unable to make it out of the house, because- well, you’re a parent, you know. Five additional ways to show you love them are:

  1. Throw a ball around in the backyard.
  2. Give them a bear hug and tell them you love them.
  3. Make a fort in the living room with dining room chairs & blankets and read them the book I’ll love you forever. Warning: YOU WILL CRY. LINK I’ll Love You Forever Book
  4. Make cookies together. Here’s an easy recipe for red velvet crinkles that don’t require decorating with icing because I’m guessing if you didn’t make it out of the house, it may not be a day to deal with icing… Red Velvet Crinkles
  5. Turn up so tunes on youtube & have your own living room dance party! Maybe throw a slow one on and get a precious video of a father daughter dance or Mommy & son dance — or “whatever precious combination is at your home” dance.

At the end of the day, what will make your littles feel most loved is YOU being patient, kind & loving toward them. It’s not about how loving we look in an IG post, it’s about showing our kids every day that we will always love them no matter what. Don’t sweat the details of the day, just enjoy each other.

Tell me below if you tried one of the 5 events in the Orlando area! Which one did you do & how did it go? What was your favorite part of the day?

Journey to the Sunshine State & Motherhood.

Hello & Bievenue! I am the Sunshine Mama, and here’s a little about myself in case we’re not already friends.

I moved to the Orlando area December of 2017. My husband and I drove from Los Angeles, to Oregon, to Florida with everything that we owned crammed into our truck and started our life here from scratch. Neither one of us grew up in America.

I grew up a U.S. citizen on an American military base in Okinawa, Japan. Although Korean American I didn’t live in the U.S. till I was 21yrs old. My husband is a French speaking hottie from Bastogne, Belgium. Pretty neat that we’re a pair if you’re a WWII history buff. We met doing humanitarian work back in 2011 and have traveled to 20 countries together within the first four years! It’s an understatement to say that we love to travel & experience all cultures. Realizing there was no adventure we wouldn’t love to do side by side, we decided to get married in 2013. Marriage itself is an adventure, but starting a family is a whole other level!

One year after we moved to Oviedo (in 2018) we found out that we were pregnant with our first baby girl. She was born on her due date September 2, 2019 which literally was Labor Day. Six months later the covid lockdowns began in March 2020, and then shortly after that we were surprised to be expecting our second baby! He came on a hot sunny Saturday in July 2021. And now he’s six month old! Having two babies 22m apart during a worldwide pandemic with both our families an ocean away was not exactly the plan- but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Ok, maybe not the pandemic part… or not having family around… but the only way to live life to the fullest is with an attitude of gratitude, and there are many reasons I am very grateful to be a mom in Orlando for such a time as this.

It’s been a wild transition from spontaneous extrovert bouncing from country to country on a mission to spreading love & feeding the hungry- to being a SAHM, breastfeeding every 3hrs, working nights serving food to the hangry & trying to make mom friends & set up playdates 6 feet apart. This blog is a way for me to process the dramatic transition of living one life and the birth of not only of my children, but of myself as a mom.

My hope is that this blog becomes a comfort to other moms who feel lost, anxious, exhausted, and stressed. I knew ZIP about babies before having one. Heck- I WAS a baby with a baby lookin around for the adult in charge. There was a LOT to learn, heal, process, research– and I’m hoping by sharing hacks, tips & tricks of what I’ve learned I can make it a little easier on your baby’s development and YOUR physical, emotional, mental & spiritual development as a mama.

Orlando is also such a family friendly area if you go to the right places. Now as a mama with a toddler & a baby I care about an entirely new criteria centered around safety, convenience, cleanliness, accessibility, & friendliness that I never noticed before kids. I’ll be sharing the best places to eat, play & rest around Greater Orlando with your kiddos. In addition, I’ll also be intentional to draw attention to small businesses, especially ones owned by moms.

Hopefully you feel more like a friend now and I look forward to growing our friendship through this blog- and maybe a coffee date sometime if you’re in the area! Find me on IG, FB & Pinterest and let’s keep in touch.

Comment below how we’re alike! Do you love travel? International marriage? Have you spent time doing humanitarian work? Did you become a mom during the pandemic? No family around? New to Orlando? Tell me below!