Ah Valentines Day… When I was single my friend Telicia and I used to call it S.A.D (Singles Awareness Day)… We would sit around all sad that we didn’t have a special “Valentine” to spend the day with… WE DID, HOWEVER… We had each other and our other friends, we were just too focussed on the idea of a romantic relationship (aren’t all 20 somethings?)… What I wish we would have done is taken our single, no responsibility selves out and LOVED on those less fortunate… I can’t go back in time, but I can instill this value in my boys and that is what I hope the Love Jar does… It’s a new tradition for our family, but I hope to continue it for years to come changing the jobs to fit the stages of life we are in… OK so here is the idea: I thought of 14 LOVE JOBS. I tried to think of jobs that were appropriate, yet meaningful for a 3 and 4 year old. There are so many Love Jobs I would have liked to do like serving at a soup kitchen or passing out granola bars to the homeless, but I am going to save those jobs for when the boys are a tiny bit older. So I thought of 14 jobs, one for days 1-14 in February. I typed up each of the jobs and cut them in little strips. I put them in our “LOVE JAR” and each day we are going to choose one “LOVE JOB” out of the jar and complete it. I really hope that it is one more step towards teaching my boys to have giving hearts!
OUR LOVE JOBS FOR 2010:
* Call someone you care about and tell them why they are special!
* Fill a grocery bag with food items from our pantry and deliver it to a food shelf!
* Make a list of three people you will pray for each night this week!
* Make a picture for Michele (our World Vision kid) and mail it to him!
* Find one toy of your own that you would like to give to a child who may not have many of their own.
* Choose one book from your collection that you would like to give away to a child who may not have many of their own.
* Bring an apple to your teacher and tell her you appreciate her.
* Make cookies or cupcakes for a neighbor!
* Help make a meal for some friends. Invite them over to enjoy it with us or help deliver it to their house!
* Draw a picture for a friend or family member, deliver it or mail it to them!
* Take some money from your piggy bank and give to the children’s offering at church.
* Pick up trash that is on the ground in our neighborhood.
* Fill a bag with new school supplies and drop them off at a local elementary school for students who may have run out and don’t have money to buy new supplies.
* Spend time together as a family discussing our many blessings.
mommyapolis 
Great idea! Oh, and I laughed so hard the S.A.D. that you and T celebrated! Good times!
Great idea Shannon! Can you/are you willing to share what was on your list of 14 Love Jobs. I would love to see the list!
Katie, I added the list! THANKS For asking!
Shannon, I love this idea and pretty much all of the ideas on this website!
This is a fantastic idea; and I would like to make it a tradition in our house, too (Liliana will be old enough next year).