Holiday // Army Class Valentines for Boys + Free Printable

February 14, 2013

Boy Class Valentine Army Valentine Card Free Printable

My little Ezra is really excited to give all his little friends in his kindergarten class a little Valentine.

I love to give out non-candy class Valentine’s, because one, they get so much candy, and two there are so many kids with food allergies these days, it is nice to give out an allergy free class valentine.

We decided to give his little friends a little toy army guy on a card that says, “I am so glad we are in the same troop!”   He love this boy classroom valentine, and thought it was a lot of fun to give to his little friends.

To make the army valentine cards, you will need to download the army valentines by clicking here.
Please note that this free printable is for personal use only, please do not sell my printables or use my photos or alter them in anyway for monetary gain.

Please email me if this link isn’t working.

Print them off onto thick cardstock paper. (I chose kraft cardstock paper because I liked the look of it, but white is also fine!)

Non- Candy Valentine Idea
Valentine Class Valentine Non-Candy Valentine

After you download and print the card, cut them out.   Next, gather your army men, twine to tie them on, (or glue dots work).

Free Class Valentine Printable Boy Valentine

Tie on your little army man in the middle of the card, but punching two holes from the back, and stringing the twine through and tying it off.

This would also be fine to glue on with glue dots if you don’t want to tie them on!

Have your little one address them to their Valentines, and they are all set to pass them out to their little friends!

Enjoy!  Happy Valentines Day!

**This Valentine is for Personal Use only, please do not copy and sell my work.

{all photos by me, Caroline Armelle Drake}

kennecott + utah air quality …

February 13, 2013

Last week, myself and several other bloggers were invited by Kennecott to a lunch and learn.  We learned more about Rio Tinto’s Kennecott, and discussed that air quality problems in Utah, and potential solutions.

There were many things I learned about Kennecott that I didn’t know before, like Kennecott is the largest private economic driver in the state of Utah, and the mine has been a fixture in the Salt Lake Valley for the last 110 years.

I also learned that Kennecott is concerned about the environment around us, and for the people of Utah.  They have made some conscious decisions to build communities, (such as Daybreak) partner with the communities on projects like the natural history museum, and be an environmental steward in the community.

Kennecott has recently spent millions and millions of dollars upgrading their haul trucks to more efficient models.  They also shut down a lot of their production in the winter time to avoid adding to the pollution during the inversion times.

Unfortunately, Utah winters are a perfect storm for pollution and bad air quality.  The Salt Lake Valley is sandwiched between two mountain ranges, so when the warm air settles above Salt Lake in the winter, and the poor quality air comes in, it gets stuck in the valley making for some yucky air.  Somedays, you can’t even see the beautiful mountains Utah is known for.
So, what can we do?
I think this winter the inversion has been particularly bad, and we all want something done about it.  But, the fact is we all have environmental stewardship.  The main source of air pollution in Utah is us, small businesses, homes, commercial spaces, cars!  To learn more, visit the Kennecott air quality page.
So, hopefully we can each make small changes to help our community!
Now that I’ve gone over the deep stuff, have you ever been up to the Kennecott copper mine?  It is open April through October, weather permitting, and it is really a sight to see!  The Kennecott visitors center is also very informative and interesting.  My kids had a great time when we went last year!
 Can you believe that is just the tire that goes on their huge trucks?
It was very interesting to learn that it is the largest man-made hole in the world!
(Photos by me, and Kennecott)
*Disclosure:  I was compensated for my time and this post by Kennecott, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

a favorite green smoothie …

February 11, 2013

I love green smoothies!  Most mornings, I have a green smoothie for breakfast!  I love all of the different combinations you can do!

This is my current favorite green smoothie recipe!

Green Smoothie
2 kiwis, peeled
1 pear, quartered
1 green granny smith apple, quartered
1/2 of a cucumber, peeled
1 banana, preferably frozen
2 large handfuls of spinach
1 cup ice
1 cup rice milk
Place ingredients in a high powered blender and blend!  Drink up! To your health!
*If you do not have a high powered blender, then I would suggest that you cut up the ingredients small before blending, also half the recipe depending on how big your blender is.
Enjoy!