Dana Gutkowski
Latest posts by Dana Gutkowski (see all)
- How can I be a good aunt? - May 19, 2021
- Aunt Quotes - March 19, 2021
- End Your Silence. Support Black Lives Matter - June 29, 2020
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Being a long distance Aunt is hard on the heart sometimes. You don’t get to see your niblings as often as you’d like, the kids seem to grow up overnight from one visit to the next, and you feel like you miss out on just about everything! Being far away is just the pits!
Although the physical distance between you and your niblings might not be able to be shortened, there are little things that you can do between visits to help your relationship remain strong.
I was a long distance aunt for 9 years before my family returned to New York! It was so hard being away from my little shrimps. Sure, I’d call all the time, FaceTime for dinner, and visit as often as I could. However, there were little occasions like Valentine’s Day that I’d miss out on all the time. However, that didn’t stop me from celebrating with them!
Though our houses were located hundreds of miles away, our hearts lived as close as next door neighbors. I didn’t use the excuse, “I wish we were closer, but we live so far away.” Nope, I’ve made it my mission to be involved in their lives ever since my niece Layla was born in 2009. And it paid off! Now that they live 20 minutes away, I’m not a stranger building our relationship from the ground up. I’m one of their favorite people because I invested so much of my time making sure they got to know me for all these years.
One way of ways you can remain active in their lives is by using the mail!! I’d substitute time spent together with time spent sending them love!
In my book, Valentine’s Day is a day of love, not romance.
Here are 5 great ways to send love to your nieces and nephews this Valentine’s Day!
1.) Write them a love letter.
Money might be tight, but most can spare a few cents for a postage stamp. I go into detail about this in my post, How to write a letter from an Aunt in 5 Easy Steps. Take out a piece of paper and write down how much they mean to you. Pop it in an envelope and drop it in the mail.
Sending letters to your nieces and nephews creates lasting memories for them to refer back to for years to come! It’s one gift they’ll never outgrow! Need help? Get 3 FREE letter templates from me! Click here!
2.) Send Personalized Valentine’s Day Treats!
Sending something edible for your niblings to snack on for the holiday is a great way to satisfy their sweet tooth AND put a plus one in your column for favorite Aunt. There’s something for everyone. From chocolate covered brownies, Oreos, and sugar cookies!
Happy Valentine’s Day Heart Love Hearts Brownie
Valentine’s Day Heart Love Hearts Brownie
by The_Enchanted_Aunt
Valentine’s Day Love You Pig Time Chocolate Covered Oreo
Valentine’s Day Love You Pig Time Chocolate Covered Oreo
by The_Enchanted_Aunt
Dinosaur Valentine’s Day Funny Sugar Cookie
Dinosaur Valentine’s Day Funny Sugar Cookie
by The_Enchanted_Aunt
3.) Send a personalized Valentine from Santa Claus
Santa Postcard Valentine’s Day
by The_Enchanted_Aunt
Valentine’s Day For Kids Holiday Card
by The_Enchanted_Aunt
In my post, 13 Reasons Why I Play Santa, my number 2 reason was that I was a long distant Aunt.
I was racking my brain for a way to be able to do something special for my niece and nephews who were living 500 miles away. There was no chance I could just pop in on a random weeknight just to say hi or give a hug. That heartache was weighing heavily on my conscience.
I wanted to be able to do something for them that would enrich their lives. So I became their Santa and sent them monthly letters. I made them happy even from afar with a little help from St. Nick. This eased that pain that I was feeling in my heart and it brought them joy on a continuous basis. I eventually created North Pole Notes so others could do the same.
Playing Santa solved two problems. For one, it gave me an opportunity to do something special and unique for my niece and nephews. And two, it allowed the magic of Santa to be part of their lives all the time. He’s not as a once a year gift giver to them. He’s their pen pal that writes to them for motivation and to spread happiness!
4.) Send A Craft Kit
My niece and nephews LOVE to craft! They patiently sit down patiently and approach each project they take on with such precision. They often send me pictures of their completed projects or send them to me in the mail for me to decorate with. When they come to visit they enjoy seeing their artwork and crafts.
Kid Made Modern (affiliate link) has lot of fun craft kits to choose from! What I love about the craft kit is that you don’t have to go out and buy individual items to complete the craft. It’s one stop shopping and everything you need is right there in the box! My sister really appreciates when the kids get to do a project. It gives her a little quiet time and they love the immediate satisfaction of a completed craft!
Creativity for Kids Hide & Seek Rock Painting Kit – Arts & Crafts For Kids – Includes Rocks & Waterproof Paint
Alex Discover My Giant Busy Box Craft Kit Kids Art and Craft Activity
5.) Make Your Own Picture!
Drawing is sort of my thing, but I know it’s not everyone’s strong suit. My niece and nephews often ask me draw them a picture of their favorite characters and superheroes. We’ve gotten to the point now where I have to do a good job because they want them framed!
When we were still a long distance family, it would common for us to swap refrigerator art. The little sentiment goes a long way. If you’d like to test out sending a drawing to your nieces and nephews and need a good resource, I highly suggest Art for Kids Hub on YouTube.
This channel breaks down all the steps to drawing popular cartoon characters, to emojis and more! He does it all with his kids drawing with him! It’s a kid friend channel and fan favorite in my family. Now that we live close to each other, we can draw side by side together 🙂
I hope you got what you were looking for! There should a little something for everyone in here. If you’d like to get a free alphabet coloring book enter your email address below! Your niblings will love coloring and learning at the same time!!
