Summer Snail Mail: Why Your Kids Should Write Letters

I absolutely love to receive mail... in fact I get excited every time I see the postal delivery truck at the end of my driveway!  I also love to send mail and I'm doing my best to pass that joy on to my kids.  For as long as I can remember, I've tasked them with writing letters in the summer time.  Here's are my top reasons why this is a great practice for children...

Keep those writing skills up

Letter writing is a fun way to keep up their handwriting, spelling, grammar and creativity.  All those skills they use in school can easily fade during the summer months and writing a letter keeps them in practice.  Before my kids could write, I had them draw pictures to mail to others.  Whatever their skill level, put it to use.

Be a blessing to friends and family

My kids have three great grandparents who are still living and they are all out of state.  They are always thrilled to get a letter from the kids.  We also write to other relatives near and far, as well as friends.  My daughter actually has a friend from preschool who moved away several years ago... they still exchange letters now and then and it's so fun to see that friendship endure through elementary school.

Give and you will recieve

Once you start mailing letters out... you'll see letters start to come back to you!  It's a joy when the recipients of our letters return the favor.  My children are always overjoyed to see something addressed to them in our mailbox.

Preserve a charming part of the past

I love to text as much as the next person, but you can never replace the delight of a handwritten note.  In a world of "LOL" I want my kids to know how to write someone a meaningful letter or card.  Our summer letters are my way of keeping the fading tradition of snail mail alive in our family and for others. 

I encourage you to pick up some stamps, print out some addresses of those you love, and get your kids writing.  They'll soon be racing to the mailbox awaiting those sweet replies!

With Love From Loveland: Add a Special Touch to Your Valentine's Day Mail

I love me some snail mail.  I truly get excited to check my mailbox each and every day.  I consider it a little box at the end of my driveway where on any given day a fun surprise could show up.  I'm not even kidding.  The way to my heart is through the United States Postal Service.

I love sending mail as much as I enjoy receiving it.  Each Valentine's Day since I became a mother (which was February 15th, 2007 after a very long Valentine's Day spent in labor) I've sent family and friends Valentine's photo cards of my kids... with a special twist.   It's a Colorado thing, but no matter where you live, you can participate!  It's the Loveland Valentine Re-mailing Program.

Since 1947, volunteers in "The Sweetheart City" have hand-stamped a special Valentine's Day message on cards sent in to the program.  It's so easy and free!  You just prepare your cards to be mailed normally.  Then put all your stamped, addressed cards in a big envelope and mail it to:

Postmaster - Attention Valentines

       446 E. 29th St.

       Loveland, CO 80538-9998

Volunteers will add a special Valentine's greeting (new every year) with a rubber stamp by hand and you'll have the unique Loveland postmark.  It's just too cute!  I always include one addressed to us so that we can see how they arrive.

The deadline for US destinations is February 7th.  So with a little extra planning, you can add some flair to your love letters and Valentine's greetings.  If you live in Colorado, you can drop them in designated bins at any King Soopers store and they will get them to Loveland with no need to put them all in a bigger envelope.

You can find all the details here.  What a fun way to brighten someone's mailbox, right?