Hey Guys (and Kiddos)...Do THIS Not THAT For Mother's Day...

Okay, okay, okay.......

I know what y'all are thinking.

You're telling yourself "It's the thought that counts."

or "My wife/mom isn't like that." 

or "She doesn't like us to fuss/spend/make stuff."

But the best one is "She already knows we love her."

Ummmm.......yeah. RIGHT.  Let's go with that.

Or not.  DEFINITELY not! :)

But we can have a little fun with this, so let's get started.

Anyway, I'm gonna help you navigate the tricky waters known as Mother's Day.

Ready for this???

  Okay, in no particular order, we will look at traditional (#old and #boring) ideas,

 and then we'll tweak them a bit to make mama happy.  

Ready?  Let's DO this.......

1.  Breakfast in Bed.

Who doesn't like Breakfast in Bed?  Just remember this.......

NO mom will enjoy breakfast in bed if Junior sticks his hand in the toaster, 

and the dog pees on the floor cause no one took him out.  And if she walks out to 

a kitchen wth syrup dripping from the ceiling and sticky juice on the floor, it's pretty much worthless.  Save yourself the trouble. 

SOLUTION:   If you are gonna do breakfast in bed, do it RIGHT! 

Keep it simple.......some fruit cut up and placed in a pretty bowl, coffee just the way she likes it,

and some sort of toast/pastry/scone.  (*Hint:  buy this the night before;)  

* *Bonus points for a simple flower in a vase on the tray.  And it's a perfect time for a few handmade cards for her to read while sipping java.

You can do more...but clean it up!  And no screaming and fighting in the kitchen.

This makes mom nervous.

2.  Gift Certificates/Gift Cards

These are great gifts.  A relaxing spa gift card. Shopping at her favorite store.

But your job does not end at buying the gift card boys.

Yes, you are telling her to splurge.  Treat herself.  Have fun. Enjoy!

But you have to BABYSIT!!!!!  Or arrange for a sitter.  And make sure sanity reigns at home.

(Meaning she doesn't get all chilled out and happy, only to come home to a house thats been destroyed, babies crying for mama, and a sitter or daddy who is ready to blow.

Not cool.  Give her the whole package.  Please do this.  I can't tell you how many times my husband gave me a spa day to go with my best friend (who was also my baby sitter at the time), only to be too busy to babysit.  And a note about gift cards.  Tell her to buy whatever she wants with one condition.  Show and Tell when she gets home.  Because I promise you,

there are MANY moms who will end up buying for you, the kids or the house. 

I still do that sometimes.  THEY need the treat, okay?

3.  Mom's Day Off

Let's see how this works.

If you give her this ON Mother's Day, she'll be happy but really, this won't work.

Why?  Think about it.  Here is what her day will be like.......

(and I'm assuming Mom goes to church, but even if she doesn't, it may be similar).

You: "Honey, you are not to do a THING toady"

Her:  Well alrighty then.  I can do that!  Think I'll hop in the shower.

And when she comes out, all fresh and pretty, ready to go........

The kiddos still aren't dressed.  NO WORRIES.......she wants to help her babies, right?

You finally get to church and when you get home, YIKES!  Did anyone take the dogs out before we left?  GUESS NOT!  

Her: Hahahaha it's okay.  I love you anyway!!!

As the day goes on, little things remain undone.  Dinnertime?  Clean up again!

And don't forget if the kids have homework, git r done!!! And pack those backpacks for Monday:)  See my point?  If you are gonna give mom a day off, then do it right!  

Cover all the bases OR better yet, let her get away with a friend for the day and maybe night.

Girl time, Relaxing time........and home comes a HAPPY Mommy who missed her family and can't wait to jump in there and take care of her family.  Hopefully!

Give her a day off:)

4.  Chocolates and Flowers

Hey.......you really took the easy way out.  

If the kids did this, okay.  But Dad.......come on.

IF you are giving sweets, please make sure she likes them and/or even WANTS them.  If she's trying to get in shape, then what the heck are you thinking?

UNLESS.......you give her a box of THESE chocolates:)

Adorable!!!

And flowers.......as a mom I used to hate if my husband ordered expensive flowers at a florist.

Get them at Costco or something.  Beautiful and not so pricey.  And give her the rest of the $$$$$ if you FEEL cheap.  But that isn't necessary, since it's not about how much money in the end.

Even worse though is giving her a bouquet of super thorny roses, so she can sit and trim them all morning.  Please, buy trimmed flowers or do it yourself. Or buy flowers she can plant outside if she likes gardening.  There are many ways to make mom feel special.  One time (and I believe ONLY one time LOL) my husband taped messages of love all over the house and pics the girls drew for me.  (They were young)  

* * * * * BEST gift ever!

5.  You know those commercials for a pricey necklace to celebrate "MOM"?

Save yourself the trouble, dude.

Chances are she won't like/want that generic piece of jewelry.

If you want to splurge, go for it. IF as a family you can afford it, and only if !

But seriously, ask her what she might like, or buy her something awesome that celebrates HER as a MOM and HER family and is something more to her taste.  Personalize it!  Etsy has great gifts for this.

6.  Perfume

When you go shopping and the salesperson wants to show you their new fragrance but you really came for her all-time favorite, BE FIRM.  Buy her favorite and ask for a sample of the new one.  No surprises.......it's her fav for a reason, okay?  

Here's my favorite.........Michael by Michael Kors;)

7.  Lingerie

Here is my tip from most of the moms I have ever know.  

SKIP THE LINGERIE!

Chances are, what you think she wants isn't what she wants.  If you have young children, she needs something she can hop out of bed at 3 in the morning to soothe a nightmare or doctor a sick child.  

Now, what you CAN do is get her a super comfy yet super cute pair of PJ'S.  

(Notice I now call them PJ'S.  THIS is what a mommy wears, so deal with it;)

Just check her size before you go and make sure there is a good return policy, just in case.

Remember......CUTE/PRETTY/COMFY are the key words here.

8.  A Clean House

You and the kids can do this yourselves OR you can hire a maid service to come in and deep clean the house for her. Personally, I would love this.  

But I have this weird habit when on the rare occasion someone is coming to clean my house.

I nearly kill myself the night or morning before they arrive cleaning the house.

YES, the house you paid them to clean.

Because I don't want some stranger to think I am a gross hoarding slob.

Or I didn't raise my girls to clean up after themselves.

I'm serious.  AND,  I am not alone here.

So as part of the package, YOU go around and make sure the things that SHOULD be put away are.  I'm not saying you have to clean.......just pick up.  Straighten things.  

Fluff and Buff a little.  She's gonna LOVE you for this gift if you do it right:)

9.  Family Photo Book

Chances are, she's your family photographer and/or photo organizer/scrapbooker/photo book maker.  This one is MUCH easier than you think.  Shuuterfly, Apple, Snapfish, Mixbook.......

even your local Target or Walgreens. 

You or the kiddos could gather your favorite photos (or drawings), no rhyme or reason necessary, and make a photo book for mom.  This is always a hit.

10.  Family Fun Day

This is always FUN!  A day at the beach, on the boat, at the park, at a ballgame........

just remember that if everyone pitches in 

(and I bet mom will too if everyone is on their best behavior)

it'll be an AWESOME day for everyone and nothing will make Mama happier:)

Tips and Tricks:

~when in doubt, ask her friends, her mom (yes, she may know her little girl better than you think) even your children.  

Hey........when it comes to things like favorite color, favorite music/movies, stuff like that............

my girls have always known me WAY better than my husband:)  Just sayin.......

~if you are determined to give her "gifts" to open, but you are not a shopper........

do what my nephew did this past Christmas.  He let my girls and I shop for his wife.

I think even she appreciated it.  But even if it wasn't perfect, he/we tried. 

All that counts:)

~Just because you golf. Or play tennis.  Or throw horseshoes........

don't assume she wants to.  And in fact, just because you don't get her love of knitting, or refinishing furniture, or anything crafty/diy..........let her do HER thing sometimes while YOU watch the kids.  Kind of like she does when you pursue your hobbies.

Support her.........like our friend from The Notebook!

Bottom line here is this;

If your're buying her a gift, make it something she will LOVE.

If you are giving her a gift that involves just "mommy time", give her the whole package.

And remember, MOST moms don't care what you spend.

And they TRULY LOVE handmade gifts from their babies.  

And they really don't ask for much.

Just go out of your way to make her feel special and appreciated on Mother's day.

Do your BEST!

Next time I have a few COOL and unique gift ideas:)

XOXO