Mother's Day

Me with my wonderful Mother.

As I'm sure you already know, Mother's Day is this Sunday, the 13th (If you didn't know this, then you better mark your calendar!).  In honor of this, I thought I'd blog a little bit about my own Mother and how great she is.

My mom is one of my favorite people :) She is so kind, caring, sweet, loving, and full of great advice.  She is always looking out for me.  I love that I can call anytime of day and she is always willing just to chat with me.  Sometimes I make up excuses for why I've called, but really I just miss her and want to chat, about nothing in particular. 

 I am so thankful for all the sacrifices she has made for me (which are quite a few).  She never ceases to amaze me with the service she gives to me and my family, as well as others around her.  

She is also so much fun to hang out with.  I really feel that now she is just one of my best friends.  Growing up at home I always loved to go anywhere with her, and actually whenever we visit I still love to just tag along on errands.  

My mom is such an honest person and I love that about her!  If I want a real opinion I know to ask my mom.  This is why she is such a great person to go clothing shopping with-I know I won't walk out of the store with something ugly.  

I sure wish my Mom lived closer so I could see her more often (maybe one day).  I hope she knows how much I truly do lover her, admire her, and hope I can be just like her one day!

Well, I could go on and on, but for now we'll leave it at that :)

Mother's Day is such a great time to reflect on how wonderful our own Mother's are, and also all the other Mother's in our life.  I'm also so grateful for wonderful Grandmothers who raised so many of our great Mothers!  There are also many women out there who may not have children yet, but in my opinion are still Mothers.  I have a few very special women in my life who are not official Mother's yet, but they are in my book!  They have every quality of a perfect Mom and they love and care for their families as if they are their own children.  I'm so grateful for these women in my life and the great example they are to me.

So, don't forget to call your Mom this Sunday and tell her how amazing she is.  And for you guys out there, don't forget to spoil your wife this Mother's Day :)

Just in case your stumped on what to do/get for your wife or Mom this Mother's Day, here are a few ideas:

• Breakfast in bed.  Pretty traditional, but lets be honest, how often do we actually do this?
• Clean up and organize the house Saturday!  That way she can relax in a clean, orderly house on Sunday.
• Cook for her all day, and do the dishes<---I'm excited for this one, because my husband cooks wonderful dinners!  He HATES doing the dishes, but I know he will because he is that kind of guy
• A list of reasons why you love her and/or why she is such a great Mother.  Have the kids make one too!
• Pictures of the grandkids.  For my Mom, nothing is better than pictures of her grandkids.
• A thoughtful card in the mail.  Sometimes a simple card means a lot more than you think.
• A simple gift that she isn't suspecting.  My husband is great at this.  I will sometimes mention things that I'd like, or would be nice to have (not intending to actually buy them) and sometimes he'll surprise me with them--guess he pays closer attention than I thought :) 
• A day of relaxation!  I told my husband what I really want for Mother's Day is to sleep in (as much as I can, with 9am church), and have him get our son all ready for church.  
• Back massage.  Really, who wouldn't want this?!
• Frame a family picture, or one of her with the kids.  Write all the reasons why she is great Mom.  This would work for your Mother or wife, or both!  It'd also be really neat to have a 4 generation (or more) picture if you have it and do this--->you, your kid(s), your Mother, Grandmother, etc.

• A gift basket that represents your relationship with her, or things she loves.  It could be filled with thing such as: A picture of a fun memory with her, her favorite candy or treat, an apron (if she loves to cook), a gift card to her favorite store, or a gift card for her to go do something fun/her favorite hobby--groupon often has great deals on fun stuff! (Ask me for more info about signing up for Groupon!)
• A pampering gift basket: nail polish, nail file, face mask (can be found for $1 at Walmart!), lotion (preferably a great smelling one from say, Bath and Body Works), candle, foot/hand scrub, perfume, bubble bath, rice heat pack, and her favorite magazine to read while she relaxes.
• If you have young kids, they could make a cute coupon book with lots of fun, inexpensive coupons for mom such as: free hug/kiss, day free from whining/complaining, free night out with them (I would LOVE if one of my kids came up to me one day and gave me this coupon-whats better than knowing that your child want to hang out with you), movie night in of her choice, coupon for doing the dishes, washing the car, etc. Let your imagination run wild and I'm sure you'll think of other great coupons.
• Apron with the kids handprints on it.
• Pretty much anything homemade form the kids will mean a lot to any Mom!
• A night all to herself--this may mean a date night, letting her go out with her girlfriends, or just out by herself for some alone time.  Mother's Day is a great day to let your wife relax, but every wife could use another peaceful night. 

I hope this gets your creative juices flowing on inexpensive and thoughtful things to do for the Mother(s) in your life.  Have a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!