Ignore the multimillion dollar ad campaigns for pearls, diamonds and designer bags. Forget the store bought roses, scarves and candy. Don't fret that Mother's Day is only a couple of days away and neither you nor the kids have bought anything. This year the very best gift anyone can give Mom isn't something bought at the mall or gift-wrapped. The very best gift of all is right under your very roof.
Make Mom dinner.
Figure out the menu, buy the groceries, organic when possible, and cook from scratch. Engage the kids in the kitchen and let them be an integral part of preparing this special meal.
Set the table with love by adding a budding branch found outside or pick a family heirloom found in the cabinet ... something unique that reminds you of Mom, something that can be the centerpiece of the table and the conversation. Or perhaps find a fun and different location for dinner -- a picnic in the backyard or on the living room floor. Hey maybe even dust off that dining room you rarely use!
Then sit down, as a family, with phones and TV screens turned off. And talk. Tell stories about your parents, grandparents and far-off uncles. Play a fun verbal game or two like "what I like about you" or "mom's special talent is..." Give Mom the perfect gift of "purposely being a family."
And to top it all off, yup - you guessed it, clean up, too!
Anyone and everyone can give Mom the gift of a memorable family dinner. Whip-up some dinner omelets (try tossing in chopped kale and red onions) or use your cookie cutters to make heart shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Great meals make great memories and she will remember this one (and so will you) long after the store bought gift has been forgotten. Because on top of all the benefits of family dinner, it spreads love too!
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Make Mom dinner. "
I tried that once. Bad news and good news.
Bad news: Shuttling Mom and the dinner guests to the ER , for gastric lavage.
Good news: I got frequent flyer miles for paying for it all on my credit card.
Like many moms, I spent almost every waking moment doing household chores ... so my idea of a wonderful day was doing something fun OUTSIDE the house. We spent many a Mother's Day playing miniature golf or going to the park ...followed by a nice buffet where someone else got to supervise and clean up the mess. Everybody ended up with a happy memory and with a smile on their face- not just mom.
P.S. Why you threw the sports comment is beyond me.
My sister and I are scrambling for ideas. We don't have a lot of money (poor college students), so I was thinking a whole weekend of washing her car, cleaning house, tending to every need, and, yes, figuring the food situation out.
Love the piece!
They scanned photos from my albums and created a photo book at the Walmart photo site. Each picture comes with their memory of that day.
The first is a picture of my oldest in his bunny halloween suit with his memory of being taken to hospital the next day and how he remembers that I stayed there day and night with him. He let me know that my being there, pretending I wasn't scared made him brave. There are 24 photos and memories and the book is my most prized possession.. it'll be hard for them to give me anything I like more until one of them gives me a grandchild.
My least favorite gift was a hardcover copy of Eat, Pray, Love... I could tell it was one of those "just grab something" gifts but it came with a card that was obviously chosen only for me and my son had written something wonderful inside so it was easy to bubble over with delight. If only they understood that when they write in the card, it is the best part of the gift, I would never have to get another book I don't want. (to be fair, I think that was the one and only gift I ever got that I didn't like)