It's that time of year again.  Most of us have a mother.  I'm so thankful that mine is still alive and doing well.  My mom has never expected much for Mother's Day and has always enjoyed handmade gifts.

I usually send my mom a card for Mother's Day. When I've been really poor as an adult, I've made the card myself, which she probably appreciated even more than the ones I've bought. It's really important, which I'm sure you already know, to read over the card before you send it.  I love my mom, but we'd both know it was a lie if I said how wonderful she was for all the things she does for me all the time. My mom is more the mother bird type that kicks the kids from the nest and expects them to make it on their own.

One year I made a calendar for her that had all the dates marked with all her children and grandchildren's birthdays.  If you have Microsoft Word you can go to their template site and download a calendar that works great for this.  You can insert photos into the top part, and type the names and dates into the date boxes.  The year I did that I had a color printer, so it was really easy to do. I also had mostly current photos of all the children and grandchildren so that was pretty easy.

Another year I made a bunch of thank you notes and stuck them in a jar.  This can be a really sentimental, fantastic gift for moms.  You just get a jar with a lid and then start writing things down that you want to thank your mom for, or reminders of some great memories you have of her when you were growing up.  I suggest doing around 30 days worth. I found out as an adult that my mom used to cut up bananas and add them to fruit cocktail so I thanked her for taking the time to do that. I thanked my mom for cooking healthy foods for us.  Just find some time and sit down and start thinking.  You don't even have to do it all on one occasion, but hurry because Mother's Day is on the 10th of May this year. You can decorate the lid by gluing on some pretty fabric or a ribbon and bows.  You can type up your notes, but a really personal touch is to handwrite each note.  Keep them short, a sentence or two in length.  I guarantee your mom will love this homemade gift.

If you want to order flowers, Costco always has some awesome deals if you're a member.

Something else I started doing a couple of years ago is going to the dollar store and buying a stack of Mother's Day cards for all the mothers in my life.  I get a special “Hallmark” card for my mom and mother-in-law (don't forget your mother-in-law!), my sisters (who all have children now), my sisters-in-law and my coworkers who are moms.  Since the dollar store cards are 2 for a dollar, I can get 20 cards for $10. I hand out many of them, and mail a few others.  Last year my one sister thanked me and said I was the only one who acknowledged her on Mother's Day – she has six children!  Bad children!

My mom doesn't eat sugar of any kind so I would never buy candy for her, but one year I did make a pot of soup for her. She loved that and still talks about it. Your mom, on the other hand, might like candy, get her some really good chocolates.  In my experience, less is more.  Less candy but more expensive is usually much better.

If you and your wife are new parents, for heaven's sake, don't forget to get her a Mother's Day card and gift from you, and something little from the baby. She'll be tickled.  Moms love things like baby footprints and handprints on a piece of construction paper, with a photo of the baby if you're feeling crafty.

If your children are a little bit older, get up early and help them prepare mom breakfast in bed.  Even if they are two or three years old, this can be especially adorable for mom.  Pancakes or scrambled eggs or cream cheese on bagels are all pretty simple.  You can let Mom in on the secret so she will stay in bed so the children can surprise her. If you plan ahead of time you can use a baking tray with a pretty cloth on it and maybe get some pretty napkins. Maybe a single flower on the tray along with breakfast. If you were really on the ball, you grew flowers in the garden this year and can pick one. 😉

Or maybe you prefer going out to eat for breakfast. You can even go to McDonald's and let the children play in the playland while you whisper sweet nothings in your beautiful wife's ear about how much you love her and thank her for being the mother of your children.

If you have no idea at all what to buy your wife for Mother's Day, it's okay to ask. If she fusses and says you should know, tell her you'd like her to write down five things she'd like, because you really want to get her something she wants. You'll pick out one or two things and it will still be a surprise. Don't buy her a wet-dry vac or a vacuum cleaner, unless she puts it on the list.

Here is a site with more ideas for inexpensive Mother's Day gifts.

I don't know about you, but I'm uncomfortable when too much money is spent on me. Last year, Mr. A wanted to buy me a $400 tree. I heard about it ahead of time and told him I loved the thought, but seriously we didn't need to be spending that kind of money on Mother's Day. My mother-in-law chastised me and told me I shouldn't stop him from spending money on me, but I would have felt horrible if he'd spent that much money on a tree!  Maybe if we had all our debt paid off and had plenty of extra money coming in.  But that is just foolishness in my opinion. So when you remind your husband, you may want to let him know you don't expect him to spend over xx amount on you.

Last but not least, if your husband and children are forgetful, you need to say something now, instead of waiting until Mother's Day and then feeling glum because everyone forgot about you on Mother's Day.  It's even okay to give them a list of a few things you would like to have.  I know, you'd rather be surprised, but it is much better to say something, than to get hurt feelings if you know that's how your husband and children are. But that means you have to sit down and think of what you might like to have.

Or you might not want anything for Mother's Day at all.  You can verbalize that, too.

In years past, my guys have cooked dinner on Mother's Day, and I always request one of my favorite meals.  My birthday comes a couple weeks after Mother's Day, so sometimes they give me my birthday gifts on Mother's Day.

So what are your plans for Mother's Day? Are you a mom?

Mrs. Accountability