Mothers Day!

[Greg44]

What do you do on Mothers Day? It is always a tug a war at our house with Mother's Day. After Church we drive out to visit my mother - 40 mi round trip. Back into town to visit my MIL. My DW hates this because it is not a "relaxing" day for her - as it is her Day too!

Some years we divide and conquer...I go out to visit my mother and she goes to her mother's house...what do you all do?

What to you like to give as gifts? I normally do a small gift card ($25) - at the local home improvement store where she likes to buy her flowers and gardening stuff. Plus some See's chocolates (West Coast thing), etc.

Now my brother - usually buys her this HUGE -- I mean HUGE flower arrangement easily $ 100. +
Like you would see in a hotel lobby...! I guess I am too frugal! But then again he gave her more gray hairs over the years, so maybe it is payback. Did I just write that? :~)

[Tussiemussies]

I wanted to take my Mom to some beautiful Iris gardens that aren't too far away...seems like we won't be able to make that, I know she would have enjoyed that.

How about something special your wife would enjoy like picking out flowers on Sat. And planting together on Sun. With you making either breakfast in bed --might be too rushed with church. Or you could make a nice dinner. Maybe one year take off from seeing the other mothers and just call them and send them a small bouquet of flowers.

[Stella]

I embroidered my mom a tea towel. DH is estranged from his mother so there is no gift giving there. My mom lives far away so a phone call is usually in order to her and my grandma but the rest of the day we do something as a family. This year I think I want to go to the farmers market and get some plants.

[redfox]

My gift to my Mom is to go plant shopping with her later in the season, to design & plant her containers. It's such good fun! This year, I found a mixing bowl in her pattern at Goodwill, so I am wrapping that.

My DH's Mom is over the mountains, so a call to her. As a stepmom, I always appreciate thanks from DH!

[Fawn]

Well, I am working this Mother's Day...so I told the kids we had to celebrate on another day......so last night, I took the kids out to see "The Avengers." (We do not usually go out to the movies...too expen$ive) But we had a great, bonding, fun time. AND I got some "cool mom" points with their friends for wanting to see The Avengers with them.

I will call my own mom Sunday evening to say Hallooo. The rest of her kids will be there for dinner. We are NOT a card family.

[iris lily]

Since I've made progress in cleaning house today, I'll probably invite our coffee group, all motherless adults, over on Sunday morning for coffee and simple breakfast food. Then we can celebrate the mother in our midst: Chablis, our 13 year old French Bulldog who lives here with her 11 year old daughter Toast. Those two are a cute pair, and I want to celebrate Chablis because I suspect she will not be with us next year on Mother's Day. Chablis still takes care of her baby, and the baby is one spoiled Frenchie princess.

[dado potato]

My credit union newsletter had an article about Mothers Day. Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, organized a "Mother's Work Day" in 1908 to honor her mother's efforts to improve health conditions in her community. Jarvis then asked Congress to set aside a day each year to honor mothers, in the sense of their struggles for community health and welfare.

In 1914 Congress passed a law, and President Wilson signed it, making the second Sunday in May: "Mother's Day".

Jarvis was infuriated as she watched her holiday become commercialized, all about sending cards, flowers or other gifts. She filed a lawsuit to stop Mother's Day, to no avail.

Just to keep the peace I got Mama a big box of coffee from Peet's. But I know I am degrading Mother's Day. It was not originally supposed to be about commerce to give something nice to Mum... nor a long-distance call to just let her know that her little one still remembers her. Back in the day, mothers were honored because they were the backbone of a movement for sanitation in American cities.

In my humble opinion, every time I flush a toilet, I should be thankful for the Mothers that demanded sanitary sewers.

[Merski]

I'm hoping to put some lilacs on my Mom's grave. Sigh!

[goldensmom]

Some years we divide and conquer...I go out to visit my mother and she goes to her mother's house...what do you all do?


I know I am in the minority but I totally agree with each celebrating with their respective mother. People tell me that I am disrespecting my mother-in-law but she's not my mom and it is 'Mother's Day', not 'Mother-in-Law Day'. I've always felt this way but have never known anyone else who agrees with me. My husband would not go along with it so in the past we've run the rounds and celebrated with both. There is always a hassle and usually hurt feelings within my husbands family as to what to do, where to do it and who to do it with. My mother passed away years ago so I go along (I say I'm along for the ride) with whatever my husband wants to do with/for his mother.

[Mrs-M]

Low-key, is the approach around our house. If all works out, we sometimes get-together with mine and DH's parents, and celebrate as a family, but mostly nothing too pressing. A nice dinner (at home), and flowers, are the two traditional Mother's Day givings that go on.

To all who have lost their moms, I extend a warm thought to you along with a warm hug.

[Float On]

We always stop at Lowes on the way home from church and the boys buy me a bush for Mother's Day...then we go home and plant it. By then the crowds have thinned out a bit and we go out to eat. I may ask for a tree this year.

Being 5 hours from my mom and my DH being a day and a 1/2 away from his mom, we've always just sent cards and sometimes flowers and we make sure to call.

[lizii]

My sons come to see me on Mothers' Day or at least call me. I always send them back with a small gift to give to their wives.

I'm thinking about making photo albums for next year...especially of my collection of pictures taken when they were children.

[Rosemary]

I mailed cards to the far-away moms in our lives, including a great-aunt who is in my opinion under-appreciated by her kids and my best friend who is a mom to all the kids in her neighborhood. My mom is visiting now, and I took her to get a massage yesterday - her first ever. I had bought a groupon a couple months ago just for this occasion. Mom has lots of back problems and headaches and I know that after a massage my entire body feels great for at least a month. Yesterday was the first day in several weeks that her neck wasn't hurting, so I think it helped her. We'll finish off her Mother's Day with a trip to Cafe Latte before she leaves town. The whole time I was growing up, most events were non-events in our house - my dad was not into celebrating anything - so we make up for it now.

[rosarugosa]

We are really lucky. Our Moms are both in their later seventies (how is that possible?), both in good health, and both live about a mile away. We are all enormously compatible, so we've done a brunch for them at our house for the past few years. Our Moms really enjoy each others' company too, so it's a nice chance for them to get together. This year, DH is working quite a bit this weekend, so the menu will lean heavily towards fruit and salad-type things that yours truly can prepare.
I was never crazy about Mothers' Day; I'm not a Mom, and it always seemed like one of those holidays brought to you by Your Friendly Retailers. But in recent years, I've realized it's a good day to be grateful for the two incredibly cool ladies who love us so much and who we love so much, and it's great that we can just all be together and enjoy good food, good company, and a couple of drinks :)

[Zoebird]

we never thought about it growing up (mothers or fathers day) in my family, and my boys don't worry about it with me. I have no interest in it. :) and i don't understand why it is important to people.

but i feel that way about all holidays. lol

[MissMandy]

We switch off which mother we visit every year, but I always get the morning to myself :) We don't go overboard with gifts or anything. I think it's better to make it about spending time together. I like to buy them both flowers, and I order them both one of Shutterfly's Mother's Day Cards (http://http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/mothers-day-cards-stationery) with new shots of the kids. When we go to my Mom's, my sisters and I like to cook a family dinner, and when we go to DH's Parents we like to take her out to her favorite restaurant.

[Ruffian]

My son and I always go with another 'single Mom with a single' (she's married, but her DH works far away, and she has an only son that is a classmate of my son) to a 'noonish' movie, the theaters are DEAD and we always have the place to ourselves, then go for ice cream after. It's a fun tradition we started a few years ago, and we all enjoy it.

[Float On]

I usually send a card, sometimes flowers to my mom and my DH's mom.

We always stop at a nursery on the way home from church and I pick out a new bush for my yard then we go home and plant it. We go out for a late dinner to avoid the after church lunch crowd.

Didn't realize this was an old thread brought back so I've answered a 2nd time.