Mother's Day

Can you believe it's May already?!  I have to say 2014 has been flying by and to be honest, it hasn't been the best year so far.  We can't seem to sell this house, sleeping while pregnant is impossible, chasing an active, demanding 22 month old while pregnant is...interesting to put it nicely,  having an amazing husband who happens to work all the stinking time and now goes to school at night really hasn't made 2014 the smoothest. 

BUT all complaints aside, things have happened in my personal and family life recently to remind me just how important it is to tell the ones you love just how much you appreciate them, and Mother's Day (and everyday really) is the perfect opportunity to do just that!

If you're looking to treat Mom to something special I've got some ideas for you.  

{From the Heart}  Let's be honest, a gift from the heart is probably a mom's favorite thing to receive. For the youngins making something is always sweet. But if you're too old to be making macaroni necklaces perhaps just a day spent together is enough.  Treat her to lunch at her favorite place, put your phone away and pay her some attention.  Catch up on her life, reminisce about life growing up and just enjoy each others' company.  Spending the day together with your siblings sans rivalry or fighting would bestill her heart as well for those of you still living at home. Lastly, breakfast in bed never hurt anyone. 

{Flowers} Maybe instead of the traditional bouquet you buy some garden flowers and help her plant them.  Or surprise her and have them all planted and ready to go when she wakes up Sunday morning! 

Photo courtesy of https://www.buildipedia.com

{Pictures} A framed picture, a picture printed to canvas, a printed picture book from Snapfish or Shutterfly - all of the above will make mom happy. 

Pictures of her loved ones that she can show off to her friends?  Winning.  I prefer to give my mom an iphone case from tinyprints.com with updated pictures of my daughter.  She loves it and takes it with her wherever she goes!  

{Bag}
Who doesn't need a good, quality beach tote? I found this one from one of my favorite bloggers, McKenna Bleu (see her post here) 

Photo courtesy of www.mckennableu.com

Photo courtesy of www.haydenreis.com

This one is from Hayden Reis.  Made out of real sailcloth, this bag is made to survive the salt, sand and whatever you throw inside.  Monogram it for a personalized touch. (I want one for myself!).

Or go fancier and get her a clutch for a night out on the town.  It comes in a ton of colors.  

{Book}
A coffee table book such as the NY Times 36 Hours is great for perusing or getting some travel inspiration.  Find it on Amazon here.  

Or some mindless reading for the beach such as The Vacationers by Emma Straub.  Haven't read it yet myself but seems like my kind of entertaining beach read.

{Jewelry}
Some cute, trendy jewels may just be the ticket.  I'm loving this line called by Jasmin, a fashion blogger.  

Find it here

No matter what you buy or do, remember the many ways your mom has contributed to your life.  Even if your relationship with mom isn't the best, nothing can change the fact that she carried you around for nine months before you even knew what this world was. That's worth thanking her for.  It's mom's special day so treat her to something nice and spread some love!  

{And that, my friends, is worth a glass of champagne!}