Mother's Day Wish List

This is, by all means, not a list of what I expect.. nay, not even a suggestion, really.. but more of a list for the greater interwebs of fathers out there who may need ideas for this coming Mother's Day. This is also to sway any fathers from buying a dog, no matter how much I may say that I fell in love with this little girl on Saturday.



So we all know that flowers are the traditional gift for Mother's Day. And I love flowers, really, I do! But.. um.. they die. Or they require copious care to empty/change the water, trim down the buds, repot in smaller bud vases as they bloom, etc. This? Homegrown and almost self-sustaining. Too precious.



Your wife may have mentioned once or twice or umpteen times that she desperately wants to redo the bedroom because the PAINT ON THE WALL DOESN'T MATCH THE FREAKIN BEDDING or something like that. Why not spend a little dough at Ikea and get some small changes to get things moving in the right direction? The duvet cover (above) and these finials..



.. would make a world of difference in turning your boudoir back into the harmonious retreat it should be.



Of course, jewelry is the other fallback. But guys, get jewelry that means something. These necklaces (often referred to as "mommy tags" because of their dog-tag like nature) are my favorite gifts to give my girlfriends. There are a bazillions kinds to choose from, so you can add your own touches to the gift you choose to give.



This made me laugh, because I am a stepmother, and I would TOTALLY wear it.

(Which brings up a valid point. Fathers of children: stepmothers need to be acknowledged on Mother's Day as well. I know it's a fine line to not overshadow the ACTUAL mother.. and she SHOULDN'T be overshadowed.. but even a nice card and a flower will mean the world to her. Being a bonus parent is TRULY the hardest job in the world.)



Of course, in my house, we tend to give gifts that remind us to find the humor in our daily insanities. I would completely expect this to be my Mother's Day gift.



And this? This is just cute. Handmade. With a giraffe. So I wanted to share it with you.

You can always do well by having some sort of crafty thing done with the kids' handprints. They grow so freakin' fast that it's nice to have a moment in time glazed and cemented to remember.

Lastly, fathers of children, perhaps the best gift for Mother's Day would be a Day of No Decisions to be Made. I know that sounds silly, but moms are bombarded by guilt all the time when the chance to do something for themselves arises. So make those decisions for them. Have a day planned out where the children are taken care of (by you or family or whatever), and have gift certificates or money at the ready. Don't say, "What do you want to do today?". Because what we WANT to do and what needs to be done are two diffferent things, and we'll almost always answer with the latter. Tell us, "I made an appointment for you to get a massage" or "I bought us tickets to go see a movie" or "We have reservations to have brunch at your favorite restaurant". Being forced to spoil ourselves? AWESOME.