Mother's Day Mama Talk
Mothers Day 101 for dads
Capitalistic America would have you believe you have to drop loads of cash on Mom so she can have the best Mother’s Day yet.
Flowers? Get a bouquet. Brunch? Lots of places are having specials. Gifts? Jewelry or candy will melt her heart. Heck, get both! Nothing’s too good for Mom, right?
If you think that’s what all moms want, you’ve been watching too much television. Here are a few tips for a Mother’s Day that will melt Mom’s heart without damaging your family’s budget.
Let Mom sleep
I know it’s Sunday, but set an alarm for about 15 to 30 minutes before the kids usually wake up. Don’t snooze it. Just get up quietly and go wake the kids up and tell them that as a special treat, Mom is sleeping in. All emergencies get directed to Dad and that’s final.
Clean something
I know you’re thinking, “Weren’t we supposed to make her breakfast in bed?” Sure. That’s great. We moms love breakfast in bed. (Provided it doesn’t break rule No. 1, Let Mom sleep.) But we don’t love seeing what happened to the kitchen in order to get it to us. So whatever you decide to make for Mom, make sure you leave the kitchen nicer than you found it. If you have time to vacuum or clean the kitty box, well, that’s even better.
Make something
Presents from kids can be as easy as flowers from the yard (Benjamin loves to pick me dandelions, daisies and rhodies) or something they’ve made themselves. There’s nothing wrong with store-bought cards (except the prices) but nothing melts your heart like “i wuv yoo mama” written in crayon on scratch paper. If they get bored, have the kids draw portraits of Mom while she sleeps. This doubles as an activity and a gift.
Cook something
If you really want to get on Mom’s good side, make all the meals for the day in the morning. A lot of casseroles and lasagnas can be prepared ahead of time and shoved in the fridge. This way, Mom will be surprised when dinner time rolls around because she won’t have to cook or watch the kids while you cook. And for lunch, you can make a bunch of sandwiches as early as the night before. Slice up a few apples, throw in some carrot sticks, crackers and juice. Grab a blanket and you’re ready for a picnic. Let Mom choose where she wants to go.
Take her out for treats
If you absolutely must spend money today, try getting something extra special for the family, like brownies or an ice cream cake. Eat it at the restaurant so that no one has to clean up the mess. A memory like this goes a lot further than the money that it costs. Bring a camera so you won’t forget what everybody looked like covered in chocolate goo at the ice cream place.
Does she have ideas?
Maybe there’s a cool book shop she’s been wanting to check out, or a hiking path she’s being eying that she just hasn’t gotten around to mentioning. Now’s the chance for her to speak up. But you don’t want her to feel like she doesn’t get to have any fun if she can’t think of anything. Have a few ideas of your own, but try not to get your feelings hurt if she’d rather rent “The Pursuit of Happyness” than wait in a huge line to see “Spider-Man 3.”
It’s not over yet
After the kids go to bed, offer your wife a backrub or suggest that she take a bath while you clean the kitchen. Thank her for all that she does each day. And ask her what she thought of her Mother’s Day. Suggest she list a few positives and negatives, so you’ll have some idea what to work on next year. Oh, and don’t forget to call your own Mom. She’d kill me if I didn’t remind you.
Suzanne will most likely be spending this Mother’s Day with her mother-in-law, whom her 17-month-old son has taken to calling “Mama.” Which isn’t something she has any sort of problem with. Really. She would love to know if you followed any of these tips and how it went.
Capitalistic America would have you believe you have to drop loads of cash on Mom so she can have the best Mother’s Day yet.
Flowers? Get a bouquet. Brunch? Lots of places are having specials. Gifts? Jewelry or candy will melt her heart. Heck, get both! Nothing’s too good for Mom, right?
If you think that’s what all moms want, you’ve been watching too much television. Here are a few tips for a Mother’s Day that will melt Mom’s heart without damaging your family’s budget.
Let Mom sleep
I know it’s Sunday, but set an alarm for about 15 to 30 minutes before the kids usually wake up. Don’t snooze it. Just get up quietly and go wake the kids up and tell them that as a special treat, Mom is sleeping in. All emergencies get directed to Dad and that’s final.
Clean something
I know you’re thinking, “Weren’t we supposed to make her breakfast in bed?” Sure. That’s great. We moms love breakfast in bed. (Provided it doesn’t break rule No. 1, Let Mom sleep.) But we don’t love seeing what happened to the kitchen in order to get it to us. So whatever you decide to make for Mom, make sure you leave the kitchen nicer than you found it. If you have time to vacuum or clean the kitty box, well, that’s even better.
Make something
Presents from kids can be as easy as flowers from the yard (Benjamin loves to pick me dandelions, daisies and rhodies) or something they’ve made themselves. There’s nothing wrong with store-bought cards (except the prices) but nothing melts your heart like “i wuv yoo mama” written in crayon on scratch paper. If they get bored, have the kids draw portraits of Mom while she sleeps. This doubles as an activity and a gift.
Cook something
If you really want to get on Mom’s good side, make all the meals for the day in the morning. A lot of casseroles and lasagnas can be prepared ahead of time and shoved in the fridge. This way, Mom will be surprised when dinner time rolls around because she won’t have to cook or watch the kids while you cook. And for lunch, you can make a bunch of sandwiches as early as the night before. Slice up a few apples, throw in some carrot sticks, crackers and juice. Grab a blanket and you’re ready for a picnic. Let Mom choose where she wants to go.
Take her out for treats
If you absolutely must spend money today, try getting something extra special for the family, like brownies or an ice cream cake. Eat it at the restaurant so that no one has to clean up the mess. A memory like this goes a lot further than the money that it costs. Bring a camera so you won’t forget what everybody looked like covered in chocolate goo at the ice cream place.
Does she have ideas?
Maybe there’s a cool book shop she’s been wanting to check out, or a hiking path she’s being eying that she just hasn’t gotten around to mentioning. Now’s the chance for her to speak up. But you don’t want her to feel like she doesn’t get to have any fun if she can’t think of anything. Have a few ideas of your own, but try not to get your feelings hurt if she’d rather rent “The Pursuit of Happyness” than wait in a huge line to see “Spider-Man 3.”
It’s not over yet
After the kids go to bed, offer your wife a backrub or suggest that she take a bath while you clean the kitchen. Thank her for all that she does each day. And ask her what she thought of her Mother’s Day. Suggest she list a few positives and negatives, so you’ll have some idea what to work on next year. Oh, and don’t forget to call your own Mom. She’d kill me if I didn’t remind you.
Suzanne will most likely be spending this Mother’s Day with her mother-in-law, whom her 17-month-old son has taken to calling “Mama.” Which isn’t something she has any sort of problem with. Really. She would love to know if you followed any of these tips and how it went.