What Moms Really Want for Mother's Day

With Mother's Day just a few days away it got me thinking of my first Mother's day with my husband. It was May 2008, and I was due to give birth to our daughter at any moment. I remember that my husband had a tee time planned with an old friend, I guess you can say I felt a little guilty knowing that once our daughter was born he was not going to see the sights of a golf course for a long while.

So once my husband left, I assumed my position on the sofa with all the pillows strategically placed, and just when I was getting good and comfortable.... I had to pee. After returning from "the loo", I started to head back to my thrown (aka the sofa), when the doorbell rang.

When I finally got to the front door, I opened it only to have a nice woman holding a beautiful arrangement of flowers. Once I signed for the flowers, I went back inside to read what the card said. "Dear mommy thank you for taking such good care of me these past 8 1/2 months, I can't wait to meet you Happy Mother's Day" read the card.

I immediately called my husband to thank him for my flowers, and my sweet note. Little did I realize that when my husband saw the house number on his caller id, he would go into full panic mode thinking I was about to give birth to our daughter on our living room floor. After convincing him I was fine, and not in labor I thanked him for the beautiful flowers and thoughtful card. It was a great Mother's Day for us both, my husband got to finish his round of golf that day, and a week and half later we welcomed our lovely little girl into the world.

Not to brag, but I have a pretty amazing husband. Thoughtful gestures like what he did for my first Mother's Day are his way of making me feel appreciated and loved.

Now with Mother's Day just days away, I am sure there are husbands and kids struggling on what to do for mom come this Sunday. The reality is that most moms don't need a big elaborate production in order to celebrate Mother's Day.

Here are some ideas on what we moms really would like on Mother's Day.

1. Time. Time alone. Time to shop. Time to watch shows that we have recorded, but never get the time to watch out of reality of being interrupted. Time to take a bath. Time to get dressed peacefully, rather than at a frantic pace. We just want time.

2. To be appreciated. To be appreciated for the countless things we do on a day to day basis. Appreciated for always being there to make sure things get done, and go off without a hitch. Appreciated for the butts we clean, the tears we wipe, the homes we keep clean, and the meals we make. Most of all for the mother's and women we are.

3. A kind word. This may come in many forms: a card, a poem, a hand written note, a hand crafted piece of art from your child.

4. To be pampered. This does not mean yo have to send us to the Ritz Carlton Spa (although, I can't imagine most moms would object). While mani/Pedi's, facials and massages are always great and much needed, we moms love the simple gesture of having a bubble bath drawn for us (hint, hint).

5. Yummys for our tummy's. Interpret this how you will. Breakfast in bed, brunch, lunch or dinner, it all works for me, but my favorite is when Chickpea and Malcolm make me a Mommy Mimosa. Yum.

With all this said, don't get me wrong we moms love jewelry, and fancy things. I am just trying to convey that fancy things are not required in order to make Mother's Day specail. Just remember to share with the mom's in your life how much you love and appreciate them for all they do.

In honor of Mother's Day, On the Fly Bottle is running the follow promotion. One free On the Fly small starter kit - Value ($18.99) or One Large Starter Kit for only $1.00 (Value $19.99) (each contains one On the Fly BottleSOC and 2 warmers) Recipients are responsible for shipping and handling of $6.00. Participants must follow On the Fly on BlogSpot, Face book and Twitter to be eligible. Followers will be notified of a code that will be required for this offer. Please note this offer is only valid with purchases made through www.ontheflybottle.com. Happy Mother's Day.

You know you need a time-out when....

First, I would like to say thanks to my big sister Valerie for inspiring this long overdue topic. My poor sister finds herself in the same scenario, as most of us mom's. Let me create the picture for you. It goes a little something like this:

You have a crazy ass day that started somewhere around 6:00am in the morning with your toddler waking up before her usual wake time, only to be followed with the fact that she refuses to eat what you have prepared for breakfast. In fact she protests so hard that the breakfast you took the time to make has been launched off her highchair tray only to land all over the wall and floor (ARGHHHH!). But somehow you keep your cool, and try not to over react, and think to yourself, “This will not be the tone of my entire day". After cleaning up the mess and find something that your toddler will eat, you take a moment to celebrate the small victory. Little do you realize what the rest of the day, has in store. I'll fast forward a little so I don't bore you, but basically after dealing with a full thermo nuclear meltdown in the middle of the grocery store, the dog deciding he wanted to snack on one of your favorite pairs of shoes, your manic toddler refusing to take an afternoon nap, and your husband calling to say he will be getting home late. At this point, you can imagine my sister was ready to start vodka IV drip. Alright, I am exaggerating a tad. But all kidding aside, when you find yourself at the absolute boiling point and you know what I mean if you have kids.... It's time for a mommy time-out.


Here are some great suggestions for just when an occasion arises:

1. Retail therapy (need I say more).

2. Hit the Spa. Whether for a massage, facial, mani or pedi, you owe it to yourself to enjoy some pampering and tranquility

3. Lock yourself in the bathroom light some candles and take a long relaxing bath, of course if someone is able to watch your kids, if not you will have to postpone until the little ones are in bed.

4. One of my personal favorites, gather a collection of your favorite magazines or any other good read, put on your favorite lounge wear and retreat to a quiet place in your home (if one exists?).

5. Catch- up on the endless shows that you have digitally recorded, but never took the time to watch.

6. And of course the Holy Grail of mommy time-outs, Girls Night Out! (dinner, drinks, gossip, just what every mom needs to recharge her battery for the next round with the kids).



Lastly, I came across a great book titled Mother's Need Time-Out Too, by three moms Susan: "The organizer" mother of four; Anne: "The Enthusiast" mother of twins and a boy; and Katrin: "The Free Spirit" mother of three. These women discovered that moms everywhere, whether they have careers or stay at home, want to do the best job they can, but are often overwhelmed by the hectic pace of modern motherhood. They learned that being selfish isn’t always bad. In fact state, it's good to be selfish- it actually makes you a better mother. With mother's day quickly approaching I highly recommend this book as a nice gift for the moms in your life. http://www.momstimeouts.com.

While on the subject of Mother’s Day, I just got word again from the On the Fly girls that there will be an upcoming promo in honor of Mother's Day. Be sure to follow my blog for more details, on how to score some great free stuff.