1. Make her breakfast and clean up afterwards.

Here’s an easy breakfast: Get some fruit of different colors. Two kinds of melon–honeydew and cantaloupe would work. Cut it up into chunks and serve with a wedge of lime on the side. If you want to be fancy, add a stemmed maraschino cherry on top. If melon isn’t available, you could use strawberries, which are always in season around Mother’s Day. Buy some cinnamon rolls to go with the fruit. Wrap them in foil and warm them in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 20 minutes. If you must use the microwave, be sure to set it on half power, or the rolls will turn out tough.

With breakfast, give her some flowers. If they are cut flowers, don’t make her find a vase and arrange them; you do it. If the budget is tight, buy a single flower or pick some wildflowers from your garden, or ask a neighbor who has a flower garden if he or she would give you one.

With the flowers, give her a sentimental Mother’s Day poem, like this one:

You Let Me Know You Love Me

You let me know you love me
In so many different ways.
You make me feel important
With encouragement and praise.

You’re always there when I need you
To comfort and to care.
I know I’m in your thoughts;
Your love follows me everywhere.

Thank you for all you’ve done
And given so generously.
I love you, my wonderful mother,
You’re a heaven-sent blessing to me.

By Joanna Fuchs

You can find more mother poems like these at www.poemsource.com. These copyrighted poems are free for personal use, according to the Terms of Use detailed at the site.

2. Take over all her chores for the day. You may not have noticed what those are, but you will now. Every time she starts a chore, you take over. Say to her, “I love you and I want to show you that I appreciate you on your special day.” Say it every time; she won’t mind the repetition. She’ll love hearing it.

3. Take her out to dinner or make dinner at home for her and whoever else is there. If others are coming over, ask each of them to bring something.

You’ll need the following:

A green salad. You can buy this in a plastic bag at the supermarket if you want. Some even come with dressing. If the budget is tight, make it from scratch. Wash and cut up some romaine and iceberg lettuce. Add some washed and peeled, thinly sliced or shredded carrots and some washed, peeled, sliced cucumber. Make or buy some ranch dressing. Everyone likes that.

An entrée. You can cook something if you like, or you can buy a frozen, family size entrée, like lasagne, at the supermarket.

Rolls and butter.

Dessert. Make your own. Something really easy is chocolate pudding–NOT instant, but rather the Jello brand kind you cook. It says “Cook and Serve” on the box. Making it in the microwave is really easy; just follow the instructions on the box. Make more than you think you’ll need. Cook it in a big glass bowl so it won’t boil over. Put it into individual servings. You can use little dishes, if you have them, but you can also use juice glasses or wine glasses. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time. Buy a can of whipped cream and spritz some on the top of each serving.

Or you can buy a pie or cake from the bakery. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if appropriate.

If Mom drinks coffee, be sure to make some.

4. After dinner, surprise her with a gift. A personalized gift is nice. You can find some nice ones at personalizationmall.com. They have a special section for mothers. If the budget is tight, go to the dollar store. Or go to a used bookstore and get her a book by her favorite author.

5. Finally, tell her you’re glad she’s your mom. I know it’s hard to express feelings for some people, but it will mean so very much to her. Moms are like that. You cannot know how much time is left with her to tell her what she means to you. She could be around another fifty years or she could be gone tomorrow. Just say something like, “Mom, I just want you to know I’m really happy that you’re my mother. You’re the best.” Or whatever feels right to you.

Do these things, or even some of them, and you Mom will have a great Mother’s Day!

About the Author

Joanna Fuchs writes greeting card poems for poemsource.com. In addition to mother poems, there are anniversary, baby, birthday, Christian, Christmas, father, friendship, get well, graduation, love, New Year, teacher, Valentine and wedding poems. To see the mother poems, go to http://www.poemsource.com/mother-poems.html

The word mother and mothers day are simple, yet powerful little words that you hear all the time especially so around the time of mothers day when everyone seem to be scrambling for ideas to say thank you, you are surely loved and you are appreciated all over again.

But if you would just take time out, you would realize that useful hints were probably being dropped all alone and throughout the year. In fact, with that special day being only a few weeks away, some of your thoughts at this time can range anywhere from what are you going to do for your mother, spouse or other loved one to should it be a product gift or something more personal. If it is the product route, how can it be made more personalized? If it is the gift of time, how can it be made more personal?

Mothers Day for some will be welcomed with feelings of excitement while for others it may be a day of mixed feelings especially so if the mother you will honor has lost a child to tragedy. So that is why whenever you wish to honor someone in your own little way, you should consider where that person may be in their life and then the event. Many people say that it’s the thought that counts and yes that’s a very good point but so is too know a person and mother’s day is no exception.

To give you some examples, consider a single mother who’s been struggling to raise her children and doing it all alone in every sense of the word, what would make her day on mother’s day? What about a seventy-two year old mother who has raised her children but suddenly took on the new responsibilities of raising her grand children, what would she possibly want or deserve?

Sure a bouquet of flowers or some other last minute gift would be nice and probably get you off the hook but what would that mother really want to do for that special day? Would she want to spend her day filled with family and special friends or have a day of being responsibility free? If you were in that person’s shoes, which would you hope that someone would honor you with for mother’s day?

You see mothers day or any other day can be made more personal when you put some careful thought into your gift idea. What else would that mother enjoy? What has she wanted to do for a long time? What has she not gotten to experience in her lifetime? How can you really show her she is appreciated?

Even a gift that is accompanied with a carefully written letter or note with meaning can put a smile on a mother’s face! Yes, I know this will not work for all moms but that’s why in the article it says that YOU need to really know that person. So please just remember it really is the thought that counts especially when you did take some time out to put some thought into your mother’s day gift.

Oh, one last thing, I invite you to help every day become a Mother’s Day. By the way moms, it is ok to drop hints about how you would like to spend your special day and with hope, your spouse, partner, or other loved one will graciously honor your small request. After all, mother’s day on the calendar only comes once a year.

‘M’ is for the million things she gave me, ‘O’ means only that she’s growing old, ‘T’ is for the tears were shed to save me, ‘H’ is for her heart of purest gold; ‘E’ is for her eyes, with love-light shining, ‘R’ means right, and right she’ll always be, Put them all together, they spell MOTHER, A word that means the world to me!

What does your mother mean to you? Here are a few suggestions to help celebrate her special day. Most can be done at home.

1. Make a bouquet of flowers using colored tissue paper and chenille stems. Create an arrangement by putting the stems in styrofoam in a basket.

2. On a piece of poster board, make a colorful flower by using crayons, markers, paint, or torn pieces of colored construction paper. Laminate it to make a placemat.

3. Let your mother be the star of her own TV show! Get a box and cut out two holes near the top, one on each side, to insert a dowel; repeat on the bottom. Glue a scroll of paper to both dowels and use them to turn the paper. Use photographs or draw pictures of your mom; then write captions for each. When you put the lid of the box back on, cut out a square for the screen. Enjoy!

4. Have a Mother’s Day Tea at school. Prepare refreshments and let the students share some creative writing, one-on-one, with their mothers. Afterwards, entertainment could include songs and dances. Have someone sign the songs as they are sung.

5. Choose a photograph or draw a picture to frame. The frame can be made of patterned or textured wallpaper samples or cloth. If you use poster board, use craft scissors with various-shaped edges and decorate with stickers, buttons, or glitter.

6. Write your original words to the song, MOTHER, and perform it. If there is a different special lady in your life, use her name or title instead. Perhaps you would rather list adjectives for each letter in MOTHER rather than write a song.

7. Tape vignettes of your mother and present her with the videotape or DVD. Alternately, keep a photo journal and present her with an album or scrapbook.

8. Have family entertainment with all members singing, dancing, or telling their favorite stories. Mom could be sitting in a specially-decorated chair.

9. Give coupons for each day of the week. What will you do to help your mom? Wash the dishes? Babysit? Vaccuum?

10. Buy your mother a ticket for an upcoming event or movie.

I hope these tips are useful and ignite your own creativity. However you celebrate, HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!

About the Author

Freda J. Glatt, MS, retired from teaching after a 34-year career in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Her focus, now, is to reach out and help others reinforce reading comprehension and develop a love for reading. Visit her site at http://www.sandralreading.com. Reading is FUNdamental!

Some say the Mother’s Day is too commercialized now, but what was it really for to begin with? Originally conceived by Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War as a day honoring (in her opinion) the inherent pacifism of mothers, Mother’s Day now simply celebrates motherhood and thanks mothers.

The first Mother’s Day as we would recognize it was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, on May 10, 1908, in the church where the elder Anna Jarvis had taught Sunday School. Grafton is the home to the International Mother’s Day Shrine. From there, the custom caught on — spreading eventually to 45 states. Finally the holiday was declared officially by states beginning in 1912, and in 1914 the President, Woodrow Wilson, declared the first national Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day is a busy time of year for mail in many countries. In 1973, the U.S. Postal Service was held up for eight days because of the number of letters and cards.

Here are just a few quotes from people that we have heard of but never thought to have a mother. They honored their mothers with these wonderful and memorable words about motherhood. James Fenton: The lullaby is the spell whereby the mother attempts to transform herself back from an ogre to a saint

Oliver Wendell Holmes: The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men – from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms

Abraham Lincoln: I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.

Chinese Proverb: There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.

Remember mom, she was the world to you in your childhood, the weirdo in your youth and the guide in your adulthood. She is “Mom.”

About the Author

Nicola Kennedy has enjoyed some great Mother’s Days, both as a grateful mom and a loving daughter. She can help you find great Mother’s Day gifts with tips and news, information and views at http://www.I-Love-My-Mom.com

All rights reserved. Copyright http://www.I-Love-My-Mom.com

A mother’s love is one of the most powerful forces in this world. Here are 10 memorable ways to celebrate her love this Mother’s Day:

1. Create a Memory Jar. Fill a jar with slips of paper, each detailing a special memory you and your mother shared. The more specific the memories, the better. Present her with the jar, and sit beside her as she reads each memory.

2. Interview the children in your family (both young and old) on what special things they love most about their mother. Record the sentiments on video or transcribe the thoughts in a special album. You could also record special memories, favorite family recipes, her best maternal words of wisdom, or anything you want to remember about your mother.

3. Make a Blessing Book. Cover a composition book or hardbound journal with patterned papers and include photos of each of your mother’s children, as well as a special pen for her to record what she is most grateful for in this world.

4. Help a mother in need by donating money, clothing, or other household items to organizations that help mothers and children.

5. Make a donation to your mom’s favorite charity, in her name.

6. Get together with your family and friends and create handmade cards for your mom. Make sure to include a heartfelt, handwritten letter.

7. Send flowers to a new mom in celebration of her first Mother’s Day.

8. Make a tablecloth memento. Start with an oversized tablecloth and some fabric pens. Ask each member of the family to sign the tablecloth with a special message to mom. Kids can make their handprints, too. This is a keepsake that you can add to each Mother’s Day.

9. Write a letter to your children about how being their parent has enriched you. Save these letters in a special journal or album to give to your children when they become parents themselves.

10. Spend some time looking through your scrapbooks and reflecting on the bounty of love that comes to you via family and maternal love.

About the Author

Susie Cortright is the founder of Momscape.com and Momscape’s Online Scrapbooking Magazine. She is also the creator of Free-Article-Bank.com, featuring free, quality articles for your website, ezine, newsletter, or blog.

Here is the basic idea for any scrapbook, for Mother’s Day just add more personal stuff like memories that would special to her. Favorite photos, colors, flowers, a lock of hair, things that would show her how much she means to you. A scrapbook is a wonderfully personal Mother’s Day gift. 1. Sort your photos and select a theme to work on, generally, 5-7 photos fit on a two-page spread and 3-5 photos fit on a single page. Select only the best photos to highlight the event, feeling or moment you want to convey.

2. Select 2-3 colors of safe paper that will complement colors found in the photographs. Experiment with different color combinations to find the perfect colors to enhance your photographs. You may want to include stationary or decorative paper that supports the theme of your pages.

3. Choose a photo to be your focal point. As a general rule, select photos with sharp images, vivid colors, and well-lit subjects.

4. Shape and mat your photos to add extra prominence to your focal point. You can do this easily by matting your photo with a wider border than the others, or double or triple-matting it. While shaping your photos, keep in mind that simple shapes such as rectangles, ovals, circles, and squares are among the most eye-pleasing shapes. If irrelevant or distracting details appear in the background, simply trim them out. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean you have to cut out all of the background–frequently, ordinary items pictured in the background will bring a flood of memories essential to journaling and reminiscing.

5. Add journaling. No page is complete without adding your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Take a few minutes to write down not only the “who” and “when,” but also the “what” and “why.”

6. Arrange photos, journaling, and titles on your page. As you arrange these elements, pay close attention to the direction your eye moves. In general, well-designed pages are well balanced and will follow a natural flow that mimics the letter Z. To check the balance, imagine that your layout is on a scale. Does one side tip the scale? Once you’re pleased with the layout, simply adhere the elements to the page.

7. Try a few extras. As you get more comfortable with scrap booking, try your hand with some embellishments — stickers, die cuts, rubber stamps, and punches are among the most popular page accents. Use these items sparingly — you don’t want them to overpower your photos.
About the AuthorNicola Kennedy has enjoyed some great Mother’s Days, both as a grateful mom and a loving daughter. She can help you find great Mother’s Day gifts with tips and news, information and views at http://www.I-Love-My-Mom.com

All rights reserved. Copyright http://www.I-Love-My-Mom.com

Easy Photo Card: We all have them, photos of our kids. Well grab some construction paper or card stock, a photo and some glue and make this adorable little card.

You will need: construction paper or card stock, photo, scissors, glue, glitter, sheer ribbon

What you do

Fold paper or card stock in half to create a card. Have your child write their greeting inside the card FIRST.

Cut photo out in a heart shape. Glue photo to the front of the card, center it and put it high enough to allow space for the bow at the bottom (see photo).

Lay down some newspaper, wax paper, or other paper and set your card on that to catch excess glitter. Use glue to pipe a thick border around the photo. Sprinkle the glitter generously over the glue border. Be sure to completely cover all of the glue. Let it dry about 20 minutes. While the glue is drying, tie your ribbon into a bow and trim off the long ends. Once the glue is dry, carefully lift the card up and tap off all excess glitter. Place a dab of glue onto the back of the ribbon and adhere to the card under your photo. Let it dry completely before doing anything else with it. You can add or take away any of the items listed to make it more personal. Have fun with it! Mom will enjoy it forever!

Making homemade cards are fun and easy. You can use nearly anything you have at home. You can take the formula from above but make a few changes like take fabric and paste it to the card stock to add a decorative look to it then add all the other things on top, with a photo or a drawing. Use your imagination, let it run wild.
About the AuthorNicola Kennedy has enjoyed some great Mother’s Days, both as a grateful mom and a loving daughter. She can help you find great Mother’s Day gifts with tips and news, information and views at http://www.I-Love-My-Mom.com

All rights reserved. Copyright http://www.I-Love-My-Mom.com

Do you know a Mom who needs to be thanked for the tireless effort she makes every day to her family? Does your Mom get the appreciation she deserves? While we all know we should tell our mothers how much we love her every week, sometimes our day to day routine can make us forget. This Mother’s Day, make Mom feel extra special! By following the gift ideas and tips below, you’re sure to make this year’s Mother’s day a great one, something she will cherish and remember, and all at the same time keeping an eye on your checkbook.

Anyone could get flowers and a card and be done with it, but don’t you think Mom deserves a little more thought and consideration this year? After all, it’s only one day where we really get the opportunity to tell mom how special she is. Sometimes an inexpensive, more thoughtful gift can go a long way in telling her how much you care.

So first, spend a moment think about what Mom likes, considering her hobbies and interests. Does she like to garden or spend time outside? You could consider some gardening equipment or fitness clothing. Does she like a certain animal or enjoy a certain type of craft? How about a gift that will add to her collection, or a piece of equipment to help with her hobby? Whatever it is, by taking just a little time to think it through and plan out your purchase, you’ll get the benefit of a unique gift that will have her smiling ear to ear.

Next, define a budget and how much you’re willing to spend. By planning in advance, you can often take advantage of internet shopping specials, coupons, and free shipping offers. The marketplace online is growing rapidly and you can often find deals and discounts you would otherwise not have found shopping near home. Also, by expanding your options to buying something online, you’ll find that many of the unique items you couldn’t find in stores are in abundance on the web.

If you are going to shop online, make sure to plan your purchase far enough in advance to allow for adequate delivery time. Many stores provide free shipping offers if you don’t need the items overnight. Also, why not use a coupon? Did you know that most stores on the web these days take a new form of online coupons? Most often this is a code that you can enter just before checking out of a store. Your discount would then be applied right there, just like using a coupon at your local grocery store! There are coupon code websites that provide all these types of offers and coupons in one location, where you can search by store to find a deal you want. Many of the top online places to shop have great coupons, including Buy.com, Overstock.com, and Dell! A great place to get these codes and free shipping offers is at http://www.couponchief.com

Still not sure, or really don’t have the budget? What about a personal coupon / IOU that entitles her to something special, like a massage or a chore that you normally don’t perform. Sometimes these simple gifts can do more to delight her than something you buy. Another idea would be to get her a simple pendant or ring to constantly remind her of your love and appreciation. These can be found at online jewelry stores at deep discounts, sometimes even in the $10 to $20 range! In any case, be creative, she will understand and be happy your gift was thoughtful.

And lastly, give her a big hug and tell her you love her!

Today Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday is celebrated all over the world. For florists and card shops the event is one of the highlights of the year, but the roots of Mother’s Day are not commercial.

Motherhood has been celebrated since ancient times. The ancient Greeks paid homage to Rhea, the Mother of Gods; and there are records of the ancient Romans worshiping a mother Goddess known as Cybele as early as 260 BC. Festivals took place in the spring which was the most fertile time of the year.

The more modern way of honoring mothers began in England in the 1600s where Mothering Sunday was observed on the fourth Sunday of Lent. This day is also known as ‘Refreshment Sunday’, the only day when you are allowed to eat or do whatever you have given up for Lent. Not surprisingly, families came together and took the opportunity to party with a big meal at which mother was treated as the guest of honor. Traditionally, mothers were given posies of flowers and a cake.

The term ‘Mothering Sunday’ is now falling into disuse and has mostly been replaced by ‘Mother’s Day’, which is used the world over.

In the USA there were several attempts to introduce a Mother’s Day as a way to celebrate peace and heal the scars of war. Julia Ward, who wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested the idea in 1872. But the idea didn’t really take off until Anna Jarvis campaigned for the establishment of a Mother’s Day to commemorate her own mother who died in 1905. Ward’s mother herself had tried to establish a similar holiday, Mother’s Friendship Day, to heal the pain of the Civil War.

The first Mother’s Day in the USA was held in 1907 when Julia Ward held a ceremony to honor her mother. She then successfully campaigned for a formal holiday to honor mothers and by 1911 most states had taken up the idea. This was followed in 1914 by a declaration by President Woodrow Wilson that Mother’s Day should be celebrated as a national holiday on the second Sunday in May. The idea quickly spread to Canada and Mexico and many more countries throughout the world.

The commercialization of Mother’s Day quickly followed, much to the disgust of Anna Jarvis who was arrested in 1923 at a Mother’s Day festival for trying to stop women selling flowers. Jarvis said “I wanted it to be a day of sentiment not profit.

Ironically Anna Jarvis campaigned for many years against the commercialization of Mother’s Day, the day she had worked so hard to establish.

Although she had no children of her own, each Mother’s Day Anna received hundreds of cards from all over the world. Anna Jarvis died in 1948.