Mother's Day ....?

Ok - so totally help me out here, PUHLEESE! We've never really been huge on gift-giving or grand gestures in my family, we're more the type that will like, pay your way to school, buy you expensive electronic things....just cuz, put a few grand down on your house or car downpayment, but then totally show up on your birthday at dinner with ..... a card.

That's it. Seriously. Im the type of girl that thinks you should totally know I love you by the stuff I do for you in the off-season. I realize that's somewhat abnormal, and I blame my parents.

My friends totally get me at this point, but over the past few years I have been trying to turn over a new leaf, starting with my family.

The new, caring, sensitive Mack!


So, what DO you get a 52-year old empty-nester woman, who swears she needs nothing other than your own happiness??? She knows we love her, but she's had a particlarly hard year, and I really, really want her to feel the love this year - but I have finally come to the conclusion that I have NO idea what older women want.

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something witty goes here......

Give what I gave my mum for her birthday a few weeks ago - a digital photo frame with pictures of me in it!

Of course, your mum probably doesn't know me so why don't you substitute that with pictures of her own family. The beauty of those things is that you don't need a computer, just a memory card with the pics on.

It's gotta be better than the generic 'smelly bath stuff', yeah?

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

Is she the sort that would enjoy a massage or spa session?

Does she read?

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Gift certificates for Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com are pretty good for everybody, especially the people who "don't need anything". If that seems too impersonal, you can always give her a homemade gift certificate from you which she can redeem for anything she wants or needs from you. I know she can already count on you, but you can decorate it (and include a photo), and giving it to her should make you both feel good.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Oh wow, I am not giving her a picture of Tatty! But that's a good idea, thanks. Fern, she likes to read, and overworks her library card. but she LOVES massages.

You know what I could do is give her a gift certificate for ME (cuz that is a really cool idea), to give her a massage at any time she wants to cash it in.

the idea is so good, but Im kind of afraid to give her a carte blanche gift certficate for an "anything goes" thingy, because....well.....she's sort of imaginative......

I'm at a loss as to what to get my Mom this year... so am thinking about just giving her flowers and taking her out to dinner...

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Flowers and dinner are always nice, well at least I always thought so. Maybe I can get some of the siblings together and we can suprise her.

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“The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton

So Mack ... what did you do ... tell us the story

mack...is this what you ended up giving your mom? It sounds like a lovely idea. If you gave her something else you could always save the idea for her birthday.

You guys are such darlings. Me?

hmm. I would have to say it was a VERY odd day. The jury is still out a bit on how I feel about it because I think I veered off of the beaten path - the train was definitely derailed at some point.

But. I guess that's what happens when you have siblings???

To make a long story short, my mom had a stroke 2 years ago. And, though she is fully recoverd, since then, she's lived with one of us - since last year she lives in my house (so do 3 of 4 sibs), and we take care of her (more like are present to ensure she doesnt have another stroke, but distant enough so that she doesnt feel "managed"). Sometimes, she cant leave the house. Despite best laid plans for a cozy family dinner at the nice fish/steakhouse, it was determined that she couldnt leave the house, and that we'd do "mother's day" some other day.

This made me feel , but made perfect sense. One brother was seriously ill, so he was out of commission on Sunday. So, off me and the 2 sisters went to Church, the plan (my plan!) to come back bearing gifts, and to cook for mom, and spend the evening celebrating her at the very least.

Oh no. Big mistake. Little sister (who is just back from the Phillipines), who I grant has a HUGE and compassionate heart, decides in her infinite wisdom and beneficence to invite one of our friends (whose parents live in the South, who is alone on Mother's Day, and no doubt lonely and going home alone as we all trot off to be with our mothers) out to dinner that night. And THEN invites me. When I looked at her blankly, she proceeded to suggest instead having her over to spend Mother's Day with us. (It may be important to note that the girl and my mother do not get along 80% of the time) To my credit, I just looked at her blankly again, blinked a few times, and commented obliquely that perhaps Mother's Day was not the day to spend doting on someone OTHER than your Mother....and definitely not in your Mother's presence.


So she went to dinner with said friend, and I even had the good grace to drive her there and drop her off.

[serious catfight avoided by heretofore unknown maturity...on both parts]

And then, went home with gifts and spent the evening with my mom and sibs. later, little sis came in, and we all spent the evening hanging out and reminiscing on the past.

She SAYS she enjoyed it, and I'll take that at this point! Her birthday is soon anyway, so hopefully she'll be able to go out by then.

Oh man - THAT was some serious rambling! That'll teach you guys to ask me anything again!


How about you guys? How was your Mother's Day?

Geesh Mackey ... are you the eldest sister? Diplomacy is your forte it seems.

For me ... my mom has left the moral coil

So I was Dish B!tch at the Pub ... helping with Bar Tab
However I did replay some good times when scrubbing

aww sounds like it turned out ok in the end then Mack. I spect your mum appreciates you and your siblings all year round cos you all sound great. Our Mothers Day in the UK is in March , and I don't want a huge fuss and big prezzies, I just like the same sort of thing you did, just spending time with my boys.

even though im 20 my mum still wants hand made presents - we used to do this a lot as kids and I'm pretty creative so she still wants hand painted cards and stuff. Generally a nice book, photo frame or perfume does the trick.

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Undercoverlovers 100 REDUX

That's nice

I always remember the cards made at school with pasta shapes stuck on

I got my mom here favorite flowers in a nice vase and also a photo of Connor and I in a picture frame. My mom worked with Connor on my gift and homemade card. I got a box that was painted by him and written on by my Mom Happy Mother's Day 2008 with puffy paint. It is something to hold my jewelry and knick knacks. It was very nice.

aww, you're a doll christine. March huh? Its so cold then! how old are your boys?


undercover and crazyblonde, are you guys seriously telling me that homemade and handmade is the best? Oh, see now Im totally going handmade for the birthday in the few weeks. I think it might actually be more fun.