The Key to Having a Successful Mother's Day

Lowering Your Expectations to Have a Successful Mothers Day

About seven years ago, I had one of the worst Mother's Day's ever.  We were in counseling with our oldest son and I was starting to come out of the fog of post postpartum depression with our youngest. My husband didn't get me a single gift. Not even a card. He barely acknowledged that it was Mother's Day. I was broken. And then sitting through church service, I wept the whole time as the pastor spoke lovely Mother's Day sentiments while a collection of pictures of mother's with their children scrolled by on the screen.  My picture with my kids...my life...was absent because my husband hadn't submitted one.  It was a rough day that still feels raw when I think about it. But if anything good came from it, it's that I have a whole new take on Mother's Day. It's called lowering your expectations. 

2

DIY Coffee Sugar Scrub

I'm a big fan of homemade bath and shower scrubs. I love using items that I have in my pantry to create things that are good and all natural for my body. I'm sharing this DIY coffee sugar scrub that you can make for yourself or give as a gift {Mother's Day is coming!}. 

1

Mother's Day Card to Print, cut and Color

Mother's Day is just around the corner and I have a fun {free} printable to share with you. Adult coloring is all the rage right now. If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon, you totally should! This fun card can be printed and colored by a little one {or a big one} to give to someone, or you can print out a whole stack full, tie a ribbon around and give it as a gift card set. It's fun and I know you have someone in mind who would love to receive this!

0

Love Begins with Family printable Mother's Day card plus a gift for mom

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hallmark Jewelry for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I never realized how much my life was going to change when I became a mom. I was young when my oldest son was born, only 20. When you are 20 your life still very much revolves around you. My decisions were driven by what I wanted to do and what I needed but as soon as that baby was placed in my arms it was no longer about me. I didn't just become a mom that day, we became a family.

It's true what they say that once you become a mother you begin to appreciate your own mother and their sacrifices for you. I know I hear stories about how I didn't sleep for the first three years of my life. Well, I got payback because I had one of those kids myself! 

Becoming a mom allowed me to see my mom with new eyes. The eyes were sometimes strained with exhaustion, sometimes worry and oftentimes pride, but my new eyes could see the compassion. I don't know if you can fully realize quite how much your mom loves you until you have your own child. There is something about experiencing and knowing that mother's love that you just didn't know before.

Love begins with family.

0

Free Printable Flower Vases that you can Color for May day or Mother's Day or Anyday

When I was a small child, I remember celebrating May day. As kids, we pretty much had the run of the neighborhood. My friends and I would pick whatever flowers we could find, tie them together and knock on the door of our neighbors as we ran away giggling. The flowers were a sweet thing for our neighbors to find on their doorstep and it was a fun thing for us to do as kids. 

It's so fun for me to find flowers on our door from the little neighbor girl across the street now. It reminds me of those sweet childhood days celebrating May day.  Which is why I made up these fun paper flower vases that you can print off and use to celebrate May day or Mother's Day or just because. They are so easy and you or the kids can color in the blank vases to create a special treat for those you love.

7

All About My Mom free printable questionaire

There is nothing cuter than having your young child answer questions about someone who is close to them. I still go back and read the answers that my kids wrote about me when they were in pre-school. Which is why I put together a free all about my mom printable that you can use for your kids to capture their answers.  I promise you, your older kids will look back on it and get a chuckle too.

This would be something sweet to help kids do for their mom's for Mother's Day, or it would be fun just because.

0

25 free or inexpensive things you can give your mom on Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner. As a mom of three kids that are growing up far too fast, I thought that I would make a list of the top 25 free or inexpensive gifts that you can give your mom on Mother's Day. I promise you, these are all under $10 so they will fit into any budget.  

Honestly, what I had in mind when I wrote this are things that I would appreciate getting from my own kids. Long gone are the days when their teachers helped them create a sweet card or created me an art project in class. My kids are on their own now. This is the perfect list for a teenager or a young twenty something to keep in mind, so make sure you share it with them.

0

Easy to make Hand Stamped Jewelry even a Beginner Can Make

Personalized and handmade gifts are some of my favorite gifts to give and receive. I love how much meaning they have behind them. I love the look of hand stamped jewelry but I know many of you may be too intimidated to give it a try. I have an easy tutorial for you that even the most novice crafter can do.

0

Mother's Day gifts (to wear, for the home, personalized jewelry) to give round up

They say the best gifts to give are the ones that you would want to get yourself.  So I've compiled a list of gifts to give to your mom on Mother's Day, or ones that you can add to your list for your kids to get for you.  Every single item are things that I would love to get {hint hint sweet husband and kids of mine!}
I've broken it up into some easy to find gifts {to wear, for the home, personalized jewelry} and provided the links directly to the products for easy shopping.

0

A Mother's Choice: How I Decided to Be a Young Mom and Kept My Baby

I was barely nineteen. Not much older than he is now.  I was faced with a decision that would not only affect me, but a decision that would directly affect the lives of two others and that would create a ripple, affecting countless others. I knew almost right away. Several negative pregnancy tests did nothing to alleviate the nagging suspicion of what I already realized. 

5