Mom-Me Celebration - Day 19: What do you really want for Mother's Day?

You know the kids are busy at school making tissue-paper flowers and finger-painted happy faces and popcorn-studded jewelry to be delivered to you on Mother's Day morning.  And soon, maybe a week or so from now, Dad will take them to the store to select something for you, perhaps a new apron or scented bubble bath you'll never have time to use or a new iron. Maybe a big bouquet of flowers will appear on your kitchen table on that Sunday morning.  But what do you really want for Mother's Day?

As moms, we don't want to hurt anybody's feelings - or gracious, we don't dare damage our children's self-esteem - by saying, "Another painted macaroni necklace? No thanks." We smile and ooh and ahh over the beautiful molded clay vase/mug/volcano/dog that our child has so lovingly sculpted in art class, although we'd really love a gift card to a spa or a new pair of sexy shoes or a quiet morning to ourselves to wander the farmer's market and enjoy brunch. Then we complain to each other about how we don't ever really get to enjoy the things we really want to enjoy.

It comes down to how you view Mother's Day. Is it a day for the kids to express to you how much they love and appreciate you?  If that's the case, then, yeah, you probably do sit back and let them have a good time in giving you what they want you to have.

Is it a day that you get to enjoy yourself, celebrate your motherhood, and take a break from all your "mother-work"? Then, you are probably the type that would like to make her own plans, with or without the family, according to your own desires.

Then, there's the hybrid in which you can mix the two. A few years ago, the Sheep & Wool Festival - which is usually the 1st weekend of May - fell on the Sunday we were celebrating Mother's Day (family schedule, blah blah blah). Hmmm.... was I to miss all things sheep-y and wool-y to have dinner with the same people I see every single day of the year and my in-laws who I see pretty frequently, too?  Tough decision. Okay, no it really wasn't. I went to Sheep & Wool and met them for dinner afterwards.  Everybody was happy.  Some of my family was confused as to where I was going, but still, all hearts were happy.  The past couple of years, I've run a 5K on Mother's Day morning. First thing, before anybody else gets up and starts fussing about what they want for breakfast, I'm out the door. I run my 3 miles, get my coconut juice and sit still for a minute before heading back to whatever festivities lie before me. Last year, my friend's husband and kids actually came along - what?  Yeah, I left mine home. I have another friend who plans a big brunch with her sister and girlfriends - she doesn't even see her husband and kid until the day is over.

It's Mother's Day.  It's for you. Make it your own. What do you really want to do on that day and what do you want your family to do for/with/without you? Start dropping hints now - only 11 more days to go.

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Follow along here on my blog or on Facebook - JustPiddlin with Frances for our 30-Day Mom-Me Celebration all the way until Mother's Day.