Help me make up Mothers Day!

June 14, 2010 11:06 AM

Help me give my wife a great mother's day present.

My wife is a saint and incredibility thoughtful...me yeah, not so much with the planning or touchy feely gifts. Once again she's planing this great father's day extravaganza (shhhhh, I think it involves an ipad) and I want to get her (or make her) something special.

We ended up stuck in the car for mothers day and my plan of stopping for a nice meal didn't work (with one sick kid and the other asleep) so I want to make it up.

I'd prefer to not just buy her something from the mall, I want it to be something special (crafty, scrapbooky, picturey...).

OK moms, wives, and dads (better than me) - give me some great ideas for a sentimental gift for my wonderful well-deserved wife.

bonus points if the kids (13 mths and 3.5 yo) can help create or be included in. Oh yeah and I'd like to give to to her this Sunday.

posted by doorsfan to grab bag (11 answers total)

Does she have one of those electronic picture frames that displays digital photos?
posted by Doohickie at 11:10 AM on June 14, 2010

Something sparkly + something made by the kids.

For something sparkly, don't ask. Just make your best guess and make sure it's returnable.

If there is a Color Me Mine nearby, you can go and do the handprints of kids on a plate or let them paint something like a coffee cup.

Also, you may consider a 'day at the spa' where she gets a visit for local pampering while you take care of the kids all the time.

Good luck!
posted by Argyle at 11:12 AM on June 14, 2010

Photos can be zapped onto all kinds of items these days. My niece gave me a tea tray this past Christmas that had a number of family photos in it. Or you can have a calendar made up with family photos on it. I'd visit one of the shops or internet sites that does that sort of thing and have a look around.
posted by orange swan at 11:20 AM on June 14, 2010

If you're not going to start Sunday off with pancakes in bed (made with help by your older child), then man, don't even bother. Pancakes in bed are the best thing ever.
posted by kerning at 11:21 AM on June 14, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm a mother, but not your children's mother. I would hate something sparkly or a coffee mug, my "day at the spa" gc expired several years ago and panckaes in bed meen I have to wash the maple syrup off the duvet AGAIN. Not that they are bad ideas in themselves, its just that women are kinda individuals and generic gifts don't work.

Get her something appropriate to her "love languages" (I hope you already know them by now). If you tell us what they are we can offer suggestions, especially from mothers with similar love languages.

If you want to ignore my advice and just go for anything though, a long, heartfelt letter expressing how much you love her, why you love her and a commitment to make every day for the rest of her life feel like mother's day (using HER love languages - not yours) would go pretty far with many mothers.
posted by saucysault at 11:25 AM on June 14, 2010 [2 favorites]

Your gift needs to include you taking care of the kids for an extended stretch while she has fun. Hint. Hint.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 11:32 AM on June 14, 2010 [1 favorite]

It can be very affordable to get a piece of jewelry with her birthstone, yours, and that of the kids. And pretty too.
posted by bearwife at 12:37 PM on June 14, 2010

DATE NIGHT! Hey, does she like movies? Dinner and movies? A bit of a slow dance and a cocktail? Live music? Jazz bar? I know it seems off to suggest time-without-kids for mothers day (it is), but as she was stuck in the car and no dinner on the actual mothers day, and you her loving husband wants to make it up to her, take her out in her best outfit to something you guys enjoyed doing pre-kids and tell her she's still the only woman in the room that you have eyes for.

Also, charm bracelets - one that has three items on it already (white or red gold, depending on what she wears in other jewlery). The three items should be one thing that represents you, and one for each child. They can be birth stones, but they could also be something far more personal if you find items that remind her of things you did together. As an example, my mothers charm bracelet with charms given to her by her father has a car on it (from when she got her drivers license), and an old fashioned iron on it (when she announced her engagement to my dad). My charm bracelet has a camel on it, which my dad gave me when I asked for "a pony" for christmas when we lived in Saudi. "It's an arabian horse!" The next christmas, he gave me a Dalecarlian horse. Basically, my bracelet is full or horse jokes.
posted by dabitch at 4:40 PM on June 14, 2010 [1 favorite]

Your gift needs to include you taking care of the kids for an extended stretch while she has fun. Hint. Hint.

HINT HINT again, for emphasis.

Seriously, if you want to give her a coffee mug with the kids' pictures on it, go for it. But make sure there is a big ol' Starbucks card inside it, and an invitation to go sit there all day while you and the kids do something fun that doesn't involve her in any way. Guaranteed best mother's day present ever.

In my experience, these kinds of "Mommy Days" are only fun for the mom if A) She doesn't have to be involved in the planning, execution or clean up, and B) She knows that you guys are enjoying yourselves too, and not just wandering aimlessly around the neighborhood/mall/park just to give her some alone time. Do you have some relatives in the next town over where you could go for the day?

If you must give her something handmade, something I really treasure from when my daughter was a toddler is her handprint in a cement-like mold that her day care provider made with her one day. It makes me smile every time I look at it. (But remember - no extra clean up duty for mom!)
posted by SuperSquirrel at 6:05 PM on June 14, 2010

We've been having the kids paint or handprint 4" tiles at a pottery painting place at holidays for each other, with the idea we'll use them for a bathroom remodel someday.

I made my husband a photobook of the first three months of our son's life and he loved that.

But man, nothing, nothing would beat time by myself. Take the kids and leave your wife home alone with a great book, bottle of wine and her favorite food. Or maybe that's just MY fantasy.
posted by purenitrous at 9:56 PM on June 14, 2010

If you want to make a photo gift, snapfish has tons of great ideas and they are currently offering a free overnight shipping upgrade for Fathers Day. That is, you pay for regular shipping but get overnight shipping instead. All you have to do is select "overnight shipping" and the price should adjust.
posted by yawper at 6:10 AM on June 15, 2010