Monday, May 1, 2023
🌸 HAPPY MAY DAY! 🌸
Every year we are excited to welcome the month of May with May Day!!
If you missed last Thursday's post where we shared
all about May Day and some fun and silly activities
to do with your Littles,
please check it out TODAY!
This is such a whimsical day!
These activities will bring joy and delight to all ages of Littles!
In today’s post we turn our attention to Mother’s Day!
Mother’s Day is celebrated in the United States each year
on the second Sunday of May!
You know you are truly a mom
the first time you celebrate Mother’s Day as a mom yourself!
Suddenly YOU get to be the main attraction!
People wish YOU a Happy Mother’s Day!
Look at those babies... and our little ones, too! 💕
We were both so excited to celebrate our first Mother's Day as moms ourselves!
Of course, Mother’s Day is also the day
when we celebrate our own moms,
whether we are blessed to still have them with us
or we are remembering with love, as we both are,
all they meant to us!
And, these days, we also honor our own daughters
and their role as a mama!
What joy to see our own children embrace motherhood!
Definitely something special to celebrate!
OKAY... as fun as this is for us, we need to stop our trip down memory lane
and get to today's blog post!
We love creating gifts with Littles
and Mother’s Day provides a perfect opportunity to do so!
Today we are sharing some of our favorites….
For many years Laurie and Laura made gifts with their kindergartners for Mother’s Day, so imagine how thrilled we were at the thought of making gifts with our Littles (our grandchildren) for our daughters (their moms)! If you are a grandma who can do this, we think this is a special way to remind your daughter or daughter-in-law of the great job they are doing navigating life as a parent!
Also, what a teachable moment and bonding experience this could be with your grandchildren - the opportunity to talk about mommies and how much they do for their children. It’s also a great time to share memories of their moms and dads as children. What Little isn’t fascinated to hear about some of the funny and “naughty” things their moms and dads did when little??
🫢
Below are a few projects you can work on
with your Little to celebrate their moms!
Photo Flower Garden!
Laurie did this project with Little D when she was 9 months old to give to her mommy…
I purchased 3 small flower pots and put each one in a gallon Ziploc baggie. I put some paint blobs in with the pots and sealed it well. Little D took the bag and smooshed (is that even a word?) the paint over the pots.
Little D banged the bag against the table while exploring
and broke one of the first pots!. OOPS!
Two Grand Tips!
#1 - Buy an extra pot
#2 - Help hold the bag when your Little is smooshing,
Set the pots out to dry for a while. I did the next part myself. I punched out 3 pictures of Little D and made them into paper flowers with straws as stems.. I wrote Happy Mother’s Day - one word on each pot and inserted the flowers into shredded paper (or Easter grass). You could also write the date or any other information on the back.
Little D’s mommy was able to keep the pots and smiling pictures of her little girl on her window sill for a whole year!
Toddler Tip!
If you need an easier project for your older baby or toddler to create, here is a delightful gift that both Laura and I received from our own Littles when they were in 2 year old Sunday School class together… and we’ve both kept them ever since! (After all, those first gifts are oh-so-special.) 😍 Our Littles simply took a small flower pot and attached stickers to it! Fill it with anything you’d like - candy, flowers, seeds, pens or pencils! Be sure to add the year, too!
A Mommy OR Grammy Bag!
Laurie was lucky to receive a gift from Little D on her first Mother’s Day as a grammy!
Little D and her mom made me this adorable tote bag. It’s actually a perfect size to store some wipes, a diaper or two, and a few extra things when I am out with Little D!
I am one proud Grammy!
This would also be a fun project to make for a mommy! Canvas bags like this can often be found at a craft store (or here at Amazon). You’d also need fabric paints in the colors you like (the example above includes green, yellow, pink and orange) and a paint brush or two!
Our Grand Tips!
#1 - Put a layer of newspaper inside the tote before beginning
(this will prevent bleeding through to the back).
#2 - Add your Little’s handprints first! In the example above,
begin with the center handprint and follow with the ones on each side,
providing space between them!
#3 - Once dry, add the painted stems and grass and then finally
the words above!
#4 - Let everything dry before removing the newspaper!
Thanks for Helping Me Bloom!
Here’s an easy activity for any age! Take a photo of your Little holding a bouquet of flowers or a potted plant. Frame the photo. The framed photo and the flower bouquet/planter are your Mother’s Day gift!
Two More Online Options for You to Consider…
from The Country Chic Cottage
Add handprint flowers to a watering can and make the perfect Mother’s Day gift… especially for someone who loves to garden! Grab a few supplies and the hand of your infant or toddler to make a cute gift that will be treasured forever!
from The Best Ideas for Kids
All you need are a few supplies to make these thumbprint butterfly mugs. You can often find plain white mugs at the dollar store, making this craft very frugal to make!
Perhaps you are someone who prefers to purchase a gift,
a memento for the special young moms in your life!
Here are 4 quick ideas that we’ve purchased and loved!
#1 - A Personalized Travel Mug
Laura purchased this mug for Daughter J when she headed back to work after her maternity leave! It would be an equally thoughtful gift for Mother’s Day.
Here are the details if interested in this specific one!
#2 - Magnetic Photos!
When Daughter J returned to work, Laura also sent 4-5 pictures of Little L in magnetic photo sleeves. Daughter J could put these on her file cabinets or desk during those early days of being away from Little L! Again… a simple, inexpensive gift for Mother’s Day! You can find the magnetic photo sleeves at most drugstores or here at Amazon.
(ADDED BONUS: Now these photos are displayed on the refrigerator and dishwasher at home and Little L loves looking at them!)
#3 - A Personalized Keychain
For Laura’s first Mother’s Day as a Grand, she received this sweet keychain! It was such a lovely gift and every time I look at it, I think of sweet Little L!
Here are the details (from Etsy) if you are interested in learning more!
#4 - A Mama Bracelet
This was a special gift from Laura to Daughter J… we were both so excited to welcome a little one into our world and Laura was equally excited for this new mama!
Here are the details (from Nordstrom) if you want to learn more!
Whether homemade or purchased,
the thought that goes in to giving a Mother’s Day gift or card
Is what truly matters and means the most!!
An Extra Idea… Especially for Distance Grands!
If you live far from your children and grandchildren, and are unable to get together to work on a project but would like to, here’s an idea for you!
Write out or prepare a series of partial statements Here are some examples - thoughtful, silly, meaningful!
My mom is best at…
I love my mom because….
My favorite thing to do with my mom is….
If I could give my mom any gift in the world, it would be….
My mom makes the best…
My mom always says…
My mom’s purse is full of…
I know my mom loves me because…
Once you have your list together, call or Facetime with your older Little(s) and ask their mom to leave the room. Ask your Littles to finish the statements and write their answers down. Send them in an email, text or card to their mom, remembering to add your own comment about what a wonderful mom she is to your grandkids!
(NOTE: If your Littles are old enough to write their own answers, you could email or mail the statements to them and they could write them out themselves as a gift)
If your Littles are babies or toddlers, write the answers yourself (from your own perspective) and send… Let that tired mom know what a great job she is doing, and how much you admire her. Thank her for raising your grandchild(ren). Most moms are just looking for validation that they are doing something right!!
Mother’s Day is the perfect day to celebrate family
and the love you all share!
It’s the day to love, love, LOVE those Littles
and be grateful for
the joy and purpose they bring to our lives!
While we’ve loved sharing our gift giving ideas with you,
we also know, wholeheartedly, that there is
NO GREATER GIFT
than time spent with loved ones!
Remember… as a mom, a grandma, an aunt, a cousin, a friend,
YOU
are one of the people who makes your Little
who they are.
You are loved!!
Yes… the secret is, indeed, love!
during the coming weeks!
We’d love to have you follow us there!
We also invite you to visit our growing Pinterest Board…
We’ll be back this Thursday, May 4!
Laura will share an easy and delicious recipe
Lemon Blueberry Poke Cake,
a grand dessert for your Mother’s Day festivities!
Wishing you all a blessed week ahead!
We are excited to join these link up parties and blog hops:
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