I broke the news to your Dad on Valentine’s Day, and now it’s your turn. Mother’s Day is coming up and you’re seeing a whole bunch of ads with Mother’s Day gift ideas. They say that we want flowers, candy, restaurant meals, and don’t EVEN get me started about anything ending in -gram.
They are wrong.
Let me start by saying that we love you. We really really love you so much. However, cute though the handprint clay (um, vase?) you made last year was, though we LOVED the pancakes in bed (even though we were the ones who washed the maple syrup off of the sheets) what we really want is time alone.
Here’s what you do: get your Dad to book your Mom a hotel room, and tell her to get out. Period. That way she doesn’t have to plan a thing! Bonus points if you’ve charged her kindle and thrown a bag together.
Want to go fancy? If you’re an AMEX Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, check out their programs for nearby hotels. I often see some deals on there with room credit that make the room almost free, and the stay comes with breakfast and an upgrade.
Just want it to be the best last minute price? Priceline it.
Any way you do it, she’ll enjoy 24 hours of silent bliss. She’ll have a second glass of wine with dinner at the hotel bar, shower without worrying who’s about to kill who, enjoy a Housewives marathon sans bedtime drama, and sleep late (after waking up WAY too early since she’s set for dawn reverie). And every minute, she’ll be thanking you for it.
When she does re-enter the chaos, which will erupt the second she returns, she’ll have her reserves topped up and be better able to handle whatever screaming, vomiting, or meltdown comes her way.
And maybe, just maybe, the next time you hit your sister/give the dog your peas/forget to do your homework, she’ll cut you some slack because you gave her the most awesome Mother’s Day gift ever.
So everyone wins!
Moms,back me up here…
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I would have backed you up, gleefully, about 15 years ago. Or 26, when I sent the kids to their dad’s house for the w/e (“You haven’t seen him for nearly a month. It’s OK, you can give me extra hugs when you get home on Sunday night.”) and went to my newish BF’s cabin for a quiet weekend together.
I still remember sitting on the porch, cradling a cup of coffee, soaking up sun and saying out loud, “Happy Mother’s Day to me!”
But now…a call from the distant ones, maybe brunch with Husband (that newish BF? that’s him.) and the only local offspring, and then anywhere that there are flowers blooming and trees being green. This being MN, Spring is still the best gift of all.
Good points. Can’t see the forest when you’re in the weeds.
I’ll back you both up – because, like MickiSue, I treasured time alone when my kids were small. Now alone time is easier to come by. What I like most for Mother’s Day is 1) no cooking, and 2) to get to do do whatever I want, without prioritizing the needs/preferences/concerns of my husband or adult kids.
That’s why I spent last year’s Mother’s Day at the #CharlotteDO. It was my best Mother’s Day ever.
This year is unusual – both my kids will be in town, but so will my D’s MIL. Since it is really unusual that she can spend Mother’s Day with her son, she gets priority for both D and SIL. But it is rare that my S is in town on Mothers Day, so I’m lucky too. And we’ll all gather for dinner. Not sure it will beat Mother’s Day weekend at a Kimpton 😉 , but it will be just fine.
LOL. Mother’s Day is the biggest day of the year for restaurants serving brunch!
YES! YES! Perfect gift! I tell my kids all the time, next time I take a vacation, I’m going by myself. They don’t believe me, but I’m going to do it!
A few times a year, I take the day off from work without anyone knowing what’s up. I drop off my kids and act like I’m going to work. Then, I do whatever the heck I want. I started doing that on my birthday. What a gift! No one calling to ask when I’ll be home, etc. . . 6 hours of bliss. Can’t beat it!
Shannon,
Good for you! I take two weeks every other year While Deal Dad and kids visit Grandparents. Life. Changing.