Mother’s Day is fast approaching. Have you thought of ways to make this year’s Mother’s Day memorable for your mom? What do you plan to give her this Mother’s Day? Here are ten simple ways to make your mom feel extra special whether you are on a shoestring budget or not.

Give her a plaque that says she’s a great mom or she’s the best mom for you. There are many stores that sell or make such frames or plaques. You may choose from their existing messages or titles or have one custom-made for your mom. She will surely be proud to display it at home or in her office.

Make a scrapbook or photobook for mom. The great thing about scrapbooks and photobooks is they fit any budget. If you have a small budget, you choose to make a smaller scrapbook and make your own embellishments instead of buying scrapbooking materials from the stores. You can also order a small hardbound photo book if your budget can’t afford the bigger ones. Any mom would love to go through scrapbooks or photo books of their loved ones repeatedly. This is one gift she will surely cherish over the years. Add both wacky and sentimental captions and messages on every page to make it more interesting.

Here are suggested themes for your scrapbook:

• Her children from birth or growing years up to present. It would be heartwarming for her to see how her children have changed and grown. You can also include pictures of the accomplishments of her children because she is behind the success of each one of them.
• Family pictures through the years taken in all the homes your family resided.
• You may choose a recent or long forgotten family event, trip, outing or adventure.
• Your mom’s accomplishments through the years.
• Your mom’s best recipes and pictures of your family feasting on these dishes.
  

Give mom a day off. There are many ways you can give your mom a break from tedious housework. Below are examples:

• Cook for her or for the family instead of letting her cook for you. If you, your siblings, or your dad are skilled in cooking, you can assign the other members of the family to take turns in preparing the food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can also ask for food to be delivered to your house if no one else cooks in your family. Or you may simply choose to go out and eat in a restaurant.
• Let mom watch a movie about motherhood with her other Mommy friends or with the entire family either in the comforts of your own couch or in the cinema.
• Do the laundry for her or send your dirty clothes to the laundry so that all she needs to do is put them inside closets. Better still, put the clothes back yourself.
  

Give her special gift coupons that she can redeem any day or any time she wants. You can find inspiration from the usual gift coupons or make your own. Just make sure that you and your siblings sign them so that she knows from whom she will redeem the coupon. Here are some examples:

• I will make my bed today when I get up.
• I will put my used clothes in the hamper.
• I will clean up my mess without being told.
• I will throw the trash.
• I will clean the bathroom.
• I will go to bed early.
• I will let mom watch tv for an hour.
• I will massage Mommy’s back.
• I will let mom take a nap or sleep in.
• I will obey mom right away.

Pamper her with salon services. Send her to the salon. Give her coupons to a salon or bring the salon to her by asking a salon staff to do home service for her. If you are on a budget, let her have a pedicure at least. If you have more to spare, then let her have a pedicure, manicure, foot spa, haircut with whatever hair treatment she needs and a massage.

Give her chocolates or pastries. Let her indulge in sweetness literally. You can choose from a wide array of local or imported chocolates available in the supermarkets, depending on your budget and your mom’s preference.

Give her flowers. Whether those are flowers from your own garden or bought in a flower shop, your mom would love to receive them. It reminds moms that they are beautiful just like the flowers given to them and that they are loved tenderly by those who sent the flowers.

Send her a card or give it to her personally. I love the idea of sending her a card or mailing it to her because she would be surprised and delighted to receive mail. Her delight and surprise would be greater if she finds out it’s from one of her children. If you want to make your card extra special, you can make the card yourself.

Spend quality time with her. Be it over tea/coffee and biscuits/pastries or over a sumptuous lunch or dinner, set aside time for you and your mom catch up on each other. Take time to really listen to her and talk to her. Enjoy your moments together without being mindful of the time.

Hug your mom and tell her you love her. Make sure that you get to hug her at least three times on this special day. Encourage also the other members of your family to shower your mom with affection through words and action on this day. Take turns telling her how much you love her. Say thank you for specific things that she did or continue to do for you and for your family.

There are many ways to show our mothers how much we treasure them. Moreover, our limited budgets should not stop us from expressing our love for them and in making Mother’s Day memorable for them. Mother’s Day is celebrated once a year only; but we should do our best to make the moms in our lives feel loved, appreciated and special every day. Happy Mother’s Day!'

Photo: “Mother's Day Bouquet from Emily” by Jim Capaldi, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved