Grandmas adore handmade gifts from their grandchildren, even if they don’t have a use for the gift. They know just how to fawn over present given in love.  The following are five ideas that children may like to make for Grandma this year.  (Mom, be prepared to help, just in case.)

1.  What woman doesn’t love jewelry?  Make Grandma a perler bead necklace.  Perler beads are short pieces of plastic that are specially made to fuse together when heated with an ordinary household iron.  You can buy kits at any craft store; the kits come in a variety of colors and sizes to make multiple patterns.  After you have fused the beads together in whatever shape you desire (a heart would be great), why not hot glue some ribbon, sequins, or plastic gems on to make each a one-of-a-kind gift.

2.  Potpourri pies are popular in gift stores.  Here’s how your little one can create a similar experience.  Create this pie with a disposable pie shell.  Make a bottom pie crust out of flour/salt dough.  Add a potpourri that smells like your grandmother’s favorite scent, and then create a lattice pattern out of the dough.  Cover the potpourri and allow the dough to harden overnight. To enjoy the potpourri, “bake” the pie in a warm oven.

3.  Help your child make Grandma a great pillow without having to sew.  Purchase a floral polar fleece large enough to make a pillow from and some fiberfill to stuff it.  Cut this out into two pieces in the shape of a heart, about two and a half inches larger than the finished project should be.  Mom, carefully cut a fringe about an inch apart all around the fabric. Line up the fabric wrong sides together and then double knot each fringe, leaving a few pieces untied so you can fill the pillow.  Fill the pillow and then finish filling it up, making it as fluffy as you would like.  You can leave the pillow as is or decorate with paint markers, or any way your child would like to decorate it.

4.  This is another gift that Mom will have to help make, but it could be a lot of fun for both of you.  Buy at least 8 ounces of clear glycerin (you should be able to find this at a major craft store), a soap mold, and a very small bottle of lemon essential oil (or Grandma’s favorite scent).  You will also need yellow food coloring, 6 tablespoons of corn meal, and 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds.  Melt the glycerin according to directions, then add 2 drops of food coloring and 2 drops of lemon oil.  Add the corn meal and poppy seeds and stir very well.  Pour the mixture into the mold and allow it to sit until firm.  Remove it from the mold and place into a small basket.

5.  If you really want to tug on Grandma’s heart strings, find photos with your children and Grandma in them.  Create a small memory book with the pictures in it.  Have the children write the descriptions for each one, explaining what they remember about that particular time.  Pre-made scrapbooks would be great for this, and your child could decorate it they like, as well.

Mother’s Day is a time to let mothers and grandmothers know that we love them.  Each of the above five gifts made by your children will make Grandma’s day.  Not only will she know that your child loves her, but she’ll treasure each gift that was made especially for her.

Original post can be found here: Five Home-made Gifts Perfect for Grandma

Any mom in the world would be silly to return a gift they are given on Mother’s Day, but maybe they don’t really want gifts they can hold.  Perhaps they want something even more thoughtful.  The following may be what moms really want for Mother’s Day.

Moms want to be recognized for their hard work and sacrifice on the rest of the days of the year.  Quite often moms pull double duty – helping to bring in much-needed financial help and being responsible for keeping the home running smoothly. So they love to have their family members tell them how much they are appreciated.

Moms usually spend a lot of their time taking care of the home.  On Mother’s Day, consider doing all of the cooking so she doesn’t have to.  Serving her breakfast in bed would also be a great surprise for her.  The meal doesn’t have to be elaborate – it could be something as simple as cereal, toast, and juice – the fact that you took the time to put it together will be greatly appreciated.  Oh, if you can find some, wild flowers would be a nice touch.

Any hard-working mom would love a day or weekend at a spa so that someone else can pamper them for a while.  Moms want to spend a little bit of time someplace where they don’t have to worry about which fire needs to be put out next.  A facial or full-body massage would be heaven for Mom.  Instead of just giving her a gift certificate, go ahead and make an appointment so she won’t cancel.

A night out on the town would also be appreciated by moms the world over.  Perhaps the husbands could agree to stay at home with the kids and allow Mom to have a girl’s night out with friends. Dinner and movie with time to dish may do wonders to improve a stressed mom’s outlook.

How about some time to just enjoy and have fun with the family?  Moms are often pulled in many directions throughout the year.  Many moms say they would love an opportunity to sit and play board games with their family.  Watching comedies with a great big bowl of popcorn would also be a welcomed change of pace.  Spending time with their loved ones is high on Mom’s list of gifts.

Ultimately, what moms want more than anything else in the world – more than a card, a box of candy, or a beautiful bouquet of flowers – is to know that they are loved.  Children stop telling their moms how they truly feel as they get older.  A handwritten “love note” ranks the highest of all things moms really want for Mother’s Day.

Original post can be found here: What Moms Really Want for Mother’s Day

Some historians believe that Mother’s Day began as a pagan holiday celebrated in Greece.  Some believe it started as a way to recognize the Virgin Mary and was celebrated in conjunction with Lent.  While these may have been a type of Mother’s Day, they are not what most people think of when they consider this holiday.

In fact, most people don’t know the history of Mother’s Day or how long it has been celebrated in the United States.  Since very few people are left that were alive when Mother’s Day began, we just figure that the holiday has always been celebrated. This is untrue, however, so it’s time to set the record straight.

Mother’s Day was first suggested as a holiday in 1872 by woman who wrote the words for “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”, Julia Ward Howe.  She was so adamant about there needing to be a holiday to honor mothers that she held annual Mother’s Day meetings in Boston each year.

Anna Jarvis picked up the Mother’s Day baton in 1907 and began trying to get Mother’s Day added as a national holiday.  The most she could accomplish was to talk her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia into celebrating the day on the second Sunday of May.  The following year, the City of Philadelphia, known for Brotherly Love, began recognizing motherly love by celebrating the holiday.

For the next two years, Ms. Jarvis and her supporters tried to convince ministers, businessmen, and politicians that there should be a national holiday to honor the nation’s mothers.  By 1910, because of these efforts, the governor of West Virginia proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.  Nearly every state picked up the holiday the following year, and by 1914 President Woodrow Wilson officially announced the second Sunday of May as a new national holiday, Mother’s Day.

After spending so much time and effort to get the holiday established, by 1923 Ms. Jarvis filed a lawsuit to stop the holiday.  She felt that the holiday had been too commercialized and that businessmen were just trying to make money from it. In fact, at the Mother’s Day festival, Jarvis caused such a scene that she was arrested for disturbing the peace because they sold white carnations – which was Jarvis’ symbol of motherhood.  She told a reporter she wished she’d never created the holiday.  Eventually she died alone in a mental institution in 1948.

Mother’s Day continues despite Jarvis’ attempts to have the day to honor mothers removed from the historical record.  Many other countries have picked up the holiday, although they are not all celebrated on the same day.  Denmark, Turkey, Australia, Belgium, Italy, and Finland do celebrate the holiday on the second Sunday of May, just like we do in the United States.

Most mothers will receive cards and gifts on this day although they probably would prefer just being pampered for the day.  No matter how you celebrate Mother’s Day, make sure you let your mother know how important she is to you, and express to her how much you love her.  Those are probably the greatest gifts a mother could receive from their children.

Original post can be found here: The History of Mothers Day

When Mother’s Day rolls around, kids want to show their moms just how special they are. Store-bought gifts and cards are nice, but they lack that personal touch. Something made just for Mom has much more sentimental value, and kids don’t have to spend much money (if any) on it.

Even toddlers can make Mother’s Day crafts with a little help. Here’s a sampling of things kids can make for Mom.

Framed Photos

Every mother loves to look at pictures of her kids. So why not pick out a favorite picture or yourself with Mom and create a beautiful frame for it? There are many ways you can go about making photo frames.

One of the cheapest and simplest ways to make a picture frame is to cut one out of paper. Construction paper, card stock and thick scrapbooking paper are good choices. Or, if you want to make the frame even sturdier, use corrugated cardboard. Just make sure the opening in the middle is large enough to show the part of the photo you want to display, and make the frame any shape you like. Decorate with paint, glitter and stickers. Add a magnet to the back for easy display on the refrigerator.

You can also make frames out of craft sticks. Just glue the ends of four sticks together to make a square, and decorate with markers or paint. Or if you prefer, buy a plain photo frame and decorate it as you please.

Candle Holders

It’s easy to make a lovely candleholder out of a small jar. Larger baby food jars work well for tealights and votives. Pint jars can hold votives or small pillar candles.

To decorate, use tissue paper. Mix equal parts white glue and water, and stick the paper onto the outside of the jar, stopping below the rim. Use pieces of different colors to create a stained glass look. Cut some shapes out of the paper if you like, arrange them in a pretty pattern, and glue on top of the larger pieces. Coat with the glue mixture to seal, and let dry.

Bath Salts

Want to help Mom pamper herself on her special day? Make her some homemade bath salts. They will help her relax and leave her skin feeling great.

Just mix 3 cups of Epsom salts, 2 cups of baking soda, and 1 cup of table salt. Add about twenty drops of a fragrant essential oil. Lavender, sandalwood and chamomile are good choices. Mix thoroughly. Present the bath salts to Mom in a pretty jar tied with a ribbon.

Decorative Flowerpot

Moms adore flowers. Creating a unique flowerpot with a plant you’ve grown for her is sure to bring a smile to her face.

Small unglazed terra cotta flowerpots are easy to paint on. Use acrylic paint to make a pretty scene or design. If you don’t have a flowerpot, a styrofoam cup will do. You can decorate it with markers, glitter glue and stickers. When your creation is dry, fill it with potting soil and plant a few seeds. Try to do this a week or two before Mother’s Day so the plant will have time to start growing. Don’t forget to give it plenty of sun and water.

Mom is sure to appreciate these simple yet thoughtful crafts. They will give her fond Mother’s Day memories for years to come!

Original post can be found here: Mother’s Day Craft Ideas