Looking for a homemade Mother’s Day gift the kids can make?  (Yes, it’s okay to sit down with the kids and help them make you a gift.  They will treasure that time crafting with you just as much as you treasure the gift!)

Here are 20 Mother’s Day Crafts for kids that make beautiful gifts.  And don’t forget, grandmas like gifts on Mother’s Day, too!

Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts and Cards:

This Thumb Print Necklace is sure to be a treasured keepsake as the kids get older.

Mom deserves a little time alone to relax!  These Homemade Bath Salts are perfect for a good soak in the tub.

After a long day, these Lavender Rosemary Bath Fizzies will be the perfect way to unwind.

Even little ones can help make this Magnetic Photo Frame, perfect for displaying those cute pictures on the fridge!

Kids will love having their artwork displayed with these Sandpaper Printed Towels.

How about a classic popsicle stick craft?  Popsicle Stick Coasters are simple gifts kids can make.

Kids will have fun creating a beautiful Bookmark Using Sharpies.

Here is a unique Mother’s Day Tea Cup Card, with some cute Mother’s Day poems to go with it.

This simple Hand Print Flower Pot Card will make the perfect keepsake.

And this Footprint Mother’s Day Card reminds us just how important mothers are.

Flower-Themed Mother’s Day Crafts:

Do you garden?  I love the look of this Drip Painted Flower Pot!

These Finger Print Painted Flower Pots look adorable when placed in a small group.

This Footprint Butterfly Flowerpot is sure to be a treasured gift for moms.  (I bet Grandma would love one, too!)

Kids can create this Mother’s Day Fairy Garden and add a touch of whimsy to the garden.

Whether you do a few flowers and make a card, or make it large enough to frame, this Baby Footprint Garden is just adorable!

What about something a little different from your typical flower idea?  This M.O.M. Herb Container Garden will bring fresh herbs throughout the summer.

Instead of giving mom flowers that will die in a week, here’s a sweet Cup-cake Liner Flower Bouquet the kids can make.

Like recycled crafts?  Kids can create their very own Cardboard Tube Flower Bouquet.

Kids too little to really craft?  Even young toddlers can make this cute Cup-cake Flower Magnet.

Finally, although it’s not really a craft, these Keepsake Questions for Mother’s Day are something moms will enjoy reading and looking back on over the years.

There is nothing quite like a homemade Mother’s Day gift.  The child-made cards and adorable handprint crafts are things that will be treasured for years.

You might also enjoy:

• 20 Beautiful Flower Crafts
• Gorgeous Flower Petal Suncatcher 
• 15 Homemade Father’s Day Cards
• Homemade Gifts Kids Will Love 

The post 20 Mother’s Day Crafts first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Mom, you — the one reading this — you’re doing a good job.

I know there are times you feel you can’t do it.  I know there are times you look around the house and you see the dishes spilling over the sink, the cluttered counter top, and the baskets of laundry that still need to be folded.  You see the carpet in desperate need of vacuuming, covered in Legos and Hot Wheels and Barbie doll clothes.   The clock tells you that once again you have forgotten to plan dinner and it will be a spaghetti night, or maybe canned soup and grilled cheese.

You stress.

You worry you aren’t doing a good job.

You are your hardest critic.

I want you to look further.

Look beyond the cluttered kitchen table and the kids that didn’t make it out of pajamas today.

Realize there are plenty of days left to scrub the shower or dust the picture frames.  This time with your children is more precious.

Look beyond all those things you feel you should be doing.  Really look.

See the smiling faces.  Hear the laughter as they run into the room.  Cherish that early morning snuggle, that hug when you pick them up in the evening.

Join them.  Hug them.  Let them know they are the world to you.

And know you really are doing a good job with what’s truly important.

Happy Mother’s Day!

You might also like:

• 20 Mother’s Day Crafts
• 20 Beautiful Flower Crafts
• Trusting My Instincts Got My Son Diagnosed 

The post You ARE a Good Mom — A Mother’s Day Message first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Being a mother changes you, in ways you never thought of.

Your priorities, your routine, your hobbies… It all changes.

Before children I never dreamed I’d be a stay-at-home mom.  Even when I was pregnant, I couldn’t imagine staying home with the kids.  I loved working with my middle school kids, seeing that moment when they finally “got it.”  I’d get up in the morning, go to work, come home and grade papers and think up future projects.

I’d read, a lot.  All kinds of books (ones without pictures) while lounging in the sun.  And on the weekends my husband and I were involved in various pistol shooting competitions.

You know how women ooh and ahh when they see a newborn?  Or how so many women just seem natural when it comes to getting down on the ground and playing with a young child?

I was never that woman.

Little kids?  I just couldn’t connect with them.

New baby?  Yeah, that’s nice.

About the time they got to middle school is when they got interesting to me.

But it all changed when they placed that 5lb. 8oz. squalling little girl on my chest.

I bawled for a week before I had to go back to work after our daughter was born.  Those last few months of the school year were the longest months of my life.  Suddenly, the one thing I never thought I would do was the only thing I prayed for — the chance to stay home with her.

My schedule now a days?  I try to get up before the kids so I can sip my cocoa in peace and think of what fun we will have that day.

Monday?  It’s swim class day.  Tuesday?  Story time at the library.  There are play dates, picnics at the park, and trips to the zoo.

Hobbies?  I can’t remember the last time I went to a pistol competition.  And the only books I seem to read lately have a lot of rhymes and pictures.

And that’s okay.

It’s more than okay.  It’s perfect.

Now when my husband and I go out to dinner I find myself gazing at babies and thinking back to when my own were little.  If I’m out shopping I can’t walk past a child without smiling and waving.

Yes, being a mother changes every single thing in your life.

And I can not imagine my life any other way.

.

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The post Motherhood Changes You first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Mother’s Day.  What kind of presents do you like to receive?  What types of gifts have you given to your own mother or mother-in-law on that day?  For me, Mother’s Day gifts tend to be flowers.

We get hanging baskets for my mother-in-law so she can watch the humming birds that visit them each day.  We get some type of potted plant for my mother, and last year my husband took the kids and picked out a few hanging baskets for me, as well.

Are you looking for something different this year?  Maybe something more personal?

How about  custom shirts from CafePress?   You could have all the chidren’s names put on a t-shirt for grandma.  Or maybe you’d like one for yourself!   CafePress is the world’s premier customization site.  Customized t-shirt just not what you are looking for?  They also have a wide range of other products available for customization, including coffee mugs, wall art, tote bags, and stationary products.

Know someone who will be celebrating their first Mother’s Day this year as a mother?  Surprise her with a cute baby clothes or custom baby onesies.  After all, onesies are super cute and so easy to dress baby in!

Now, moms, I’d love to know, what Mother’s Day gift would you love to receive?

The post Looking for Mother’s Day Gift Ideas? first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

The Mother’s Day cards my husband had the kids make me.

What’s made you smile lately?

The post 10 Things That Made Me Smile This Week first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

So far our weekend has been a whirlwind of activity, from getting yard work done and grabbing last-minute Mother’s Day items, to trying to clean up the house and get ready for our son’s 3rd birthday party.  (Hey, I finally got the cake in a little after 9:30 tonight!)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I’ll be sure to post pics of the birthday boy’s cake and festivities once I get to catch my breath!

The post Happy Mother’s Day! first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.