Welcome back to day two of our Mother's Day celebrations and preparations! I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post!
The other day I called my mom and thanked her for being such an amazing chauffeur. I remember my dad introducing her as a cab driver. I remember calling my mom "Jeeves" (the best chauffeur name we could come up with!) whenever I crawled into the car for a ride to dance, music lessons, or theatre rehearsal. But I had no idea how much of a sacrifice for her and an imposition upon her it was, until now. Until now when it is my turn at the wheel. Literally.
Isn't it funny how life works? How walking a day in someone's shoes changes everything?
Not so long ago, I took a long hard look at Nigel. He is 14 which means in less than 10 years he may very well be married. Which will make me a mother-in-law. I am going to be a mother-in-law to a young lady that I hopefully love and one that even more hopefully loves me in return. But here's the thing. I am fiercely loyal and more than a bit neurotic, so there is a chance that she may not love me from the get go. I am abso-smurf-ly positive that she will in the end, but the beginning? Could be iffy.
Trying to imagine things from a different perspective is enlightening. I have a newfound respect for my own inlaws. That they welcomed me into their family. That they let me be me. I am sure it wasn't always easy. There are familial differences that I am certain didn't always make things smooth. But as the years pass, my sweet mother-in-law and I have more and more in common and have become closer and closer. She is really good to my kids, and she works hard to include me. And once I realized that I may be a mother-in-law one day, I know I have become more forgiving and more flexible as a daughter-in-law.
I haven't really made any pages about my relationship with my mother-in-law. It is time!
LAYOUT IDEA: CELEBRATE OUR MOTHERS-IN-LAW
Here are some journaling ideas to get your pages started:
- things you have learned from you mother-in-law
- how your relationship has grown, changed
- a list of favorite qualities your mother-in-law possesses
- things you have in common
And if you want to help get your husbands involved in journaling on a page about their mom, here are some ideas for you:
- I remember when my mom...
- My favorite thing about my mom is...
- My mom is awesome because...
I have found that I get the best answers from my sweet husband when I email him for an answer, or when I write the response as he talks. Maybe that will help you, too.
Here is my layout. It's a bit of everything.
MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEA: COUPON BOOKS
Today I made a coupon book for you to print and leave out for your kids to fill out for you, or for you to fill out for your own mamas. Either way.
It will print on a regular sheet of paper (I prefer white cardstock). Once you print it, all you need to do is trim it into its six pages. And voila! A perfect little present. I hope you like it! You can download it here.
Thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoy putting together some pages about your relationship with your mother-in-law and that you can put the coupon book to good use!
Be sure to stop by tomorrow--it's launch day!!