With AP tests and extreme amounts of homework, it’s easy to forget that Mother’s Day is just around the corner.  And because of all this work, we don’t usually have time to run out to the store and get something nice.  Whether it’s your grandma, aunt, mom, family friend, or anyone that has played a mother role in your life, make sure to take a few minutes and show them you care!

1.  52 Reasons Why I Love You!
Materials:  standard deck of cards, sharpies!
Time: 15-20 Minutes
All you need to do is take your deck of cards, and on each one, write a reason why you love your mother figure on each of them.  Package it however you please.  Through this gift making process, you’ll find things you love about this person that you may not have realized, and I promise you’ll appreciate them even more.

2.  Breakfast in Bed
Materials: a kitchen, food
Time: Varies based on meal
Whatever your mom’s favorite breakfast food is, make it for her Sunday morning!  Even if you can’t cook, cut up fruits or bring her a glass of orange juice to show her your appreciation for doing what she does for you.

3.  Slideshow of Love
Materials: computer, access to old pictures
Time:  Depending on how technologically savvy you are, this project’s time can take different times.
Put together a slideshow of family picture and clips of each family member saying why he or she appreciates your mother.  Put it online so your mom can brag about how amazing her family by posting it on Facebook or emailing it to her friends and extended family members.

4.  Note in a Bottle
Materials:  glass bottle, meaningful letter, ribbon
Time:  20 minutes
Take a piece of paper and write your mom a meaningful and thoughtful letter!  IT IS CRUCIAL YOU PUT YOUR HEART INTO THE LETTER!  When you’re done with the letter, roll it up and put it back into the bottle.  It’s optional, but you can tie a ribbon to the bottle.

5.  Appreciation Jar
Materials: jar, little notes to fill the jar with
Time: 30 minutes
Take pieces of paper and rip them up into little neat note-sized papers.  Write little compliments or appreciative comments on them and fill the jar up with these compliments.  Whenever your mom is stressed out or just in the need of a pick-me-up, she can grab a compliment and remember what an amazing child she has.

6.  Baked Goods
Materials: depends on recipe
Time: depends on recipe
Moms always have their signature baked good recipe.  Take that recipe and make it for her!  Moms always make these sweet goods for us, so why not reverse the roles for once?  Package them in festive bags and boxes for an extra flare.

7.  Family Date Day
Time: the whole day
Surprise your mom with a day to remember and organize a day for the whole family to enjoy.  Make reservations at your mom’s favorite restaurant, take the family to the beach, or watch a movie together.  Whatever your family enjoys the most make sure you include that in your plans for the day.  Spend the day pampering your mom.

8.  Egg Note
Materials: sewing pin (some form of needle), raw egg, rubbing alcohol, paint, and a note
Time: 15-30 minutes
Take your egg and sewing pin and puncture a small hole onto the side of the egg with the pin.  Use water to drain the yolk from the inside, and rinse the inside and outside with rubbing alcohol to get rid of the smell.  Paint the now clean and hollow egg however you please.  When you finish painting and letting it dry, take a note with a sweet message, roll it up thinly, and slide it into the egg.  Your mom will love how crafty you are!

9.  Remembering the Past
Materials:  paint, paper, macaroni noodles
Time: 30 minutes – 1 hour
Moms always think about how fast time is flying and how you’re growing up so quickly.  Let her remember the past for a day by making her crafts you would usually make in kindergarten.  Finger paint a masterpiece or put together a macaroni artwork for her like you used to before the rough times of school.  This will definitely touch her.

10.  APPRECIATE HER!
Materials: YOUR LOVE
Time: YOUR WHOLE LIFE
You always hear, “Everyday should be Mother’s Day”, but no one really enforces that.  Change that!  With the rough times of high school, it’s easy to sometimes have a bad attitude or talk back to your mom.  It’s bound to happen, but remember to appreciate her.  She sacrificed countless things to give you all that she can.  Make sure she knows that you appreciate her.
After all, you have never lived in this world without her, but she has lived in this world without you.

Brandon Tong (10) says, “Mother’s Day is an extremely important day of the year, and I hope that everyone celebrates it with even the smallest gesture.”  These small gestures will go along way; after all, it’s the thought that counts!  Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!