5 ways to make Mother’s Day SPECIAL for your wife

I HAD all of the ingredients. The night before, I was able to sneak them in without my wife knowing. My wife loves to cook and eat good food. I had never heard of the Food Network Star, Barefoot Contessa or The Pioneer Woman before I was married, but I have gotten to know them well ever since. It was Mother’s Day and I wanted to do something special for my wife, so I decided to give her breakfast in bed. I picked out a recipe from each of those star’s cookbooks a week in advance and thought through how to get the groceries in without alerting her to my plan.

The set-up was flawless. Everything was ready to go. The only thing I needed to do was get up super early (my wife is an early riser) and quietly make the breakfast. What I didn’t think about was the proximity of the kitchen to our bedrooms. (We live in a ranchstyle home.) The second thing I failed to consider was the tile floors in our house echoing the sound. I got out one pan and put it on the stove and heard my five-yearold son yell, “Who’s making all that noise?!” Mission: FAILED. A moment later, everyone was in the kitchen.

The beautiful thing is that my wife felt the love. Although the plan and the execution were flawed and ultimately fell apart, the fact that I had put so much heart into it made it special for her. Mother’s Day is a time to honour the work your wife does as a mom. Here are five simple ways to make Mother’s Day special for your wife.

1 HAVE A CLEAN HOUSE

Kids have an amazing ability to make a mess in a house, particularly little ones. The last thing your wife wants to think about on Mother’s Day is a messy house to clean. The night before, after she has gone to bed, do a thorough cleaning of the house. It will get the day started off on a wonderful note. There’s something about a clean house that brings a sense of calm.

2 TAKE HER OUT TO EAT OR COOK AT HOME

A mom’s mind is constantly racing about how to take care of everyone. On Mother’s Day, she doesn’t want to worry about taking care of others, and that is particularly true when it comes to meals. Make sure she doesn’t have to think about a single meal on that day. Take her out to eat and/or prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner yourself. If you want to take it up a level, make something from her favourite cookbook that she hasn’t tried yet, or take her to a new restaurant she’s talked about.

3 KNOW WHAT SHE LOVES

Making the day about her means doing the things she loves to do, either with her or creating space for her to go alone, although most moms I know would rather be with the family on this day. Make a list of all the things your wife loves to do or talk about. If you need help, you could ask her friends. Whatever those things are, do them and talk about them. For example, my wife loves looking at houses for sale, both on the Internet and sometimes even driving to see them in person. We aren’t in a position to buy any of these houses, she just likes to dream. It’s special to her when I dream with her, so I am going to make that a part of her day.

4 GET YOUR KIDS INVOLVED

Moms love it when the kids are involved in some way. She’ll love it if you get them involved in the above three. Part of your job around Mother’s Day is raising awareness in your kids that they should be grateful for their mom and everything she does. It’s an opportunity to teach them how to express love and appreciation for her. Choose things they are capable of doing and help them. Spend time brainstorming about how to make the day great. Have ideas in advance if they are having trouble. Give them a vision.

5 DOCUMENT MEMORIES

Moms cherish memories that are documented - pictures, videos, handwritten notes, cards, poems, etc. Put things together that she will look back on. I have written before about doing interviews with the kids on your cell phone about the things they love about their mom, and making slide shows. You could also do a top 10 list video of why she is the best mom. Film your kids saying each one and then text them to her every hour throughout the day. That way, every hour for 10 hours she’s getting an encouraging video. Maybe, make a box of memories. Gather your kids beforehand and write down all of your favourite memories shared with her. Write them on pieces of paper and put them in a box. Add to them every year.

Whatever you do for your wife on Mother’s Day, just remember that the love you put into it makes all the difference