Seasonal spot

We set up this space as a pop-up digital holiday spot, rather than a daily blog, and it's time now to pack up at the end of the season.  The domain will persist, and we're leaving all the free printables intact ~ please help yourself.   We'll be back with fresh posts and activities next spring.  See you then!

One week countdown

One week until Father's Day.   Or, feel free to celebrate early.  

Love this post by calendar-challenged Momastery:   https://www.facebook.com/momastery/posts/10153372791704710

new notecards

Check out the Father's Day printables section for new cards. We're adding some non-necktie, non-golf, non-BBQ cards for kids to personalize for their dads.

happy, happy Mother's Day

 Have a wonderful Mother's Day today!    

Mother's Day Eve

It's not too late.  Seriously. Find some time this weekend to connect with your Mom.  A heartfelt note means the world, even if it's by text. 

bouquet tutorial

Putting a few flowers in a vase may not need a full-blown tutorial, but there are a few helpful tips to know about upcycling a glass container to use as a vase.

          before                                                                                after

Problem

We re-used a glass bottle from a coffee drink with a screw-top lid, from the grocery store.  After we peeled the labels off, we were still left with a sticky mess and purple printing across the bottle neck. 
 


Solution



1.  Rubbing alcohol removes factory-imprinted ink.  













2.  Goo gone removes sticky residue left from peeling labels.   We found a tiny little bottle of Goo Gone at a dollar store, and that was more
 than we needed for several projects.













3.   A wide ribbon, or multiple wraps of a thin one, can cover screw threads at the top of the glass.

4.    Clippings from a sturdy, waxy plant can visually fill in the glass base.

5. Optional: decorate glass with permanent markers, stickers, or tape on a label from kids' artwork.


6.  Done!

{nearly} free bouquet

Here's a quick DIY project:  upcycle a glass bottle, add flowers from your garden and a bit of extra greenery around the stems to fill out the bottom of the glass, too.  Tie on a bow, and give it to someone special.  

I'm not speaking for all mothers here, but personally, I would rather have hand-picked flowers and save the gift budget for a new book or decadent chocolate.  Just saying. 

For instructions on how to transform a grocery store frappuccino bottle into a vase, check out this tutorial page.

honor card

The first honor card to acknowledge gifts to Nepal earthquake relief  is ready for download.  It features a rhododendron flower, the national flower of Nepal, on the front.  The inside is blank, for you to express your own message and note the chosen charitable organization.

download honor card PDF here

Nepal earthquake relief

The earthquakes centered in Nepal last week have caused a death toll of about 7,000 people (and rising), and rescue efforts are still underway for survivors.  Earlier today, one boy was rescued alive on day 6 after the quakes.

We're working on a Mother's Day card design that acknowledges a gift made to the relief effort made in honor of the recipient.  We'll post it & pin it when it's ready. 

NPR.org's article "What You Need to Know Before Donating to Earthquake Relief in Nepal" suggests ways to make the most of your donation, including resources to verify that your donation is going to reputable agencies, and what not to do (money to spend in the local Nepalese economy is more helpful than shipping things right now).

"If you're thinking about making a donation to help Nepal in the wake of the devastating earthquake, now is the time to act.

Immediate aid is essential, says Center for Global Development fellow Vijaya Ramachandran, who has drawn her conclusions from looking at the earthquake in Haiti and other disasters. "The aid that comes in within the first weeks and even months is of a life-saving nature. That's the period when the local capacity is almost zero. So outside help is really important."     [article by Diane Cole, NPR.org ]

 

beyond macaroni

So, you're thinking about what to do for your Mom this year and everything that you see is geared toward little kids making sentimental gifts from macaroni, but you're beyond the pasta jewelry phase of life.  Possibly well beyond.     We ran across a project idea that is handmade and sentimental, no macaroni required:  make a list of things you like about your Mom.  By yourself, or brainstorm with other family members for a team project.   Then, write those things to fill a page as a doodle, or as crafty or artistic as you'd like.  

Mother's Day brunch...not just for breakfast anymore

This year, the Moms in our family will be scattered on Mother's Day. As much as I would love a wonderful brunch with the entire family, this is not the year for it. This pin from a parenting magazine reminded me of other ways to celebrate family time, in this case, with a backyard movie night.  It is not the most practical choice to put a movie projector outside in my often-rainy climate during Mother's Day weekend, but the idea is inspiring. Adapting the idea of a family fun night, we could host an {indoor} movie & pizza night. Or an afternoon of games with kids and grandparents on teams together.  Or simply sitting down for an hour together and look through photo albums.   Even in a hectic weekend, we're planning time for kids (including the grown kids) to connect with their Moms. 

card stash

True story:   One year for our anniversary, my husband gave me a cheap, leftover Valentine's card that I myself had bought---and I loved it.   Instead of going shopping, he "shopped" from the stationery stash that I keep at home, and wrote a sweet & funny note to me inside.   I cherish that note in his handwriting more than anything else that he could have found at the store.


That same stationery stash has helped me send birthday cards to long-distance friends and family, without squeezing in extra errands to find and buy cards for every occasion.   My stash does not have a fancy selection, but it helps me get cards in the mail more or less on time.   My philosophy is that a nice note in the mailbox is better than the perfect card that I didn't find.   It's not about lowering standards, it's about putting effort into what matters.   With a tight schedule, taking a couple of minutes to write a note or tuck in a drawing by the kids has a higher priority for me than reading card after card in the store to find the 'right' one.

For Mother's Day, I have a difficult time shopping for cards because store selections are so limited, anyway.   The Moms in my life are not into excessive levels of pink & purple, or high heels & shopping, or gushy poems.  Which does not leave many other options with the mass-market cards I see.   I always think I will handcraft a beautiful card, and then life happens and I'm reaching into the card stash on the way to the mailbox. I usually get blank cards with artwork that I think they'll like, and write my own sentiment inside.   Or, sometimes, I grab funny cards meant for other occasions and re-write the text into a Mother's Day tribute. 

This year, we're making a collection of Mother's Day cards to share.  Free to download & use, with the freedom to write your own thoughts.   We're starting simple, and we'll add to the collection as we go.  Check them out on the printables page here, and browse our collection plus others we like, on our Pinterest boards. 

Collection of free printables for Mother's Day cards ~ blank inside to write your own message

together time

Are you looking for a way to celebrate Mother's Day and share time together as a family?  

Check out nearby volunteering opportunities that would suit the Moms' interests as well as the ages and size of your group.  Especially if you have young kids, be sure to call first.    Our food bank, for example, can't accommodate children in the food sorting area due to hazardous machinery and warehouse regulations.  But there are lots of other ways to help!   Here are a few resources on finding family-sized ways to celebrate together:

• Volunteermatch.org  search by location, activities, & ages
• United Way search by location & activities
• Pennies of time ideas for short, kid-friendly projects

Moms helping Moms

Every Mother's Day, we make a contribution to a non-profit that helps other Moms take better care of their families and themselves.     Parenting is hard enough as it is!   We want to better equip parents who have limited or unpredictable access to clean water, healthy food, and secure homes. 

 Check out our Pinterest board:
  Moms helping Moms worldwide

Do you have any charitable organizations that you'd like to share, too?   Leave a comment on the Pinterest board's group inviation pin that looks like this (go here to comment) and we'll hook you up.

welcome

Welcome to Happy Happy Mother's Day!    

Why is this blog named happyhappymothersday.net?   For the practical reason that the domain name was available.   Also, because it's starting out twice as happy.




 Note: this blog is not affiliated with the Facebook group(s) with similar names.