I love a simple, restful Mother’s Day. Time spend at home or nearby where I can just be. Meals taken care of, a movie on the couch with a warm cup of coffee sounds like paradise. When my son was first born, and it was my first Mother’s Day, all I asked for was a cozy spot on the couch. I sat there watching a Barefoot Contessa marathon while breastfeeding. I was in the beginnings of post-partum depression. The next Mother’s Day, I scheduled an appointment at the local spa just a short walk from my home. This appointment was made on the advice a fellow mom, who had 3 kids and more experience with life with a busy husband. Plan your own Mother’s Day she said, and the gift of self-care was born in me. After the appointment, I rushed home to breastfeed. Other Mother’s Days are a bit of blur, but now that my son is 12, I think I have become a bit of a pro regarding knowing what I want for the one day.

A warm meal and a clean kitchen can be as celebratory as a piece of jewelry. A hug, an uninterrupted nap, can trump a decadent brunch. Loving acts cost nothing and can teach a small child about care and kindness. The practice can show a tired mom that she is cared for and appreciated.

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Instructions:

To create this cardboard flower as you see it pictured, you will simply need old packing boxes or cereals boxes, sharp scissors, box cutter or exacto knife, and opaque markers.

1. After penciling a sketch of the flower on the black side of a cardboard box, I cut out the shape.

2. creating a simple flower with 4 petals helps the flower to stay in tact when you cut out the petals.

3. Using another piece of cardboard, glue it to the back fo the flower to the create a puzzle backing.

4. Have fun decorating your flower. You can use paint or markers or crayons. Have fun with it.