Give Mom something she REALLY wants... and it won't cost you a dime
BY KAREN MURPHY & JESSICA BOWIE Special to the News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Mother's Day is about spending time with the children. Children should not be at a sleepover on Mother's day. This ruins not only one Mother's Day, but two.

With Mother's day right around the corner, many dads are heading into panic mode trying to find the best gift for their spouse. This year, give her something unexpected, a gift from the heart.

Yes, jewelry, flowers and cards are appreciated. But What Mom really wants are those things that take time and careful consideration, and most of the time not much money at all. Now, how about that garage?

I can't count the number of times since hurricane Ivan ...or even before that to be truthful, that all I have ever asked for is A CLEAN GARAGE, not a path through it, but a clean garage that I could actually park my car in. Now, that would be a slice of heaven.

This Mother's Day, pay attention to those little things your spouse has been trying to get you to accomplish throughout the year that you haven't had the time or opportunity to start.

Well Dad, here's your chance! No, it won't be an obvious "Honey, I want my car cleaned out for Mother' Day," It will be more like "Oh, my car is so dirty" or "I can't get to my bicycle in the garage because it is buried."

If your wife is like most women, she is delighted by those flowers and the delicious chocolates but ... Good God man, wake up! Don't be like the rest of the male population and take the easy way out.

Let me let you in on a secret that will get you brownie points with her for weeks, maybe months to come. It is not the stuff that will make the biggest impressions, but the time you took to do something special for her, and the thought and consideration you put into it. Get creative, after all Mothers Day is this Sunday, May 11.

Consider the suggestions below for a few ideas that will last a lifetime.

Plan in advance. If this is the first time you have even thought about Mother's day, well you have some catching up to do.

Clear the family schedule for the weekend. Absolutely no outside activities are allowed unless they are Mother's Day-related. Your children should not be at a sleepover on Mother's Day, this ruins not only one Mother's Day, but two.

Get the kids to help you clean out the garage, after all, it is probably half their stuff. Don't just pick up a few things but organize items, label, hang shelves, get rid of all the old "Junk" that your wife has to leap over just to get to the car. If it's her "junk" don't throw it away, but try to group it so she can go through it later - and put it away on the new shelves you've just given her!

Hand made gifts are much cooler. If you have young kids, plan an afternoon helping your children make something that your spouse will keep a snapshot of in her heart forever. Heck, if you have older kids, have them create something too. Any type of gift that took time and again, consideration means way more that those flowers and chocolate that only took five minutes to think about. Don't forget the card. Sorry, but no store bought card is as personal as a homemade card. Yep, women, as vain as you think we are, really dig this sappy stuff.

Cook her dinner and get the kids involved. That does not mean order pizza and have little Susie bring her a slice. Really plan out the menu, go to the store ahead of time, and give yourself plenty of time to get the meal done before midnight. She will really appreciate knowing that you did something that was a family affair.

All right, you are not done yet. No, you can not cook her dinner and then leave her with the aftermath, and you know it will be a mess! Little Susie, as hard as she tried, still got flour all over the counter tops and there is gravy on the floor, and no, it's not good for the dogs. Don't even think about it. You must, if you left out any of the above steps, not forget this. Above all else, clean up your mess. Send mom on a walk with the kids and YOU CLEAN IT UP.