This blog post is for real, y'all..
The nerds over at NerdWallet are having a "Best Mothers Day Gifts Under $25" contest and I'm entering TWO (2) of past Mothers Day gifts I've made for my mom that cost NOTHING but really mean a lot.
I'm talking about gifts I've given as an adult, not like the clay worm I made when I was eight or the "Help Around the House coupon book" when I was 13. (Brilliant little f*ckers, aren't we? Adorable gift, never had to actually do the work. Wouldn't that be great though if all the moms who got "coupons" were like, "Yo. Leaf Raking. I have a coupon.")
OK, Gift #1: "Thank You" book.
Quite simply, a homemade "book" (I made mine like 5" x 4") filled with memories, big and small, serious and funny, that you'd like to thank your mom for. Think back to your childhood, your summers, your school days, college, your wedding day.... Mine went something like this:
Thank you for teaching us to make blackberry jam on Block Island.
Thank you for The Beatles.
Thank you for letting me stay home "sick" when you knew I wasn't.
Thank you for writing "Santa" in special handwriting.
Thank you for taking us to church, even though you didn't want to go.
Thank you for the homemade indian costumes.
Thank you for taking us into NYC to expose us to art museums and broadway.
Thank you for letting us have pet rats when it repulsed you.
Thank you for driving all over New England with me to visit colleges.
Thank you for saying the choice was ultimately up to me.
Thank you for not judging when I showed up at your house crying about the guy you never liked.
Thank you for being by my side for every sickness, surgery and childbirth.
Thank you for your carefree attitude toward life, which became mine, and while there are some who would argue, it's my best quality. :)
And Gift #2 is a homemade video from One True Media - Also FREE... that simply requires your favorite photos, a song of your choice and some time to put it all together. Here's the one I made for my mom:





















