(Attn: Dads – Here’s What Mom Really Wants!)

1. Take all of the kids out grocery shopping and leave Mom with a quiet, empty house for an hour or so. 
Let Mom know that it’s her time to spend however she’d like while the rest of the family is out stocking up on the weekly necessities.  You can really make it a mom-treat by putting all of the groceries away too as a part of the deal!  It may be hard for Mom to refrain from jumping in, so suggest she go relax in another room until the grocery duties are done!

2. Help the kids make a “Mom & Me” Book to share with Mom.
My younger daughter made this sweet little keepsake for me all on her own recently, chock-full of all of the things she loves about us as a mommy-daughter duo, and it is a hand-drawn memento that I will absolutely cherish always!  The home-made equivalent of a Mommy-Oscar!

3. Plan a sweet and simple date night… at home, after the kids are tucked in.
It can be as effortless as a glass of wine on the porch and quiet grown-up conversation with just the two of you or her favorite chick-flick, minus any eye-rolling, head shaking, or other not-so-subtle Dad protests.  Even if “An Officer and a Gentleman” for the 15th time since you’ve met doesn’t quite “lift you up where you belong” (O.K., maybe you need to be a girl to recognize that theme song), she’ll be swept off her feet that you are making it all about her for a night!

4.  Surprise-clean one of the places where Mom spends a large majority of her time – her mom-mobile.
The key here is to do so while holding your tongue from making any criticisms of the kid-garbage littered throughout (and, yes, a mom’s arms and mind really are too full of other stuff to bring a little in every time she gets out of the car!), or the coffee-to-go stains on the console (not to mention the few misguided coffee-drops that somehow found their way onto the fabric-covered ceiling – Life happens!), or the 501 DVDs that you find everywhere but in the now-empty case where they are meant to be stored, or the piles of toys, books, and tote bags that haven’t quite found their way back into the house yet.  Inquiries as to how the car arrived at that “How have you not lost a kid in here?”-state in the first place is a conversation best saved for another time!
Just imagine Mom’s delight when she enters her home-away-from-home on wheels and encounters the unexpected smell of something a little fresher than the eau-de-mashed french fries and sour milk that she’s grown so accustomed to!

5. Treat mom like the VIP she truly is by helping out with the household chores, without being asked.
Tell mom “I love you!” with an unrequested, already-folded basket of laundry!  (Better yet - an empty, already-put-away laundry basket!)  It’s a simple surprise that’s guaranteed to make Mom smile, and maybe even bring a grateful tear to her eye.  Yes, it is THAT big of a deal for her to not have to ask for the help, and instead, receive it unexpectedly!

6. Speaking of gratitude, nothing says thank you like a simple “Thank-you!” (Just like Mom taught us!)
Few things in life are sweeter than a simple, heart-felt acknowledgement of your efforts.  Let Mom know how much you all appreciate everything she does each day for everyone else.  And, the best part is, it doesn’t cost a thing, while the value to Mom will be more precious than gold!

For a fun, free, easy way to say, “Thanks Mom, you’re doing a great job,” please join us in thanking 10,000 moms by Mother’s Day!  Visit http://www.sendamomasmile.com/ to send all of the moms you know and love a well deserved mom-smile and a chance to win a $100 Gift Certificate (redeemable at all of a mom’s favorite stores)!

About the Author: Lynn Ely is the mother of two young daughters and inspires moms to evolve with MomEvolve, her creative coaching services and products company that helps busy moms move from overwhelm to making more time available for fun, family, and feeling fabulous about themselves!  Through uniquely integrated Life-, Career-, and Purposeful Entrepreneur Coaching, MomEvolve facilitates moms feeling great about honoring themselves as a priority in their lives, so they can reconnect, reprioritize, and replenish.