Mothers are Special

Moms everywhere deserve to have a beautiful day this Sunday! I made a long list of things I wish I could give to my mother, whom I love and adore. I want her feel extra special on this day. The list was long and some of the things were pretty expensive so I paired it down a bit.  The cruise to Alaska and the trip to Ireland are just not in the cards this year. I thought I would share the short list of some less expensive and very much last minute ideas you could do for your mother. Things that will let her know your heart is really in it even if your wallet is not.

• Flowers are predictable, but defiantly easy. You could step it up just a notch by buying a rose bush or a beautiful hydrangea this year and actually showing up to plant it for her! Then she would be thinking of you all year round when she looks at it! 
• Breakfast in bed. This is my favorite treat! My girls are awesome for this most years. This is a great way to make the woman that usually tends to every meal in the house feel appreciated and loved, like she deserves to be! Follow up by making sure that all the dishes get done and taken care of. It will mean more than you think. 
• Gift certificates. My mother loves to eat out! If you can’t take her out to dinner or lunch consider sending or giving her a card to a place that she loves to eat at. Don’t underestimate the beauty of this gift. The reason women love to eat out is because we are always the ones cooking, setting the table and cleaning up when it is all over. It is so nice when that part of the equation is taken out for us and we can just sit back and enjoy. 
• A picnic. This is right up there with the no dishes, no planning part, for us moms. Think about where you could take her. Plan the menu, pack the meal and haul her out the house to a surprise picnic. What a lovely way to spend mother’s day! Creating memories for a lifetime with a woman that is all about creating memories for you. 
• Salon services. Nothing says pamper and taking care of you like a salon service. Whether it is a body massage, manicure, pedicure or facial these are typically things some women hesitate to spend the extra money for themselves. Us girls all love being pampered in this way but it is hard for us to justify spending the extra money on ourselves when we could be buying shoes for our children or purchasing some other, always pressing household necessity. 
• Acknowledgement. Especially if you don’t have much money, I would put this as number one. It is just nice when my family takes the time and goes through the steps to show me that they truly appreciate how hard I try to make the rest of the family feel special on their day. So honestly any effort that looks and feels like they spent a day or two thinking about it and planning it is the best gift ever! 

So there are my suggestions for a flawless mother’s day. Incorporate any one of these suggestions and I give you my guarantee that you will be making some mother a very happy girl this Sunday! 

Thank you for stopping by my blog! 

Hope you have a fabulous week and mother’s day weekend. 

Michon :)

Bald is Beautiful!

One of my favorite holidays is St Patrick’s Day.  The reason why may surprise you though. I have had the honor over the last 5 years to participate in an amazing event called St. Baldricks. This organization raises money specifically for Childhood Cancer Research. Reno hosts one of the biggest events on record with the organization thanks to the tireless efforts of  board members, volunteers and staff of Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation. Last night the event brought in over $200K! It is very humbling and inspiring to be surround by so many people young and old, male and female that “Brave the Shave” on that evening. Each “shavee" has a story to tell about a friend or a family member that has passed or is still in the fight with Cancer and why they are shaving. I love being able to be a part of it by shaving the heads of these warriors. 

Team Kylee’s Wish was the hardest for me last night. Kylee was diagnosed at 6 years old and lost her fight with cancer when she was 8. This year her big sister Kehli-Anne decided to shave her head in remembrance. My friend Chandra is shaving Kehli-Anne and I am shaving her best friend Ashley here. The girls were crying, shaking and excited all at once. It was so moving to be a part of such a personal journey, as these girls braved the shave. They are my new heros and proof that bald is beautiful!  It is just remarkable to me how brave these women are. Both are attending their senior prom next week! I would never have been brave enough to do this in high school! Heck, I am not brave enough to do it now as a 48 year old woman! 

Brave women and men will be going to school and work on Monday morning wearing their badge of honor shining brightly atop their heads with an opportunity to raise awareness about childhood cancer. Meaningful discussions with hundreds if not thousands of people that had no idea how prevalent this epidemic is among our children will be educated. When I went searching for statistics on this subject I have to say I was more than a little surprised by many of them. Here are just a few of the ones I found:

• Cancer is the second leading cause of death in children younger than 15yrs (after accidents)
• About 1,310 children are expected to die from cancer in 2013
• 36 children a day are diagnosed with some form of cancer. 
• The incidence of invasive pediatric cancers is up 29% in the past 20 years. 
• Because of increased research and treatment advances more than 80% of children with cancer now survive 5 years or more. Overall this is a huge increase since the mid 70’s when the 5-year survival rate was less than 60%.

The St. Baldrick’s organization gives 82% of all the money raised to childhood cancer research. 16% goes to fundraising and an honorable 2% goes to management. That is a financial to be proud of! Anyone can organize an event and the events can be held anytime of year. In fact I have it from a good source, that they would like to spread the love throughout the year a little more. So if you are helping to organize an event or want to sponsor a fundraiser consider them! All you have to do is find a few crazy hairdressers that are clipper happy and set up shop! Before a fun run maybe, along with a sheep shearing contest, hmmmm what else could we pair this event with. Do you have an idea for a fundraiser or an organization that you are passionate about that you would like to share with us? Please leave a link in the comments below so we can check it out an learn about amazing things happening in your area. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog! See you next week! 

Michon :)

Sources:

 JGstats, children in cancer, national cancer institute