Happy Mother's Day

Is it me or is Mother's Day really hyped up this year? Every advertisement I hear or see seems to be trying to induce some of type of guilt-based buying behavior on me. I heard Earth Day was big because Easter was so early, but Mother's Day is huge. I think the recession - er economic downturn - has made large businesses go into Mother's Day overdrive. I refuse to be sucked into the madness and do anything different than I normally do. Call me a bad daughter, but I usually stick to a card, a plant and some fun girly things you don't think to buy for yourself (face masks, pjs, pink flip-flops, lotions). I'm pretty sure my own mother is fine with this routine and I hope any recently added family members will be as well.

Typically I really enjoy picking out a cute and well-meaninged card for occasions, but this week's trip to Hallmark was an exception. Apologies to all you Mother's out there, but most of the cards were silly and insipid. And not even irreverent, just irrelevant. The woman next to me looking through cards kept giving me dirty looks because I couldn't help to make gagging noises at some of the cards. New rule for me and card buying - if it takes both sides of the inside of the card to get the message across it is ridiculously wordy and probably saccharine sweet. Gah. I finally got out of the store with four cards that didn't make me throw up in my mouth (although three of the four are not up to my usual card standards).

After all the drama at Hallmark, I got home to let Chris know he was responsible for mailing the cards to his mother and grandmother. I braved the card store to pick them out after all. Uh, yeah, they are still on the table. What's worse though, is upon signing the card I picked out for my mom, I realized I misread it at the store. It's really intended for an adopted person to give to his or her mother (it says I can't thank you for my DNA, but I can thank you for all the other things you have done for me)...oops. Well, my brothers always said I was actually found in a dumpster and not really related.

Regardless, I'm wishing all you mothers out there a special day!