Wordless Wednesday: My Mother's Day Gift to Myself

Hope you had a great Mother's Day!

Pssst! Ya'll knew I could actually stay wordless, right?!
I wanted to let you know that I wouldn't be an awesome mom to these awesome kids without this awesome dad. Eli over at Coach Daddy is sharing my tribute to Ken today on his blog. Go check it out.

Linking up at 5 Minutes for Mom

Mother's Day Weekend 2013

Whew!  I need a break from that weekend!  It sure was a busy one.

I started my new summer schedule last week where I get off at noon on Fridays.  I am looking forward to a lot of things with that bit of free time, but this first one I used to run some errands around town and then go to Henry's school.  The Kindergarten classes had "Muffins for Moms" and I was excited to be able to go.  The kids sangs two songs about Moms and then we got to have muffins and juice together. I also got a corsage that Henry had colored for me.

"I love her and she loves me and Mommy is her name-o"

 After the program, I took Henry with me and went to pick up Frances. Her class wasn't quite done, but they were getting ready to be, so we hung out in there for a few minutes.  Henry got to "help" her with her SOL review and I got a chance to chat with her teacher for a bit.

We picked up Benjamin early and went home to find Grandma and Grandpa in our front yard!  According to Henry, Grandpa was there because Grandma came and "Grandpa doesn't like being by himself."

Frances had an early dinner and then my parents took her to her ballet rehearsal. Ken and I stayed home and had movie night with boys.  Neither one of them asked where Frances was that night, but they both woke up confused on Saturday because they couldn't find her.

Henry and Ken headed out early for soccer pictures (that didn't happen) and a game, while I hung out with Ben for a bit and then went to watch the game.  Frances talked my mom into taking her to the mall to hang around; while my dad went to the Green Valley Book Fair. 

After the game, we all met up at the Mall for lunch. I also had an amazing massage from a teeny tiny lady with incredible arm strength!  That felt good!  We did a bit of shopping and I got a new wristlet and a new outfit.

We attempted naps when we got home, but since I like to keep my posts on the positive side we're going to fast forward through the next few hours...(I'll just put this picture here as a place holder.)

Saturday evening Frances had her ballet recital (which I will post more about tomorrow), after which we all fell asleep, exhausted.

Sunday morning, the kids woke up early and "snuck" out of the room "quietly" while "whispering" about making mommy breakfast in bed.  You moms know why I put those words in quotations, right?  Thought so!  Anyway,  they brought me a nice danish and some juice with some sweet cards, a new shirt, a pretty hair clip and a massage pillow.  Oh, and lots of hugs and kisses.  Those are the best part!

We went to Mass in our Sunday best, including the boys in their Easter suits.  My dad has those pictures.  My mom was happy to see her former priest was preaching at my church. He was moved up here to be the campus minister, so during the summer he will be at our parish on occasion.  I'm sure it was nice for her to see a familiar face.

We didn't try to match on purpose, I promise!

After Mass we came home and had a ham, spinach, mushroom, and cheese frittata with a fruit salad.  My parents got on the road shortly afterwards so they could avoid Sunday traffic on the interstate.  We all attempted naps and then the kids played iPad games together in my bed while Ken grilled salmon and asparagus. Yum!

It was a wonderful Mother's Day for me!  I hope my mom readers had an equally wonderful day!

DIY Sugar Scrub

I meant to post this back around Christmas and never did, so I thought I'd get it ready for Mother's Day.  I made this "recipe" for Christmas presents for quite a few friends and it was a big hit!

You will need:

• oil of your choice
• sugar
• essential oil (optional)
• decorative jar

I made a large batch and divided it into smaller containers because I made this for multiple people. For the first batch I used coconut oil and these cute jars I found at Roses. I used grapefruit oil for all of them. 

I like the coconut oil because it is solid at room temperature, so it was very easy to mix.  You can make this to any consistency that you like, but I wanted mine to be less runny than some others I've seen.  My only problem with the coconut oil is that I cannot stand the smell of coconut.  It is not an overpowering smell in the oil, and it certainly got covered up by the grapefruit oil, but I could still smell it!

You will do about a one to one ratio of oil to sugar. Mix it well with a spoon or your hands.  Add the essential oils a few drops at a time until it smells the way you like it.  Scoop it into a jar and seal it.  If you use a small mason jar you can add fabric or a ribbon to the lid. I thought these lids looked pretty on their own.

To use the scrub, just scoop a bit out onto your hands and rub it around. It is good for exfoliating and the oil is moisturizing.  After you scrub it around a bit, rinse it off with soap and warm water. Add some good lotion and your hands will feel excellent all day!


I should note that for the second batch I had run out of coconut oil.  I decided to use some Crisco instead.  It had the same results and mixed just as nicely, because the Crisco is solid at room temperature as well.  I tried both versions and couldn't tell a difference, other than the scent of the coconut.

Please note that the recipient of this lovely gift should avoid washing dishes for at least 24 hours after use. Why ruin that nice, soft feeling??

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway for Woolzies Dryer Balls here.