May 8, 2008 by Barbara.

With Mother’s Day this weekend, I thought I’d offer 13 things to do to celebrate.

1. Go to a farm and see the mama animals and their babies. The Canada Agricultural Museum offers free admission to mothers. I bet a lot of places do as well.
2. Go to a tea room for fancy sandwiches and a nice cuppa. I went for tea to Zoe’s at the Chateau Laurier with a nephew who was  about 13 - at his suggestion since I’d taken his sister - and we had such a lovely visit.
3. Visit a park or conservation area and look for spring flowers.
4. Check out your local museum for special Mother’s Day activities. Ottawa City museums have quite a few. I’m sure other cities do as well.
5. Make an appointment at  a “paint your own ceramic” studio, like the Mud Oven, and take mom along. If they’re booked or you can’t arrange it in time, make a gift certificate and give it instead.
6. Play hopscotch. I just love it. 
7. Think about gifts that you gave to your own mother when you were small. Would they be suitable for you/your wife? I gave my mom pansies and the like. They always died.
8. Try a new restaurant. Wear a dress and even a hat. It changes the experience.
9. Fingerpaint with your kids. You can all make something for your respective moms.
10. See if there is a soup kitchen that needs help on Sunday or do something else that will help the moms in your city who need help just getting by.
11. Get family pictures taken - the more generations in the shots, the better.
12. Make a video and send it to your mom - webcams are fabulous - or maybe just keep it for yourself. We keep our video cameras on the shelf too often, waiting for a “special event”. Is there an event more special than Mother’s Day?
13. Hug your kids and your mom. Heck, hug your mother-in-law.

Happy Mother’s Day!

View other participants in Thursday Thirteen or look at my previous Thursday Thirteen entries.

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May 8, 2008 by Barbara.

I was looking at what I’d written this time last year and came across the reasons that I’m glad I’m raising in the digital era. It juxtaposes with a conversation that Reid and I had recently. We were discussing what we would do on a particular day and I said that we needed to know what the weather would be before we could decide. I said, “I’ll just check the weather site” and turned to my laptop. Reid, a girl of action, walked to the front window, looked out and reported that it wasn’t raining. Oh, well, that is a non-digital way of getting some information.

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