Of this I am convinced: there are an infinite number of ways to be a wonderful mother. There's no secret recipe or way that you need to adapt your personality. Your children need all the you-ness you've got.

We mommas can be hard on ourselves. We can focus on what needs to be done more than the goodness that is. And Mother's Day is a fabulous time for us to breathe, to step back, and to bask in the joy that is each of us (remember that?).

With that in mind, with you in mind, here are five gifts to give yourself for the special day.

1. The space for calm or silence

Mothering is loud, messy, and constant. And those three aspects are amazing - when taken in good doses. Give yourself time away (even if it's 10 minutes with music) to inhale deeply all that awaits you and to exhale all that has been. Some of us love the stillness of silence and other would be calmer with our favorite tunes blasting. Whatever gives you a break, take it.

2. The space for physical relaxation

Children can physically wear you out. Mother's Day is the right time to go for a long walk, a good run, an extended massage, a magical bath. Reward your body for all the effort it goes through in the everyday experience of motherhood.

3. The opportunity for a fresh look

You give of yourself and sometimes (only sometimes) you make time to be good, really good to yourself. Look at yourself with fresh eyes! Try out some new colors, a different hairstyle, a red lipstick. Granted, these changes are only surface level, but sometimes actually seeing yourself look different allows you to free up some of those preconceived ideas of who you are.

4. The time to relish

I usually want to spend happy time with my kids on Mother's Day, but tantrums, activity schedules, lack of sleep, and a handful of other things can make the day feel like it's out to get me, rather than celebrate me.

For your Mother's Day, you may or may not choose to be with your children. Regardless of this, give yourself the time to remember wonderful moments in the lives of each of your children. Imagine the scenes again that brought easy laughter to you and your children. And reflect on your positive role in their lives.

5. The time for creativity

Time to fill up your bucket. Are you a reader? Love to journal? A big movie buff? Being a great mother means you make time to develop you. Children need strong role models, right? Show them that learning and using your God-given talents is important to you, too.

And get out the oil paints. Or scrapbook supplies. Or leotards.

Give yourself some extra presents this year. You deserve it, momma.

xoxo, MJ

This post is sponsored by Sprout by HP, but the project and thoughts are all mine. Thank you for your support of the brands that support Pars Caeli.

Mother's Day is just a few days away, friends! Are you ready to celebrate the mommas in your life? I've been looking at cards for the passionate mothers I know. And I have to admit that what I found fell a little flat. The racks were filled with more pastels and nostalgia than what fit these go-getter moms that I want to honor.

So I decided it was time to make my own. You know I love printables!  After a quick trip to the store, I was inspired to incorporate the beautiful tones and textures of the citrus, vegetables, and blooms. I mean, peonies!!

Typically I'd need to illustrate these props or photograph them, but with the new Sprout by HP I have greater possibilities. The Sprout is a touchscreen PC with a built-in overhead scanner, and it gives you the freedom to capture both 2D and 3D objects. I can scan anything, flat or dimensional, in a matter of seconds and quickly incorporate it into any design that I've created. I'm a big fan of the touch mat/touch screen combination because they work together so seamlessly and allow an even bigger canvas or the functionality of two work surfaces.

For the Mother's Day card, I wanted to use limes, lemons, artichokes, peonies, nectarines, and kiwis - the most vibrant textures and colors I could find. Putting wax paper on top of the touch mat, I created images of each of the props.

With the touch mat, I could resize, edit, and move around each shape to create just the look I wanted for my design. I love it when work feels like play and the hands-on quality to the Sprout makes everything feel like childhood fun again.

Mother's Day card made modern. For the passionate, go getter mom in your life! A free printable card from Pars Caeli.

I found this wonderful writing from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., that seemed to fit perfectly. Have you read it before?

Youth fades.

Love droops.

A mother's love outlives them all.

Mother's Day card made modern. For the passionate, go getter mom in your life! A free printable card from Pars Caeli.

Get your free Mother's Day printable card here. It's sized to 5 by 7 inches so that you have plenty of room on the interior to say all that you need to say. So pop in a nice piece of white cardstock and get to writing! Or, if you're looking for something to give? Why not trim this one to the cover alone and frame it?

Mother's Day card made modern. For the passionate, go getter mom in your life! A free printable card from Pars Caeli.

I'm so glad that I was able to see my mother and mother-in-law this past weekend and celebrate together. Mothers are such an important part of our lives, and I'm grateful to have such examples to follow!

---

What would you create with a Sprout?

A sweet, homemade gift for mothers and teachers! Make this one with your child from air dry clay.

Children's handprints are such a lovely way to capture the littleness of childhood. As a mom, I save all of the construction paper tracing and funny animal crafts that come home using my children's hands. I just love them!

When my friend Jeran, posted these fabulous photo holders made from air dry clay, I immediately thought of my children's handprints! I wanted to create with these small shapes in such an easy medium. And then the usability of a small dish evolved as we were playing with the flexibility of air dry clay.

A sweet, homemade gift for mothers and teachers! Make this one with your child from air dry clay.

I purchased Crayola's tub of clay to give it a roll. First we took about a baseball-sized ball of clay. It's softer than potter's clay and easy to manipulate. Using a rolling pin, we flattened the clay and traced out L's hand with a pencil on the clay.

He removed his hand, and I carefully pulled away the excess clay. If you're trying this, make sure that you have clay rolled out to about 1/4 inch in thickness. Too flat makes the hand plate too flimsy and too think makes the fingers hard to move. Using a spatula, I lifted the palm and fingers to allow them to dry on an armature for shaping.

I'm all for working what you have so I grabbed some unused measuring spoons to prop the clay into the bowl-like shape I wanted. Follow the instructions on the container to make sure that it's dried completely before you move it. You'll notice that it turns more bright white as it dries.

My children loved seeing their hands as art! And they thoroughly enjoyed making an object they knew their teachers and grandmothers would use on their desks or dressers.

A sweet, homemade gift for mothers and teachers! Make this one with your child from air dry clay.

Have you worked with air dry clay? You should give it a whirl if you haven't yet!

xoxo, MJ

May is a busy month with birthdays, year-end celebrations, sports, and Mother's Day! Sometimes special dinners out and shopping trips don't make the final agenda before Mother's Day. And though I sometimes enjoy the quite solitude when everyone leaves our home, I really love experiencing all of us together in this space - making and creating.

So why not craft together as an activity for Mother's Day? Or have your children to create alongside special grandmothers or aunts for a sweet Mother's Day experience?

This is an incredibly budget-friendly (slightly time intensive) craft that all three of my children enjoyed. Gather together:

• Paper (we chose rainbow and only used one piece of each color paper to make all the beads here)
• Scissors or paper cutter
• Glitter glue (really, any glue is fine, but glitter makes everything better, right?)
• Pencil or pen (to wrap the paper)
• String or twine for necklace/bracelet/anklet creations

First step? Cut isosceles (ish) triangles out of your paper. Ours were about an inch at the thick end. Here's the important next step: begin with the thick end and tightly wind the entire triangle around the pencil. We made different shapes by doing this. Some beads were exactly symmetrical, some looked more like cones or party hats, and others looked like a wobbly top.

As you get close to the end of the wrapped paper, squirt a dollop of glitter glue on the front and back of the end tail and graciously smear it all over the end and the rest of the bead. This will help secure the tight wrap and spread the glitter around the whole bead.

Once the bead is secured, carefully remove it from the skewer and let it dry for a few minutes before crafting further.

String your handmade beads for necklaces and bracelets that are one of a kind. You'll have the finished product made from little hands, and the priceless memory of the entire experience as a special Mother's Day treat.

Happy Mama's Day! And happy crafting!

xoxo, MJ

We take a break from our regularly-scheduled post to offer some words of celebration.

Happy Monday and belated Happy Mother's Day to Mommas and non-Mommas alike. I know that Mother's Day is a charged holiday for many women (and men) who have felt the pangs of loss, infertility, estranged mother relationships, or their own challenges with the responsibility that comes with those early words, "Mama." I pray that it was a peaceful day for you.

I definitely had some teachable moments in my own day, and it's likely to be a holiday that I won't soon forget.

All three of my kiddos had total melt downs today, all at their own distinct time, so I don't think it was a stellar mom day. And I find myself laughing with my hubby as he jokes that he hopes Father's Day passes him right by if it looks anything like this Mother's Day.

I remember clearly from my days as a teacher that my birthday was always the longest day of teaching. Appreciative students, filled with emotion, often had difficulty containing their exuberance in constructive ways, and I was typically exhausted by day's end, trying to keep a cheery face on while trying to contain some sense of classroom order. Trying, trying, trying.

Mother's Day this year was the longest day of mothering. My excited, young children (remember they're 7, almost 5, and 2) wanted Mommy's attention and created all sorts of unfortunate ways to get it. Trying, trying, trying.

And as I was standing outside (while the rest of the congregation was singing and praying) of our Mother's Day Mass with C, having the tantrum of her life, I was reminded again that mothering has so little to do with Mother's Day.

That being a mom means holding your child's hand as they plead with you to leave them alone.
That long after the carnations and pancakes and crayon wishes fade, mommies remain - waiting patiently for you to be your best, to do your best - while truly looking into your eyes and loving you through all the ridiculousness in the middle.

I am grateful to be a Momma, to be THE Mom of these three amazing little people, and I am every day, usually 3-4 times, completely humbled by it.

Thank you to all of you who mother. It's a lot different then the Hallmark nostalgia of Mother's Day, it's a lot less glamorous, and a ton more life-giving. It's hard work, and it's eternally appreciated.

Happy mothering. Keep holding hands.

XOXO,
MJ