This time last year I realised, belatedly, that I had forgotten to send a card to my mum. One of the perils of being an expat. So instead I wrote her a Mothers Day blog post, tagged her on Facebook and realised that I don’t have enough photos of my mum and the boys. Which I still don’t so I must remedy that this summer when we head home. Once again.
This year, I have been a little bit more organised. Moonpig came through for me and (I hope) a card landed through my mums letterbox yesterday morning. Fingers crossed. Though that didn’t come without it’s own trauma as I managed to use an old debit card, to an old account, where there wasn’t enough money and caused my husband a 30 minute conversation with various banks to sort out. Oops.
What I haven’t done is managed to organise a gift at all, despite the fact that it’s so easy to do now I have the world wide web at my fingertips and I spend a lot of my working day on the computer. I could literally type in the words , pull up a website, click a button and get them over to my mum.
But I didn’t.
I could blame the fact that I live as an expat meant that I couldn’t get organised to send my mum a gift this year. I could blame the fact that I don’t know what she wants. I could blame the fact that Mothers Day is commercialised. I could blame a lot of things.
But that’s not entirely true. I send a card. I call my mum and say the words Happy Mothers Day to her without fail every year (it’s our standard Sunday Skype day don’t you know). I let my mum know every Mothers Day that I’m thankful for her, that I’m grateful for all she does and for being my mum.
But still I am not one of the 76% of people who buys their mum flowers for Mothers Day.
The fact is that, although it’s lovely to recognise (and lovely to be recognised dear husband) with cards and gifts for Mothers Day, some days I’d rather give the surprise, some days I’d rather be there in person. Some days I’d just like to be able to do it on a whim rather than an expectation.
I’d rather organise a flower delivery with Flying Flowers for a random wet Wednesday afternoon in Derby. Where you open the door and are surprised with beautiful blooms and scents.
I’d rather take my mum for a treat of afternoon tea when she heads over to Doha in April, to be there as she enjoys cake with the boys (though how joyful she will be when she realises how fast the little one moves these days I don’t know).
I’d rather give her chocolates while I’m at home so I can eat them on her.
The bubbles I’d like to present? Well that’s more fun drinking together.
This Mothers Day I may have been more organised in sending my mum a card, I may not be busy writing a guilt laden blog post, but I’ve still not sent a gift.
But that’s OK, there’s more than one way to say I love you…
Oh for God’s sake HOW did you just manage to get me to read this from start to finish and for me to realise half way through it’s a you know what post! You clever vixen. And PHEW….I sent the card but that was about it. My excuse (this year) is that I’ll get her something in person when I’m over in the UK such as her pedi for the wedding or something!!