10 Stress Free Tips to Pamper Mom This Mothers Day

Mothers Day is the day we set aside each year to show appreciation to our own mother and to the mothers in our lives that we love. Traditionally Mothers Day is the big "Flowers and Chocolate" day. While most moms do enjoy lovely flowers and chocolate, below are some ways that we can pamper mom with gifts and activities that she will remember for years to come.

1. Give Her a Massage
Treat mom to a relaxing massage. Besides just feeling good massage offers many benefits to your body such as reducing stress and anxiety, improves circulation, relieves general body tension and muscle stiffness, improves muscle tone, removes toxins from the muscles, improves flexibility in muscles and joints, improves the immune system, promotes healthy skin and much more.

2. Spa Gift Basket
Mom will love a gift basket filled with an assortment of stress relieving goodies to pamper herself on Mothers Day or anytime she needs to relax. Some ideas of what you can include in her Spa Basket are scented bath gel, bath salts, body lotions, candles, eye pillow, bath pillow and bath brush.

3. Journal/Scrapbook
Moms love to record special events, especially those events that include special moments with their children. A journal is a great affordable gift where she can record her special thoughts and memories. You can take it a step further by giving her a scrapbook where she can also add pictures, fun borders, scrapbook embellishments and more to her written thoughts. This gift can last forever!

4. Candles
Scented Candles are a really affordable and practical gift that any mom will love. Candles provide a relaxing mood and can help her to de-stress by providing memories of special events. A baby scented candle can remind her of when she first held you. A peppermint scented candle can bring back memories of Christmas you spent together. Candles come in many shapes, sizes and scents so you are sure to find one to remind mom of a special time you both shared together. Once you find a scent mom likes add a little note to the gift card of what special time you spent together the scent you chose represents.

5. Facial
Moms love to be pampered and a facial is a wonderful relaxing way to do it. You can treat her to a spa for a facial by a licensed practitioner or you can give her a facial gift basket filled with skin care products according to her skin type for her to do at home at her leisure.

6. Clean House
Treat mom to a "Clean House Day" where you clean her house from top to bottom while she spends her day relaxing and enjoying herself doing whatever it is she likes to do.

7. Mommy and Me Day
Mommy and Me days are not just for mom and little ones anymore. You and mom can spend the day doing whatever is relaxing and enjoyable to you both. Having lunch or dinner together, watching a movie, going to the spa for massages and facials together, whatever she would like to do. The point is to give her the gift of knowing that you love her and enjoy spending quality time with her.

8. Send Her on a Date
Sometimes mom just needs a little time to get away from the everyday chores in life like cooking and cleaning the house. Send her on a date with dad to their favorite restaurant.

9. Yoga
Give the gift of good health to your mom this Mothers Day with a membership to a Yoga class. Yoga is great for relaxation and flexibility as well as being a fun way to get fit and stay fit.

10. Give Her a Hug and Tell Her That You Love Her
This tip is sometimes the most overlooked! We all love our moms but sometimes as we get older and get busy with our own lives we take mom for granted and forget the gift that is most important to her- US! Spend quality time with mom. Give her a big hug and tell her that you love and appreciate her. It's a free gift and one that mom will love most off all.

About the Author
Erica Brooks is Owner of Stress Away Family Shop which includes Stress Away Bath Shop and Stress Away Bridal Shop. She specializes in offering products, tips and resources to help you to combat the everyday stresses of life. You can reach her at http://www.stressawayfamilyshop.com/ and http://www.stressawaybathshop.com/ or via e-mail at service@stressawaybathshop.com

Valentines Day is NOT only for Lovers

Valentines Day is NOT only for Lovers

Some people hate to see Valentines Day come around. Some have ended relationships and feel lonely while others have not yet met that someone special. Valentines Day should be a day to share love with those around you.
Below are 10 thoughts you can do on Valentines Day to make the day special for you:

1. Look around you and appreciate those who care about you, be thankful they are in your life.

2. Rather than expect a card, send a card to someone special in your life (your mum, a relative, a friend) and thank them for being them.

3. Treat yourself on Valentines Day? if you don't love yourself then you will never be able to love others in a meaningful way.

4. Call your mum or your dad, or that someone who made a difference in your life and thank them for caring about you.

5. Enjoy your day, remember, that you are exchanging a day of your life.

6. Take 5 minutes and sit quietly and reflect on all the blessings in your life. Remember there are always those who are in a worse situation than you.

7. Do something nice for someone today. . . it may be as simple as smiling at someone in an elevator to buying someone a coffee.

8. Call that friend or relative that you have not talked with in awhile.

9. Cook or buy your favorite meal for dinner.

10. Last but not least, don't feel sorry for yourself; be thankful for all the good in your life!

About The Author: Catherine Pulsifer is one of the editors of Words of Wisdom 4 U, http://www.wow4u.com/. You will find a collection of motivational and inspirational thoughts, stories, quotes, poems, smiles, proverbs, and more at Words of Wisdom 4 U!

Valentines Day - A Guide for Men

Valentines Day - A Guide for Men

Did you know that after Christmas, Valentine's Day is the biggest retail holiday? That means a variety of things for you the consumer, but mostly it means the market is saturated with a plethora of heart-shaped, cutesy, not so worth it products. I have a philosophy?one that is not always popular?but here it goes. If you love someone, then saying "I love you" is a full time job, not one accomplished by dime store shrink-wrapped chocolates and plush toys holding bags of candy hearts.
Don't get me wrong. These things were great when we were 10, but we are adults now so here are a few ways to ensure you have a classy holiday that shows you put a lot of thought into it.
The key to success if knowing your significant other's tastes and not stepping on a land mine in the process of telling her how much you care. Yes, this article is geared mostly towards the men out there who are trying to get it right this year. However, women, you can take heed of this advice as well because I don't know a man alive who wants a teddy bear holding a cheap satin heart.

1. Ask yourself "Do I know her tastes well enough to buy a personalized gift?" We are going to help you sort this out, but you are going to have to too.

2. What is your budget? Financial troubles as a result of overspending on Valentine's Day are not going to help your romantic life.

3. Always be classy. You don't have to spend a fortune to achieve style.
We have broken the choices down by the major items generally purchased for Valentine's Day. This by no means is an all-inclusive list, but will put you on the road to victory.

Chocolate:
Does she like it? If not, then obviously skip this traditional gift. Does she have a favorite brand? Or favorite ingredient?Whatever your answers to those questions, do not buy shrink wrapped, generic chocolate. We are not a big fan of the heart shaped, fake lace and Elvis velvet. You know what I am talking about. Now avoid it! A simple, elegant box with a nice ribbon is much classier.

Flowers:
Does she like flowers? (Remember some people are allergic to certain flowers)
Does she have a favorite? There is not a rule that says you must be red roses. I happen to love yellow roses and it would be a sign to me that my mate understood me if he bought me yellow roses instead of traditional red.

Jewelry:
Now talk about a land mine. If you are determined to buy jewelry, consult her friends and family to find out what she likes and wants if you are not absolutely positive. Good jewelry is an expensive proposition to screw up. Avoid heart shaped anything?please, I am begging you. The act of giving her the jewelry is saying "I love you," there is no need to tattoo it on her forehead so to speak by giving her a heart shaped necklace she feels obliged to wear all of the time.

Dinner or Brunch:
1. Go where you will both be comfortable
2. Make reservations to avoid waiting
3. If you want to try something new, go somewhere that you both have wanted to try.
4. If you are nervous about a new place and you want the perfect evening, check out the place ahead of time.
5. Be yourself. For example, if you are not a wine expert then ask for help from the staff. We women like a guy who will ask.
Or be daring?don't go out to eat. If you are not a very good cook, order take away from a local establishment (not fast food or pizza) or hire a personal chef, and put your time into setting a beautiful table. She will be very impressed that you made the effort.

Lingerie:
Oh yet another land mine. Do you get the feeling this holiday was meant to test the best of relationships? Be careful here. Your fantasies may not be her desires. And please, please, please again be classy not tacky. Cheap lingerie does not say "I love you." It says "I'm cheap or you are a tramp." If you aren't sure about this one at all, then make it a partner activity. Tell her you want to buy her something nice and that you want to do it together.

Other Gifts:
There is no rule that your Valentine's Day gift has to be heart shaped, red/pink or traditional. I don't recommend buying her a blender or cordless drill, but if there is something that she has really been checking out and you can afford it, then show her that you have been paying attention and go for it.

Travel:
Many places offer weekend specials for Valentine's Day, but often are booked well in advance. As an alternative, plan a weekend away at a different time and give this to her as a gift over your Valentine's Day dinner.

Proposals:
OK, we saved this one for last because it is a big one. For some reason, the multitudes feel that proposing on Valentine's Day is the thing to do. In case you couldn't tell from this article, I am encouraging you to think out of the box. Valentine's Day proposals have come to be expected. Why not be different, propose at a random time and really surprise her. However, if you feel that you must succumb to the pressure, do it right. Follow all of our tips above and crank them up a notch. Again, be creative but classy. You want her to remember this special time.
So here you are at the end of the article and about ready to chuck in the towel. Don't! We know you can do it. Take a deep breath, do not wait until the last minute and if it all seems a bit too overwhelming, call in help. Use your resources and make this a truly special day that is only the beginning of a truly special year of romance.
Indra A Books, author of this and many other lifestyle articles, is the owner and founder of ON THE GO 4 U, Personal Shoppers & Concierge Service in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company's creed is to provide its clients with the ultimate life management experience. In addition to its shopping and concierge services, ON THE GO 4 U also publishes a monthly e-zine and conducts workshops on wardrobe, entertaining and decorating. For more information about the author and ON THE GO 4 U, please visit http://www.onthego4u.net/