Retirement

C.,
Your Mom is very lucky to have you. A massage would be nice along with the day spa idea but how about if you mix it up and have a "date" with your Mom to help her celebrate her big day? If you have any sisters that could come along, that would make it an even more enjoyable day. Years ago, my Sister took my Mom to a B&B for her birthday and she still talks about it to this day. The one thing she adds though was how nice it would have been to have had both her girls there. Her birthday is next month and we are planning a very special girls weekend for her. My sister and I are having fun planning it and can't wait to hear her excitement on her big day! Oh - it's a bonus for me and my husband as well - Daddy gets some quality time with our little Princess and I get a break!

Good luck!

Congratulations to your mom on such a long career! What about a day at the spa? Facial, nails, feet, massage the whole works...I know I'd love that!

My mom is in a similar position and I am putting together a basket for her with things she can do now that she is home: some books (which she never had time to read), these mini bottles of wine I found at World Market (she isn't a big drinker but likes a glass of wine every now and than), some different flavored iced teas for the summer, some lotions and soaps, and other odds and ends that she might enjoy. We are also throwing in a facial gift card since I don't know that she would use a massage one. I just wanted to add something to the gift card when I gave it to her and came up with this. She made it clear to us she didn't want a big party or any more knick knacks around the house. Good luck!

I know this is a little late, but I have 2 suggestions...I have a business with Once Upon A Family, my website is www.thelegacyoffamily.com. Anyway, we have these AWESOME albums and what I have done for special birthdays is put together one of our Birthday Book albums. It has 25 pages that accordian open and for the birthday, we had each guest give us a picture of them with the birthday person and tell the story of the picture. The pictures can be of any age and I found that people really enjoy these types of memories because some of the stories they may have even forgotten and it's always nice to see what others appreciate about you. For the retirement, we have these really cool school albums and I would do the same type of thing for that. Contact some of her past students and have them write a special memory and maybe if possible, include photos of the class. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions on how to put them together or see examples if you like. Good Luck!

Have you thought of making a memory book for her? For last Christmas my husband and I made an ABC book for our kids. It was lots of fun, and the kids like it because of the photos of themselves. I made it online through Heritage Makers. My niece is a consultant. You can see other projects people have made online to get ideas. You can email me if you have questions.

Does she have a hobby or the desire to start a hobby? Sometimes retirement turns out to be busier than when working, so perhaps a sizable gift certificate to JoAnn's Fabric and Crafts store or Michaels or even Hobby Lobby would allow her to explore her options.

I did NOT enjoy my first (and last) massage last year, so unless she is craving one, I'd say that might be a waste of money!

I can create a beautiful gift basket of skincare / spa products for her. I can create baskets from $30 on up! Less the 20% mamasource discount :-)

That way she can continue to treat and pamper herself for days to come! Please contact me or better yet go ahead and look on my website: www.marykay.com/jtechentin