Because that's what moms do...

Today I was supposed to sub but Jordy came into my bed with a tummy ache. It wasn't long after that the puking began. The flu. Dang. More puking. Double dang.

But you suck it up and go into mom mode......holding pony tails while your sweet little one heaves over the toilet.....bringing cold wash cloths and soda crackers...calling Grandma for 7 Up...fixing hot jello and serving it with ice cubes and a straw(my kids always loved that)....fixing potato soup (she can't eat it but it makes me feel better to make it).....washing every towel in the house and wiping down door knobs. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's what we moms do for our children.

I did find a little time to work in my stamp room today. I'm kinda tired of making plain ol' cards but I've been loving the tiny little size of the smaller cards I've been making lately. So I shuffled through some sketches I made and found a little coupon/ticket type idea I got from the 2009 Hero Arts catalog. I thought about what to make and then the idea popped into my head.

I wanted to make some little love coupons for my girls. They've been coming home lately, telling me stories of the mean girls at school. Jordan's especially been having a hard time. There is this one girl that always gets to her...saying mean things, ignoring her, whispering behind her back. And she plays Jordan's other friends too which doesn't help. As much as I want to shield my girls from kids like this, it still happens. Girl drama is not good. So all you can do is listen and let your kids know that you are there for them. It's what moms do.

So onto my little projects. I came across a box of old cards and found some little cards and notes that my mom sent to me while I was in college. I loved getting mail from home, it was the best! So I thought that my girls might like a little note from me. I'm going to slip these into their book bags so they'll find them at school. Here's the details. I used Spellbinders Label and Scalloped Rectangle dies(in PTI Aqua Mist) to make my coupons. The notched corners on the Label die remind me of ticket stubs. And they nestle perfectly onto the scalloped rectangles. For my patterned paper, I used some new My Mind's Eye paper called Penny Lane. I rounded the corners to fit onto the coupon layers. Then I stamped a sentiment from Pine's Papertrey set called Beyond Basic Borders onto Aqua Mist card stock.

For the main image, I used Karen Lockhart's adorable little Itty Bitty Mushrooms. Mushrooms are so popular right now. I colored them with Copic Sketch markers to match my patterned paper colors. I punched out the mushrooms with a circle punch and adhered them to the coupons with pop dots. I think these little coupons are SO adorable!! Finished coupon size is about 2-1/4" x 3".
For the back of the coupons, I cut another white label layer. I stamped lines from Pines Journaling Lines stamp set in Aqua Mist. Then I wrote my messages to my girls.

I'm hoping that the girls will find a special little spot to keep their love coupons. Maybe in the front of a notebook...or stuck in the back of their locker....or in their agenda. Just somewhere that they can be reminded that their mom is always thinking of them. Maybe I'll make them more from time to time and they can add them to a little metal ring, like trading cards.

On another note, my mom is with my brother today. Earlier this week he had 4 major blocked arteries and was life flighted to a hospital. He got home today and my mom is sitting with him while my sister-in-law goes to pick up prescriptions in town. So it doesn't matter how old your children are, moms do what they need to take care of their children. It's what moms do.

So I hope that today you give your kids big giant hugs. Be there for them and listen to what they have to say. Just listen. Make them something cute. They'll love you forever. Jordan is calling for Jello now so I gotta run.