ModCloth Monday #5

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Mother's Day is Sunday, May 8th, which is coming up way faster than I'd like to admit! It can be difficult to buy presents for your mom- I know it is for me. I never know if I should go funny or sentimental, and occasionally I just flat out forget to buy one all together. And now that I'm a mom myself, I know that while the first two are equally as appreciated, that last one hurts. A lot. I also struggle with price. I buy for my mom, my stepmom and now my mother-in-law. Before I would worry that I would buy a more expensive gift for my stepmom and my mom would find out about it, but now my mother-in-law almost demands the most expensive gift (she seriously puts price minimums on the gifts she expects), which leaves me feeling like crap for giving my mom and stepmom something that's I feel may not be as nice. Its a real conundrum.  And you just might be thinking -so what does all of her internal struggle have to do with this ModCloth Monday? Well, I'll tell you. ModCloth has everything you need to find the perfect Mother's Day gift this year. They have all different price points and all different styles, so you can find something for pretty much any mother figure on your list. Or if you're a mom- buy yourself a little pressie- you totally deserve it! Motherhood is rough, you might as well look cute while living it. 

Here are my top picks for Mother's Day gifts:

1) Eye Love You Necklace

2) Heart-Cover Copy Cardigan

3) Swap Meet Sweetheart Skirt in Plaid

4) Treasure Up to Expectations Necklace

5) Paint the Way Skirt
6) You Heard That Bright Cardigan
7) There's a Map for That Necklace in Gold

If you shop Mother's Day gifts from ModCloth, let me know what you pick!!

Personally....Mother's Day and Red Balloons for Ryan

So I wanted to post yesterday, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to do it. I thought maybe I would keep it funny and share my favorite Mother's Day song (Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake- Motherlover). Or maybe I would go the overpersonal, whiny route. My in-laws kinda crashed the last minute plans my husband made when he realized he'd forgotten what day it was (so yeah.....no presents for me), and my mother-in-law plans on crashing the other plans we made for a date night later this week (seriously). But in the grand scheme of things, it all seemed trivial to me. Something has been weighing heavily on my heart, and it made me feel selfish to be upset.

Early last week I was doing my usual early morning Instagram check and I kept seeing these pictures of an adorable little boy with beautiful red hair with the hashtag #redballoonsforryan. Of course I went searching the tag, wanting to see what was going on. Eventually I learned the heartbreaking truth, he had been hit by car and passed away the Friday before. It broke my heart, and I have no connection to the family at all. And then I got pissed off, because while the majority of comments were nothing but supportive, I saw negative ones too. People that blamed the parents because they had let their little boy play in the front yard. Because they let him live.

The Internet can be equally a grand and awful thing. So many businesses came together to make specialty items celebrating Ryan's life (like this Mulberry Press Co print), with all proceeds going to his family. There were funds set up, auctions held; all to help pay for whatever the family needed. Of course, you should always donate with people you trust, because there are people that can take advantage, but the generosity was overwhelming. Most of the auctions and special product orders ended yesterday, but Indie Nook is still donating a percentage of the sales of their Red Balloon shirts indefinitely to Ryan's parents. There was far more positivity than negativity for this little boy and his family, and that was heartwarming. It restores some faith that people still want to help others, that people are still kind.

So now you know why I felt so selfish because I didn't get a present. I still have my children, and that's more than enough. I can't even imagine what this family is going through, its truly devastating.

From @babyboybakery's Instagram. This is how she spent her Mother's Day.

Sending red balloons into the sky in Ryan's memory, instead of hugging her little boy.

Here are some links to get a better understanding:
*Baby Boy Bakery - Jacqui's (Ryan's mom) blog
*Diary of an Addict- Alissa Circle's (Jacqui's best friend) blog. Ryan's story is here and here.
*CBS Los Angeles reports about his accident, and the out pour of support from online.

Hug your loved ones always. Never go to bed angry. Unplug and be present. Do what makes you happy. And annoyingly enough- YOLO. Because its true.