The Perfect Mama's Day Celebration: Love, Manicures, and Butter

Almost three and a half year ago, I become a mother to my darling Essley Morgan. And since then, I've not only added another little one to the mix (love you Emmett!), I have also learned (often the hard way, because that's just how I roll) that motherhood is equal parts thrill and exhaustion, love and frustration, bliss and misery. As my husband often says, it's a trip. Having kids is a trip. And I have to say, while I've been fond of Mother's Day and what it represents since I was a child myself, being a mom myself has given me a newfound appreciation for it, times, like, a million. Moms deserve to be freaking celebrated, man. We deserve a day about us, that is full of pampering and love and delicious adult beverages. We deserve it all.

While my perfect Mother's Day would admittedly involve a good 12 hours to myself in a luxurious spa clutching a bottle of JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay, what Essley did for me last year was pretty special. She knew how much I loved going to get manicures and pedicures, so she told my husband that she wanted to give me one (herself) for Mother's Day. So we had a pretend spa day where we gave each other mini massages and I painted her nails with nail polish and she "painted" mine with crayons, and she sipped on a fine chilled apple juice while I sipped on my Butter, and we munched on popcorn, and there was no whining or asking for things or irrationally crying for no reason - and it was, truly, wonderful in every way.

This year I decided that last year's Mama's Day Pretend Spa Day was something we needed to recreate every year as our special Mother's Day tradition. Because I have plans with my mama this year on the actual day, we did it a little early this time. And once again, it was wonderful you guys. I mean, really. Seeing Essley so excited about doing something nice for me made me (for a hot minute, anyway) forget about her fondness for things like pushing over her brother and yell-singing "Moana" songs in the middle of the  grocery store and proclaiming that she "doesn't like mommy anymore." I may have even teared up a little. And man did she makes me laugh. Honestly, it was pretty perfect.

While hunching over to get a green crayon mani-pedi wasn't exactly the most relaxing of experiences, enjoying a glass of my beloved Butter Chardonnay made it infinitely more appealing. Butter is an easy to love (just like my crazy kids) everyday wine, and truly the best Chardonnay under $20. By far. The flavor is rich and bold, but it's also creamy and, yes, buttery. We're talking melt in your mouth deliciousness. And I love JaM (second-generation Napa Valley vintners John and Michele are the “J” and the “M”) Cellars' motto: "We take our wines seriously; we just don’t take ourselves seriously!" I mean that alone makes me want to drink the stuff. Not only it is the perfect wine to enjoy on Mother's Day, it also makes an incredible Mother's Day gift. I already grabbed a bottle for my mom, and you can grab one for yours (and one for yourself too, duh) at a store near you. You can also learn more about the awesomeness that is JaM Cellars by following them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and/or checking out their fun/funny/inspiration blog, The Scoop.

What is your perfect Mother's Day celebration (whether for your mama or for yourself)? Or even better, got any funny mom stories to make me feel better about the fact that both of my kids just teased up to smash play dough into the heat vent? I'm all ears.

Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Bubby and Bean possible. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

ALSO FIND US HERE: INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // PINTEREST //  BLOGLOVIN'