What can I do for my mom's 40th birthday that is very special but doesn't cost money?

Every year I tell my kids not to buy me anything.
The gift I want is for them to come over and watch a movie with me.

@filmfann That is really sweet! I did make her a really sweet card, I decorated the kitchen for when she makes up in the morning, and I am baking her a cake tomorrow. But I just want an innovative idea that will make it all the better!

Write your mother a letter telling her how much you love her and all of the things she has done and said that have had an influence on you or why you want to be like her.

I love your idea @KatetheGreat. What you have planned is more than enough, especially if you don’t have money to spend. Homemade cards are priceless.

Trust us parents when we say we just want time with you. I recently celebrated my 40th and I was happy to have my 18, 16 and 6yr old at home, by my side.

You could draw a large heart with lipstick on the mirror in the bathroom. It will be one of the first things she sees in the morning. Nothing like waking up on your 40th birthday with bed head and your face outlined with a heart. =)

I really love the letters from my daughters. Are you good with a camera or have a friend that’s a photographer? Have a picture taken of just the two of you.

I just sent home a very successful Valentine. It was just a silly poem, but I spent a long time on the rhymes and on the decoration. My mom could tell that I had put a lot of effort into it, even decorating the envelope, and was pleased. I bet a similar thing could go down for her birthday.

I like @marinelife‘s idea about writing about all the things you remember that she’s done for you. And, if you use @jonsblond‘s idea of drawing a heart on the mirror with lipstick you clean it off. Maybe somebody has an idea how to do it easily? And if you follow @ ’ idea about watching a movie with her, you make popcorn.

@Sunny2 Toilet paper. Simple! My son did it once. I didn’t complain. :)

@jonsblond I didn’t know that! Thank you. I’ll write some messages to my husband. The imagined mess has kept me from doing it before. Tsk. Such a lot of things I could have written had I known.

My children got a journal (you may have an empty lined book you can use for this) they then photocopied lots of photos with pictures of them, me, my husband, my pets on and then arranged them all over the book and covered it with clear book covering. It basically is covered in pictures of the people/animals I love. It was such a special gift. I love it.

Cook dinner for her.

What you’re planning sounds great – I would imagine that any mom would love it!

You could play up the 40 thing – write a list of 40 reasons she’s the best mom ever, for example. Or burn a CD (probably two, in this case) of the top 40 songs from the week/month she was born.

I hope you have a great day together :)

My mother always told me—and I always believed her—that all she really cared about was being remembered on he birthday. I’ve given her many gifts over the years, but just sending her a card, calling, and spending time with her seems to have been all she wanted. If your mom is like mine, all she wants is to know you love her.

Having said that, here’s an inexpensive thing you can do I’ll bet she’d really like. Make a “coupon” for her on your computer good for a meal and a movie.

Wow, such great answers! Keeping it simple and heartfelt is, I agree, the best thing.

If you’re also planning to give a party, may I suggest something 80s-themed? That era, musically speaking (= when your mom was in high school) was synchy-poppy, cheesy-silly, and splashed with neon. Run with it! ;)

I think writing her a letter and tell her how amazing she is for you. That would really be wonderful. Here is something that my Mother just loved. I sent her flowers on a couple of my birthdays and told her thanks for being my mother.

Have a friend or a relative come over and make a photo session with you and your mom. Later on you can have some of the photos printed and framed (when you have a few bucks). Make sure the friend is at least a decent photographer. Take some outside, take some inside, make sure you get a couple of you guys hugging and cheek to cheek. You can even re-enact a special photo of the two of you from when you were little. Make sure you make at least 2 CD’s of the photos just in case one gets lost or damaged. You can also have someone make a slide show set to music (after the fact).

The best things I have ever received from my children are things they didn’t buy. Handmade or written. Making her cake, decorating the kitchen and the card is lovely. It’s honest and shows how much you care. Maybe pick out a song that reminds you of her and share it with her. It sounds silly, but little video clips that my kids do for me are so wonderful. Your mother is lucky she has a daughter that loves her so much.

I have framed photos for my mother for various occasions. On the back of the frame, I add a note as to why that photo was so special. I’m turning 40 in April, she’s turning 69 on Friday. Those are her favorite gifts from me, she has told me more than once. They are personal and very inexpensive.