When I was a relatively new mom, I envisioned Mother’s Day as this Perfect family day, where we spend the day together at some traditional kid-friendly place like the zoo or the beach, everyone getting along perfectly. We’d take a traditional Mother-sons photo to document Mother’s Day. We’d end the day by going to a nice dinner, where of course everyone continued to be on their best behavior.

Then reality set in and the years passed. The truth is that most days, we’re doing some sort of kid-friendly activity anyway. And while my boys do have pretty awesome manners while we’re out to dinner, restaurants tend to be really crowded on Mother’s Day. I do still get a pic with all three of my boys every year(they now do a much better job than the photo above, since I tell them it’s their gift to me), but we’ve moved away from that Mother’s Day celebration I saw as ideal as a young mom.

It sort of pains me to admit this since moms are supposed to know best, but I actually got the idea for how to really celebrate Mother’s Day from how the dads celebrated Father’s Day one year. My husband and the other dads he’s friends with decided they were going to head off to golf all day(drinking beer along the way) and then finish off the day with a cookout with all the families together. They got to do something for them and spend time with family. Relaxation and love, not just trying to do some family sitcom version of the holiday.

So, the perfect Mother’s Day suddenly became more about letting mom do what she loved. Of course she loves her family, but that doesn’t mean the whole day needs to be about them(there are so many days that are already). Last year, I went with a friend to a yoga class and then brunch. After having that laid back time, I came home to a cookout with my family and a few others. It was so much better than dealing with a crowded restaurant and getting cranky from having to wait for food (I’m talking about me here- I’m crankier than the kids when I’m hungry).

This year, I’m thinking the dads take the kids elsewhere while the moms get to enjoy a quiet (or at least, kid-noise-free) brunch at home. No fancy dress code needed (moms in yoga pants is a cliche for a reason, y’all) and very simple prep required- yet we’d all be happy. Spending time with mom friends, probably talking about our kids anyway.

No one needs to cook: it’s pretty simple to put together a cheese tray. This one has honey goat cheese, mango fire cheddar, jalapeno Havarti, Lustenberger, and sharp cheddar. A nice mix of hard and soft, spicy and sweet. Add some crackers, chocolate toffee and caramels, and some bon-bons and you have a mom-friendly spread that didn’t require anyone to make anything other than a trip to the store. Then of course you bring out the wine because of course you do.

In the spirit of our laid back Mother’s Day, Butter Chardonnay by JaM Cellars is my wine pairing choice since they say “We take our wines seriously; we just don’t take ourselves seriously!” It’s an easy to love, everyday wine, and best the Chardonnay under $20. For my wine-loving friends, I’ll go beyond just saying it’s creamy-licious and tell you it brims with stone fruit and baked-lemon notes and has a lovely, long, vanilla finish. It’s so good that we won’t object when the dads get back and bring us another bottle. Want to buy Butter Chardonnay? Find a store near you with the JaMCellars Store Locator.

After we’re done with celebrating ourselves, we can celebrate with our families, making it a Perfect Mom’s Day. It really doesn’t take much. Dads, I hope you’re taking note! Though, Moms, go ahead and make this happen if Dad isn’t paying attention. 

For more ways to butter mom up, check out this super fun Mother’s Day article, “Butter Mom Up This Mother’s Day” from the JaM Cellars blog, The Scoop.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.