Really, Honest, I thought it up myself...

The Mother's Day book. It's my idea. I did not copy it from Jaquelyn Mitchard.

Let me explain.

Ten years ago Natalie and Josh called me on Mother's Day to tell me a story of Josh's past shenanigans. Oh and it was a doozy. So at that very moment I told them that every year, for Mother's Day, they had to write a story for me in a Mother's Day Journal. It just came to me immediately in that instance. Poof! Forever and ever that would be my gift.

Today I was getting Journal #2 ready for their stories (we will see Josh in Ohio at a wedding this weekend and we will do the Journal Pass). And I smiled. It makes me smile. I treasure these stories, even though they do not always play my children in the very best of lights.

Then I read May's issue of Real Simple and Jaquelyn Mitchard has an article in there about her Mom Book that her kids write.

And my immediate reaction was NO, that's MY idea
 and my second reaction was Why couldn't that be MY article in Real Simple?

Once I calmed down and read the article, our books are a little different. Her kids draw, write, whatever in the book whenever they want for whatever occasion. And they've been doing this since they were small. It's not always for Mother's Day, but like every mother she treasures her Mom Books. (She has nine children.)

And even though her article was very well written (I could have worked on mine to at least be mediocre) I'm pretty sure others will copy her idea.

It is a good idea.

However, I didn't know that she would have the SAME idea.

It is my favorite part of Mother's Day. My kids' stories.