Do Not Disturb followed by Maid Service and a Visit to the Spa.
Vicky: Sleeping in. Waking up to three of my favourite people, arms outstretched with hand-made gifts. After 14 years, I have enough popsicle stick
creations to start my own ice-cream truck...but I adore every single one of them.
Kenya: Sleeping in, waking up to a clean house and clean baby, and having some curry on the stove waiting for me while hubby prepares to give me a back rub
Kelsey: Food I don't cook.
Jaime: When I am pregnant (like now), it's all about lots of sleep and the perfect foods. I think I'd like a clean house, good massage, a delicious brunch, lots of flowers and time to just hang out with my husband and kids.
Erin-erin-bo-berin: Having one day to sleep in late (past 7AM), not be responsible for cooking/cleaning/laundry/owwie-kissing, returning to bed at 9PM.
Cissa Fireheart: I usually get to sleep in and stay in bed all day...and all things are directed toward Hubby, so minimal amount of issues I deal with. We never have money to go do things, because payday is usually right after Mother's Day - go figure.I LOVE that...not!
Jen3: Wake up and have a leisurely breakfast with the family ... and dash out the door for a full day at a spa. A spa that is built around a beautiful swimming pool. I enjoy a full day of treatment - - sip frozen fruit drinks by the pool - - and eat fancy hors dourves. Did I spell that right??
Jennifer Nybo: To be able to sleep in...have breakfast made for me and then go someplace fun with the kiddos and hubby
Dawn: Sleep in, breakfast in bed, and maybe something shiny for a present.
Brandi (ohhmama): You know the good stuff.. Breakfast in bed… The house cleaned spotless… A full day at the spa. MMMM… Bliss.
Sleeping Mommy: Being allowed to sleep in and upon waking being greeted with breakfast in bed. Followed by a long leisurely soak in the tub. Then when I come out dressed and ready to leave for our day out and about (and eating dinner out) I would find the house perfectly spotless. All of the dishes clean and put away and not a single toy strung all over the floor.
Dawn: Sleeping in. Alone. With more alone time. Go to the Spa. Get a Massage and pedicure. Did I mention alone?
MorahMommy: A quiet morning sleeping in, a good breakfast (with someone else cleaning up) and then a leasurly afternoon at the beach.
Stacy: My ideal celebration would
be of the unconscious kind. A few extra hours sleep would be blissful."
Buffi: Sleeping in (of course), lots of snuggle time with the SugarBabies balanced with some alone time. Out to dinner maybe and more snuggles. Diamond earrings wouldn't hurt, either, but I'm not holding my breath. It would likely be my LAST Mother's Day.
Anne: A full night's sleep (see question 2). No, ok, not really. I suppose I would like the same kind of things I thought my mother was stupid for wanting. Kisses, homemade cards and someone to tidy out under the stairs.
Jaime: Sleeping in and being waited on hand and foot by my loyal servants (husband, kids, and two dogs). In all seriousness, just spending the day with my family and not doing any laundry is celebratory enough. Anything more and I might spontaneously combust from overexcitement.
Mama C-ta: Zzzzz, snore,zzzz, oh uh what? Oh ideal Mother's Day celebration? A nap would be a frigin' fiesta!
Marla Good: Napping. Then, some napping. Then perhaps some more napping, in between some napping. Followed by a nap. One of those naps could be with a sweet, sleepy, and preferably clean toddler. One with the husband (actually sleeping – no euphemism intended. I mean it about the napping.) (and probably the toddler, since she can’t yet be entirely unsupervised – I think) And when I nap, I’ll dream of the day when I can be asleep and my child can be awake without adult safekeeping.
Sweatpantsmom: Sleep, sleep, sushi, and then more sleep. Did I mention sleep?

I don't have to cook? Right on.
Kenya: Sleeping in, waking up to a clean house and clean baby, and having some curry on the stove waiting for me while hubby prepares to give me a back rub
Kelsey: Food I don't cook.
Jaime: When I am pregnant (like now), it's all about lots of sleep and the perfect foods. I think I'd like a clean house, good massage, a delicious brunch, lots of flowers and time to just hang out with my husband and kids.

Peace and Harmony
landismom: Sleeping late. And as Shakira would say, "no fightin'!" I don't really care what the family goes out and does together, as long as the sibling rivalry doesn't come with us.
Kira: Sleep. Sleeeeeeeep. Followed by good food and lots of hanging out time with the kidlets. No trips to the emergency room. If I'm REALLY dreaming, no one says, "MOOOOOOOM! He TOUCHED my STUFF!" or "HE LOOKED AT ME!" or "HE HIT ME!" all day long. But that is really dreaming.
Krystyn: To celebrate ME on Mother's Day instead of the [CENSORED] day before because my [CENSORED] husband insists we spend Mother's Day with my[CENSORED] mother-in-law because even though he has been on this Earth for three decades and is married and a stepdad, he still seeks
reassurance from her and meets her [CENSORED] demands without question and she still controls his [CENSORED] [CENSORED] [CENSORED] life. No, I'm not bitter. Really. No, not really.
Susie Sunshine: A day where I don't have to cook, wash, break up an argument, or wipe a butt and a margarita-filled night.
Baseballmom: My ideal Mother's Day celebration would be to sleep in, with no one demanding anything until I had a first cup of coffee...preferably an iced venti caramel macchiato with whip. My husband would cook us omelets, and then I would read a book while he and the kids cleaned the house and yard. We would have a barbecue later with family and friends, and a campfire in the backyard after that. I would also need the next day off, to recuperate from the campfire!
cmhl: My ideal mother's day would be to be able to to sleep in, and then have everyone be kind to everyone else all day with absolutely no bickering. Ha! A girl can always hope, can't she?
Susan: A whole day where no one has a meltdown or tantrum or potty accident. And maybe some flowers, too.
Jenijen: I can't say, because all my Mother's Days have been unfulfilling. I just want them to stop fighting and hand over the impossibly cute artwork.

Appliances would be nice. Or not.
Alana: A really big gift from my family, like the year they got me a new dishwasher (I'd go for a bigger refrigerator, for instance, but it ain't happenin' this year), everyone BUT me cooking and cleaning house for the day, and children who behave themselves and don't fight all day long. Will that ever happen? HA! Not likely.
Mary Tsao: Ideal: Being allowed to sleep in without having to beg; breakfast of waffles, strawberries, whipped cream and a latte waiting for me when I wake up; first bottle of Prosecco opened immediately following breakfast; during the day, not having to change even one diaper; small boxes filled with exquisite pieces of jewelry given to me randomly throughout the day; fancy dinner out and a movie. Reality: None of the above and, if I'm lucky, I'll get a small home appliance (think: dustbuster) in an unwrapped box.

Rub my feet!
Amalah: "I will give you a foot massage, baby, and then we can rearrange the living room furniture, just for fun."
Amanda: This year Mother’s Day falls only five days before my due date, so ideally? I’ll have the epidural in my back by noon and my feet in the stirrups pushing out Baby Sister by nightfall. If not, I plan to sit on my ass and do absolutely nothing or maybe force my husband to give me a pedicure since I can’t reach my own feet.

Breakfast in bed, please
Pamalamadingdong: Breakfast in bed with both children sharing
DrumsNWhistles: Breakfast in bed served by my daughter, who always puts special garnishes on it...the best was the grated lemon on the waffles! Then a beatiful sunny day at the beach.
Heather Brewer: It would start the way it always does, with breakfast in bed. Originally, my family made just enough for me to eat, but after everybody started picking off my plate, they began making and enormous, family-sized breakfast in bed, where they wake me up and pile into bed with me...and eat most of the food they made for me. Other than that, a manicure/pedicure combo would be great.
andrea from the fishbowl: Celebration is a strong word. It makes me think of streamers and helium balloons. I'll take a pass on the hoopla, but I do like breakfast in bed. I'll take some smoked salmon and cream cheese on a fresh bagel. With capers and finely sliced red onion thankyouverymuch! And coffee. Coffee in bed is a dream. And a newspaper! Don't forget the newspaper. I can't deny that I like presents (who doesn't!), especially the handmade variety. Those handprints and bracelets and macaroni necklaces are made with oodles of love. I enjoy being treated with reverence for the one day. And I love hearing those three magic words: "Don't get up." It's the best.
Goober Queen: Breakfast in bed, girls bringing me fresh flowers and waking up to a clean house. Then we go do something fun, no stress, no worries and then giving my mom a call and brightening her day. Ideally we'd be together, but life doesn't work that way. (And I'd rather not have to deal with hubs's stepmother kvetching and his anxiety over his own mother, thankyew.)

Spending it together.
Liz: For my mom -- taking her to a day spa (she's never been) and spending the whole day window shopping...like we used to when I was a kid. For me -- sleeping in and waking up to breakfast in bed served with a bunch of homemade cards. And then, going back to sleep.
Danelle O'Shea: Well it certainly isn't the year my (now ex) husband gave me a laundry basket for Mother's Day. I would like to be taken out for brunch, and then watch my kids do laundry for me.
Holli: To be a stay-at-home mom, and not miss another day of Faith's life. All day - all Faith and Mommy (with a little Nate Nate thrown in for good measure).. and I don't care what we do, as long as we're together.
Mamaloo: On my fantasy Mother's Day, I will be woken up with a cup fo tea. My son will climb into bed with me while my husband brings in breakfast on a tray. After I finish there will be lots of cuddling. When we finally get up, the house and the kitchen will be tidied up and my husband will be urging me to get showered and dressed because our tour of local yarn shops is about to begin. Yeah, that sound nice, eh?
Nancy: Sleeping late, awakened by clambering kids and hubby. Leisurely breakfast. Afternoon doing crafts with the kids or on a local day trip (either one as long as it means no chores!) Watching a good family movie with excellent snacks. A call to my mom to wish her a happy day. A little time to read or blog and then bed. Kissing my kids after they're asleep.
The Mom Chronicles: This year, I'm in a wedding the day before mother's day - so I want to chill, take it easy, be with my girls (Oh, and I guess Hubby too). Maybe they'll make me breakfast in bed (yeah right), but I'd settle for a low key day where I won't have to cook or clean.
Shawn Lea: Lunch and an early afternoon family movie
Leah: Being with the whole family is pretty important. Again, though, since I'm pregnant and therefore don't have anyone making me cute little pottery ash trays, I don't have specifics yet.
Lisa Stone: Outside with the kids.
Jane (Mamacita): More than almost anything else, I love a reunion. All the siblings at Mom's house, eating, laughing, trying not to offend anybody (all of them except me are oversensitive about certain things.) (Okay, maybe I am, too.) (Maybe.) And when I get home, planting all the bedding plants I got for gifts. (Bedding plants are my favorite Mother's Day gift. Better than candy. Better than perfume, or jewelry. For Mother's Day, I want the kind of flowers I can set out in the yard.)
Margaret: Eating out with several generations of moms.
Marie: Spending time with my family, with someone else doing the cooking & cleaning. And on this ideal day, there are NO tantrums and there's LOTS of premium chocolate, and the calories consumed vanish at the stroke of midnight at the end of this glorious day.
Melissa: Ideally, I would like to be on vacation on a beach with him and let him run around in the water and sand. Maybe in the upcoming years.
Michele Yoakum: Going to the zoo, or something that my son enjoys, when he's happy it makes me happy. I'd like to end the day with my husband and son, with dinner out so I don't have to cook and then come home to a clean house free of laundry and dishes.
Julie (mothergoosemouse): A day with my husband and girls, my own mother, my grandmother, and my aunt, in which no one whines or cries (adults included).
Bella: My ideal Mother's Day celebration involves giving my mom a gift that she's truly excited and touched by, being in the same city (which I will be this time!), and enjoying each other's company.
Angie: Worshipping at church in the morning, then off to a fabulous meal, where I do not have to cook. Or do dishes, for that matter! After that, a nice restful afternoon spent with my husband and kids.
Beth Kanter: Sleeping past 6:00 am and spending time with my children and husband. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy or elaborate, just fun and relaxing.
Her Bad Mother: A long, lazy day with the Husband and WonderBaby and a lot of sunshine and chocolate.
Chris: I'd like to spend the day with my kids, but not as their mother. Well, to be more specific, I'd like to hang out with my kids but not be the one with the internal dialogue - have they eaten any vegetables today? when did I last change the baby's diaper? is that safe? is it time for a nap? Of course, a full night's sleep and a stack of mystery novels, some Belgian chocolate and a glass of wine next to a bubble-filled tub in a clean bathroom with lots of time to enjoy it wouldn't go astray either.
Christina Rosalie: Fresh flowers, breakfast out, spending the day with my guys (my husband and son) doing something fun like hiking or biking.

Ooh! This sounds really good!
Kris: We go out to breakfast as a family. I am showered with gifts: an iPod, a laptop, flowers and chocolates. Or, whatever my boys have created for me. Brian takes the kids home and I go to a spa for a few hours of pampering. Brian takes the kids out to the park so I have the afternoon to myself at the house. We order in Chinese for dinner. Brian puts the kids to bed while I lay on the couch and read a book. Then Brian says, "I took tomorrow off to give you more of a break."
Margalit: Mommy sleeps undisturbed in the morning until she rises of her own accord sometime around noon. Stirring quietly, her children hear her overhead and start making pancakes anc cutting up fresh strawberries. When the breakfast is done, they bring it upstairs
on a tray, complete with a piping hot pot of french press Kona and the morning newspaper. They let mom eat in peace, then bring in cards and presents. Mom rises leisurely, stretches and yawns, then gets dressed. Heading downstairs she sees that the children have cleaned up the house including the kitchen. It's a gorgeous sunny day and the family decides to sit out in the sun and chat for a bit before venturing to the canoe dock on the other side
of town. They rent a canoe and go quietly up the river, looking at the ducks and the flowers lining the banks. Just as it's time to turn around, they run into another family they know and chat on the river for a while. They head back, drop off the canoe, and go home to change for dinner. They go out to eat sushi, and then to a movie. And then I wake up and realize that this is never going to happen.

Ooh! This too!
Kristen Chase: I'm planning a mom blog gathering at Miraval (resort and spa in AZ). That's ideal.

Mamas who Brunch.
Nicole: Brunch with crepes and mimosas, an early afternoon nap, and time spent outdoors. I am a simple girl.
Krisco: Dare I say - brunch at a great restaurant in a large
American city, with two well-behaved angels acting angelically? In reality it will be - oatmeal at home made by
Spousal, and most likely spilled all over the placemats by our girls. Maybe, maybe, brunch at one of
the goofy little hotels in this small town. And it will be - um - a small-town, off-brand hotel brunch. We *will * have two angelic children with us. But that will mostly be due to their looks, according to us, and not so much their behavior. Trust me.
kalisah: A chi-chi brunch and gifts including really, really BIG diamonds.
Jen at MUBAR: I'm a brunch kind of gal. With my family and my own mother, of course.
Sarcastic Journalist: Coffee and cake and a really big meal that is at my favorite restaurant. I'd prefer a Nanny to come along so I wouldn't actually have to do any Mothering that day unless I chose to do so.
Mega Mom: Brunch with the whole family, an hour and a half massage (never had it, but I KNOW I'd love it), and a nice dinner with my husband.

Free Ice Cream, too!
MrsDoF: Oh, I'll have to tell you about my favorite Mother's Day ever! My husband's birthday and oldest son's birthday always fall the same week as Mother's Day. We grown-ups don't care too much about celebrations, but we figured the boy should be acknowledged that his 7th birthday was here. In those days, money was real tight, so going out for a meal was a big deal.
So we asked him where did he want to eat? Of course he said McDonald's! Mother's Day at McDs is one of our best memories. You see, Nobody else was there. When we told the staff that it was a triple party, we got free ice cream and each of the 3 sons got a toy, with the birthday boy getting an extra. Plus there was construction next door, and being a Sunday, the machines were parked. We indulged and let the boys climb around for a little while.
The two older kids talked about it for weeks"

Overthrow The Patriarchy! And maybe lunch.
KCB: Ideally, we mothers would unite, seize political power and start making sensible, humane public policy decisions. Failing that, I’d like a day of good food and no sibling fights.

I'll take cash.
Mrs. Darling: Skip the celebration and give me money. I want money to buy perennials. Five hundred bucks would be nice!

Mmmm. Doughnuts.
Mary Beth: It would definitely involve doughnuts. Maybe a trip to the aquarium and some new shoes. But mostly doughnuts.
Zoot: Breakfast in bed: Krispy Kreme Donuts (fresh and calorie free). Then a day where I tell the family what chores need to be done, and they do them (perfectly) while I sit in bed and catch up on the shows on my TiVo while reading trashy tabloid magazines. With a hot soak in a tub filled with LUSH bathbombs to top off the day.

10 points for working blogging into your answer.
Lisa B: To sleep in, have a big breakfast in a nice restaurant where my child behaves beautifully. Afterwards, we'd have a long, liesurely family walk. Then I'd head home to sit on the couch and watch a few movies and spend a few hours reading blogs.
Mary of Owlhaven: You said ideal, so I'm dreamin' big here: white sandy beach, tall cold drinks, colorful beach umbrella, slick stack of glossy magazines, elegant beach house, handsome hubby in a Speedo by my side, children playing happily nearby who miraculously require nothing of me for an entire afternoon except that I snap the occasional photo of their darlingness (I am SOO blogging this, after all). Oh, and the sound of the ocean lapping...

Not that I've really given this any thought...
Hula Doula: Hubby preparing breakfast and getting the kids ready for church. Me doing nothing but soaking in the tub and shaving my legs. Then to get out of the tub and get ready in peace. To have enough time to remember my eyeliner and mascara. Church with our family. After church going to a park and having a picnic. Coming home with worn out children that go willingly to bed for a nap. A nice "nap" with hubby in the afternoon. (afternoon delight) Going for a walk before dinner up on the mountain. Popcorn dinner with a movie. I haven't thought about this at all.
Mrs. Mogul: *Having a picnic with the baby and hubby in a beautiful park. Then afterwards we would all go home where baby would fall asleep and I get a Thai woman to come in to give me a massage to get out all the knots!
Stacy Quarty: A family vacation to the most luxurious resort in the world. Then my husband tells me that he bought a time share of the property and we can use it whenever we want for the rest of our lives. Ha! I’d better wake up and smell the burning toast.
Jazzy: This will be my first Mother's day, but I imagine a day like most Mother's. I am torn between wanting to spend every moment with my husband and children and wanting to go to a hotel, sleep all night, get up and get a massage on the beach while sipping a mimosa. You said ideal right?
Carolina Fernandez: Dinner out to a fabulous historic inn--waterfalls, excellent food and wonderful decor--now that my kids are older and can feed themselves, carry on a conversation and dress up amd act like wonderful people.
Danigirl: Are we talking 'ideal' like in the real world, or 'ideal' as in alternate-universe ideal? In the real world, I'd be content with a home-made card and a few minutes of affection and gratitude. In an alternate universe, I'd like a day at the spa, a year of personal chef services and to wake up on mother's day having magically lost 15 lbs overnight.
Debutaunt: Hanging out with my kiddo at the zoo. Dinner out with my daughter at Chuys.
Deborah Klosky: I was going to be slightly sappy but honest and say anything with my two little guys and my husband, but then I thought about some of the excursions we've had and I have to modify that to - anything with my two little guys and my husband when everyone's moderately well behaved and in a fairly good mood."
Donna Schwartz Mills: For a couple of years, we spent the day in town at a beloved L.A. landmark, The Farmers Market. It's nice because our picky little eater can get a hot dog at the deli stand while we choose from all kinds of cool ethnic foods -- but we always wind up at a little French restaurant that makes us think we're in Paris. We have a glass of fine wine with our French lunch. And then we go shopping. :) This year we have to move our celebration to Saturday in San Diego -- daughter has a gymnastics competition there on Mother's Day"

Okay, well. Party at Steph's House!
Steph: We just got a new pool so I really want to BBQ and sit around the pool all day. Good tunes and my family around me is all I need. Oh yeah and a new lounge chair so I don't have to lay on the ground!!! LOL"

Simple Pleasures
Jerri Ann Reason: First of all, a potty trained 3 year old would be awesome. You know, I'm not hard to please, a trip to the Caymans, Hawaii, next door. No really, I hate to be alone so my ideal celebration would include my husband and children and my own mother. What I would consider ideal and feasible right now would most definitely just be a nice big dinner out on Saturday night AND Sunday where I don't cook or clean anything. My husband helps with the kids a lot so the only other thing that would make the day perfect would be for the cleaning lady to come an extra time. Now, putting aside what is actually something that "might" happen, I really would like that trip the Caymans, spouse, children and my own mother in tow.
Laura: Hanging out with the family on a tropical beach (not literally 'hanging out', of course), making sandcastles then splashing in the clear, warm water then eating some fresh, juicy papaya and pineapple that amazingly remain sand-free.
Ms. Mamita Mala: All I really want is to be able to pee uninterrupted. Is that too much to ask for?

Aw, thank you! Buh-bye!
Mir: Look, Mama... we made you breakfast! You just stay here in bed, eat up, and don't worry about us... we're going to Daddy's house.
Karen Rani: See #1. Okay, kidding. As for my kids, complete silence. That would be great. Screw that whole breakfast in bed stuff - let me sleep. ALL DAY.
Chris: Being all alone. That probably sounds bad though, huh? But really, I'd use the alone time to quietly reflect on the joys of motherhood, while I perused the sales racks of my favorite stores and sipped my large coffee while it was still warm.
EmmaSometimes: Getting quiet time in my own home.
Tuesday Girl: A day off, on a beach surrounded by endless amount of alcohol and half naked men. What? Like that is not what you want?! I just want to be appreciated and loved, surrounded by my family. Not having to change one single diaper would be great too.
Martha: This might sound awful, but honestly? A nice, peaceful Mother's Day lunch at my favorite sushi restaurant. Without my kids. Or my husband. Just me, a good book, and a plate of spicy yellowtail rolls. (Followed by kisses from my children, of course.)
Captain Mom: Ideally, all day by myself, maybe in bed with a book and a bottle of wine. But because of the children, that allow me to qualify for Mother's Day, something with them. Like eating burned toast, and getting a bevy of the sweetest homemade cards ever. The very fact that I am a Mother now seems to mean nothing is really just about me anymore. Including Mother's Day. But that's just fine with me. Most of the time.