This year will be the first time that I am away from my kids on Mother’s Day. I have to be honest that I have lately been struggling with some “mom guilt.” My friend Elysa of GenPink read a recent status on Facebook and connected me with Skype. This year, I told my kids not to worry about getting me any Mother’s Day gift, BUT to make sure that their Abuelita let’s them send me their love over a video call. 😉 I have some demonstrating to do with my mom as she watching the kids while my husband and I are away, BUT Skype is my only hope to help me get through the day…and the week away. Plus, Skype just announcing that group video call is now FREE, so I can even get my brother online and have everyone in the family wish my mom a “Happy Mother’s Day” in one shot!

Here is Skype’s “Ultimate Mother’s Days Playbook” Infographic: Based on a new report by Idea Lab for Microsoft on peoples’ plans for Mother’s Day. How will you be spending yours?This Mother’s Day, I am sooo THANKFUL for Skype since I know I will be using their services to send my love to my kids and vice versa. 🙂

I know I am not alone in celebrating Mother’s Day without my mom or my kids. Here’s some tips on great Mother’s Day gifts from Jeannette Kaplun that I will be sending and hoping to receive, depending on the age of your kids.

• Send a video greeting instead of a traditional card. Did you know that Skype is more than a real-time video conferencing service? You can create video messages for your family & friends easily. Open Skype app, choose who to whom you want to send the message. Press “Video Message” and then “Record.” What is amazing about thsi service is that the person receiving does not have to be online when you send, and it is a gift that you can enjoy again and again.
• Prepare the kids ahead of time. In my experience, my kids do not know what to do after a Skype call begins…other than stare at the computer screen with an occassional, Um, yes…nope.” Consider having your kids ready by the computer, tablet or SmartTV with a story to tell, a song to sing or a dance move to show. This will helps both people on the Skype call to enjoy the time together. 🙂
• Grab some pictures – “back in the day.” Search and scan pictures with your mom, grandma, aunt or godmother when you were younger. When you make the Skype call on Mother’s Day, share the photos via an instant message (IM). Through the power of “the cloud,” you can create and share virtual photo albums through services like OneDrive. BY the way, make sure to grab some tissue for both the caller and receiver. 😉
• Plan a surprise video group call. If your family is scattered around the world, surprise your mom or grandmother with a group video call at a predetermined time. This will definitely be better than any gift you give!

No matter how you plan to spend Mother’s Day, I am relying on Skype to keep me connecting with my kids as I am away.