This was going to be the coolest Mother’s Day present ever.

You see, for as long as our kids have been alive, each Mother’s Day has involved a present of a coffee mug of some description to my wife relating to mums and their brilliance.

It’s been a constant sort of running joke …. not sure the good wife has seen it with the same humour.

You know the types of mugs I’m talking about?

“I love you mummy,’’ reads one mug.

“Mum: Listens without judging, encourages efforts and nurtures dreams,’’ offers another mug.

“KEEP CALM AND CALL MUM,’’ is another.

“Super mum, super woman, super tired,’’ reads another.

“Mum, thanks for not leaving me somewhere in a basket,’’ is a personal favourite.

Well, this year mum put her foot down ….. in that “mum way” where you really know they are not kidding.

The instruction was delivered in a voice with the tone of a cat licking a puppy, but really you know that  underlying it was a lion tearing the head off a gazelle.

“I’m telling you, if you buy another Mother’s Day mug this year, you won’t see next year,’’’ was the thinly-veiled threat.

Okay, Plan B.

While mum was spending some preening time at the local beauty salon, it was an opportunity for this scribe and the two kidlets to do some Mother’s Day shopping.

Now most sensible husbands would choose a perfume aisle at Myer or somewhere equally opulent to do their shopping, but this editor chose the local comic-inspired novelty store.

Here we found the perfect Mother’s Day gift!

Knee-high socks done in the theme of Wonder Woman, designed to be pulled right up to display the little Wonder Woman cape at the back.

Pefect, yes?

And definitely not a mug in any way shape or form.

The kids loved the idea too ………

So much so when we united with mum the first thing the kids said is “we’re going to buy you some Wonder Woman socks for Mother’s Day”.

Crap. Busted.

The good wife was filthy.

Her piercing gaze shot forth from her eyes, Wonder Woman’s famous super power “lasso of truth” wrapping around me and rending me defenceless.

Plan B was clearly not an option.

Plan C was enacted.

Mum bought her very own Mother’s Day present - a cast iron tea pot with some exotic chai tea blend mix to satisfy the tea-holic tendencies.

I wonder if I can find a mum-themed tea pot next year? 

Happy Mother’s Day.