But They Sure Are Worth It
Mother’s Day is around the corner, and if you have been celebrating a few years, you might be stuck on what to do this year. Breakfast in bed, lunch out, and spa days are wonderful and are a bit too common to use every year. Rather than sticking to a boring routine, here are some ideas for unique Mother’s Day activities that I have used over the years.
Mother’s Day is just a couple of weeks away!
Some Moms love flowers. Some Moms love jewels. Some Moms love candy. Some Moms would just love some piece and quiet — at least for one day. I’ve got great news for all of you, who are trying to come up with a Mother’s Day gift. You honestly don’t have to spend a lot of money, to let the special woman in your life know that she is loved and appreciated.
Nope! You really don’t. That’s the great thing about Moms they love anything their kids (and hopefully their husbands) give them, even weeds from outside.
My boys gave me weeds they thought were flowers. These sat in a cup, in my kitchen for over a week. When I finally threw them away the boys asked me where they went. After I explained that they were all wilted and I had to throw them out — they promptly set off to get me some more. Aww!
Since I am a Mom, I have a Mom, I’m friends with lots of Moms and I worked in the retail industry for many years — I guess I would be considered and expert on the subject, of what makes a great Mother’s Day gift. This is why I have decided to share what I know, with anyone who might be having a hard time coming up with the perfect gift.
Below you will find a list of some really fantastic – if I do say so myself – ideas. I am very confident that there is something for everyone here and that there will be at least one item on this list to fit your budget.
Moms love anything that are handmade by their children and it’s especially sweet when it contains the child’s hand prints. This can be as easy as using some paint and construction paper to make a beautiful card. The hand prints can be used to make a wreath or flowers.
We love being with our kids but sometimes it’s just nice to take a day – or even a few hours – and spend it anyway we would like. So a nice thing to do might be get her a gift card to one of her favorite places. It doesn’t have to be expensive just something you know she would enjoy. Or you can assemble a homemade gift certificate that she can redeem -to spend some time – doing whatever she wants.
It may sound silly. You may think “She can take time and do whatever she wants anytime. She doesn’t have to have a gift certificate for that.” For some Moms, they may feel guilty taking time for themselves, or they just don’t do it. If this sounds like someone you know, then this is perfect. If you get a little bouquet of flowers to go with it — that’s even better!
The car is mom’s mobile command center – she’s driving the kids around all day long, and chances are they aren’t the cleanest bunch. Things spill. The car gets dirty. And mom just doesn’t have time to clean it up all the time. Even when she does have the time, it’s not likely at the top of her list.
There are a lot of ways to get the car detailed – you can do it yourself, take it to a car wash, or even take it to the car dealer. We recommend the car dealership because they detail cars everyday, they usually do it very well, and the prices are very reasonable.
Let her sleep in, make her breakfast, leave the house or get the kiddos outside for a bit so she can get ready for the day, in peace. Try your best to make the whole day revolve around her. Do whatever it takes to keep things as stress free as possible. The rule for the day is that Mom isn’t to do any household chores. She’ll probably try, but keep it to a minimum. My husband did this for me last year and I really appreciated it!
Remember Catherine’s rant last year about What Mom’s Really Want For Mother’s Day? Yes, remember that.
There are so many thing you can get for Mom that are pampering. A great smelling bath set, lotions, candles, super comfy slippers, a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure, etc. — just think about what she enjoys, and you are sure to come up with the perfect gift.
You can even combo this with #4 and give her a full day of pampering.
Maybe it’s because I’m a writer, but I think a wonderful gift would be to help your kids make up a story all about Mom or Grandma. You can have them cut pictures out of magazines to illustrate the story, or they can draw their own. Depending on the ages of the children — this could get very interesting and fun. It will be a treasured keepsake and something she can bring out a read year after year.
There is a very good reason Mother’s Day is in May and I think it is because – in most places – spring has sprung. All the flowers are in bloom and it is just a beautiful time of year. You can always run down to the local farmers market and pick up a beautiful bouquet of flowers — but they also have gorgeous hanging baskets and other flowers, plants, trees, bushes, etc. that can be planted and enjoy for many months — or for many years to come.
All Moms and Grandmas love photo gifts! There are so many things you can put together and it can really fit into any price range — photo mugs, photo books, mouse pads, office supplies, clothing, etc. I am featuring Snapfish for two reasons — 1. They run awesome deals! 2. They offer a 110% quality guarantee. They aren’t giving me anything to say this, I am just a really satisfied customer! Check them out. I’ve also used Walgreens and Costco with great success!
This may sound expensive but it doesn’t have to be. Sterling Silver charms are quite reasonable and can be placed on a bracelet or a simple silver chain. Craft stores also have beads – and other jewelry making supplies – so the kids can make something special that Mom or Grandma will love — and wear with pride.
This should be the easiest, least expensive and most meaningful gift of all!!
“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”– Agatha Christie
Do you have suggestions? What was your favorite Mother’s Day gift, you ever received? What was your favorite Mother’s Day gift that you have given?
Maybe it’s because I didn’t pay much attention to the ads until this year, being my second Mother’s day celebration. Maybe it was because growing up, making homemade gifts for special occasions was the only option, not ever noticing ads.
I don’t know why but this year more than ever, there seems to be a huge amount of what I would consider inappropriate ads for special occasions, Mother’s day being just one.
I caught a local ad on TV advertising that what mom ”really wants” is this luxury vehicle for Mother’s day. Really? A car? For Mother’s day?! Not only is this just insane to me, it gives the message of ”Thanks Mom for driving us around all day, mind-as-well have a comfortable bum while it continues”. Who buys mom a car for Mother’s day?!
Mother’s day is important. Moms work hard. While I don’t want to discredit Dad, my experience (both as a mom and child) is that there is generally more pressure on mom. More pressure to keep the house running, nursing, feeding, parenting, mom’s do it all, no questions asked.
Taking a single day every year to make sure moms are acknowledged is important. Don’t let Mother’s day excuse you from doing it more often though 🙂 Mom doesn’t want a car. Any mom, I don’t care about demographic, ethnicity or race, doesn’t want a lavish gift such as a car. Mom wants time.
Time that is usually consumed by doing dishes, taking to practice, running the house. Mom wants one day where she has every second of her day to enjoy however she wants. For me I was able to take a nap, for no reason other than I could. Had extra cuddles with my daughter while I let her watch one of her favorite shows just so I could hold her while she was still.
Time outside running around the park. Time with my family while we ate a yummy dinner prepared by my husband. It was a beautiful day and while my daughter did get me a gift (a vegetable garden made by dad which my daughter and I will enjoy together) the best gift given to me was time. While I still did some cleaning and got some laundry done, it was on my own accord and I was able to accomplish everything I wanted.
Moms don’t need cars and diamond rings. They want time for themselves. Time with their family and general acknowledgment that what they do is recognized. Showering mom in foolish expensive gifts is a cop-out. The effort you put in to making anything will be much better received than any gift in which you merely had to swipe a card for. If mom needs a new car, sure, work it out so she gets one, but disguising it as a Mother’s day gift is an injustice to your mom.
Going forward for future years, make sure you spend time with mom. Make her something to the best of your abilities. Tell her you love her. She doesn’t really need that silly materialistic item regardless of what the advertises will have you believe.
What do you think is an appropriate gift for mothers day?
Catherine is a first time momma to a rambunctious toddler. When she isn’t soaking up all that motherhood has to offer, you can find her blogging over at Plunged in Debt where she chronicles her and her husbands journey out of debt. You can also follow her on Twitter.
In a few short weeks children around the world will be celebrating all that their moms do for them. This will be my first Mother’s day and I’m quite excited to see what my husband has in store for me! While I have no experience on the receiving end yet, I have many years behind me in the gift-giving side of things. I have made many crafts and purchased many flowers in my years. It didn’t matter if I gave my mom a handmade card with scribbles or a $50 bouquet, she appreciated it all.
I don’t know a mom out there that wouldn’t love to get a hand-made gift of any kind from their child. The fact that a child put thought and effort into making something from their hearts will always be well received. If the child is still too young to make something unassisted, Dad or another caregiver could help make something simple like a hand or foot print artwork.
Another gift that is always well received by moms is flowers. Mom or not I’ve never given or received flowers that weren’t appreciated. Though you can get beautiful pre-made bouquets at a florist, a picked wildflower bouquet is just as beautiful.
My personal favorite traditional gift idea (and I hope my husband is reading this) is a cooked meal, followed by full cleanup! I think I can speak for all moms world-wide when I say all we really want is a short break. Take on some of our normal duties for just one day, I dare you 🙂 Without asking, take care of everything that needs to be done. Help with cleaning, cooking and childcare. Gifts are always nice but a little family time without worrying about keeping house is probably the best gift of all.
Speaking of cleaning, how about a full car detailing? Cars get down right grimy. It seems no matter how well one cleans their car, children especially, have a way of making a car dirty on a whole new level. Why not take moms car to a professional for a full car detailing? They can remove dirt you thought would be there forever.
Though a little more expensive, plan a Mothers day weekend away for the family. Go somewhere special to the family or somewhere new you know mom would like to visit. As long as it’s relaxing for mom consider it a success.
With new blooms and weather on the upturn, spring is a great time for outdoor pictures. Book a photographer and have a family picture done. If hiring a professional photographer isn’t in the budget, ask a family member or friend to help out. The importance is in capturing the memory, not the type of camera lens or quality of picture frame.
Mothers day isn’t about how much money you spend. Whatever you choose, just take time out of your day to tell mom how much you appreciate her, even in the simple form of words.
What are your Mother’s Day plans?
Catherine is a first time momma to a rambunctious toddler. When she isn’t soaking up all that motherhood has to offer, you can find her blogging over at Plunged in Debt where she chronicles her and her husbands journey out of debt. You can also follow her on Twitter.
Here in Manila, we have some holidays that are decidedly Western and Mother’s Day is one of them. It is made an even bigger event because I believe Filipino culture places a heavy emphasis on the place, value, and importance of the mother in a family. On Mother’s Day, you will see more traffic than normal (and that means a lot of traffic overall!) going to malls, parks, and restaurants. You will normally see heartwarming commercials with tear-inducing montages to mothers of all kind on TV at the beginning of the month and the bookstores will likely be festooned with Balloons and poems to Moms. Needless to say, it is a fairly big day.
Since I became a mom, I like doing something just a little special to celebrate. It is said here that this is a day when Mom’s are treated like Queens, chores suspended for a day, meals cooked and served to them, etc. but since my kids are still young, I normally get lots of hugs, kisses, and ‘I love you very much, mommy’ comments rather than the other stuff—which is fantastic still, in my opinion. So, I orchestrate the ‘celebrations’ and this usually involves just a special meal and/or a trip somewhere not normally visited with the kids.
This year, I decided to bake a chocolate cake. You may be scratching your head wondering why this is different or special. Well, it is so because 1. I have never baked a cake from scratch, even when I used to bake and sell cupcakes and bars. 2. Since I have taken on single parenting, I have had very little time to do any kind of baking.
I decided to try this traditional cake because I wanted to know how to make a cake that could be a staple for celebrations. I found a seemingly yummy recipe online and decided to try it out. Here it is.
It was tough getting back to the preciseness of baking after being out of baker’s mode for a long time but it was cool to see the cake come together. The finished result was quite good as well. I wish I had taken a picture to showcase my first attempt but the idea popped into my mind after half of the cake had been eaten so…next time. I intend to make it again at the end of the month for my birthday and, seeing as I have tried it before, I expect it to look better and to be able to whip it up faster.
What do you do on Mother’s Day?
Catherine is a first time momma to a rambunctious toddler. When she isn’t soaking up all that motherhood has to offer, you can find her blogging over at Plunged in Debt where she chronicles her and her husbands journey out of debt. You can also follow her on Twitter.
Mothers Day is almost here and although it may not be romantic, Gift Cards are something my wife always asks me for. I don’t make it the only gift but I do try to make it part of the gift. If you have read any of my articles in the past you know that we fell on pretty hard times and had no money to buy anything other than absolute necessities for a very long time. Nothing made her happier when family members clued into how bad we were and got her gift cards so she could shop for things she needed but that we couldn’t afford since it wasn’t an absolute necessity to get by.
I just got an email from Amazon, they advertise on our site and they have some Mothers Day themed gift cards that are easy to purchase and will arrive in plenty of time for the big day. If you want to make Gift Cards part of your Mothers Day, you can check them out at Amazon Mothers Day Gift Cards.
From the husbands/sons/father perspective, gift cards are great because of how easy they are to get and to give. Just don’t make it the only thing you give her. Being a Mom is a hard and incredibly wonderful job, show her she is worth more than the 5 minutes it takes to pick up a gift card.
What are you getting the moms in your life for Mother’s Day?
