May 13th is Mother’s Day this year and so I’d like to offer up a few gift ideas for Mom that I’ve been tossing around for my Mom, my MIL (and for myself) in the hopes that it might inspire you to do something a little different this Mother’s Day.
Gift ideas for Mom
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Free labour. Yup, what Mom doesn’t want her “honey-do list” wheedled down? Fertilize her lawn, till a garden, paint a room, pressure wash her deck or take on a small build to bring one of her Pinterest pins to life. You might even think about installing that toilet that has been sitting in the garage for two months?
Take the kids AWAY. I love my kids. In fact, I love my kids 24-7. I’m also a homebody so trekking out for a spa day just isn’t my pie-in-the-sky. What I’d really love would be for Hubby to take the girls away for the day. Fishing, camping, theme park – anything that takes up the majority of the day so I can sit quietly in my pjs. As a double-bonus, take the kids to Grandma’s to give her a treat at the same time! I’m happy sighing just thinking about it!
Car detailing/car shampoo. Moms’ cars take a LOT of abuse. Spilled drinks and snacks, muddy shoes, road salt, wrappers and the smell of athletic shoes from every extra-curricular we drive them to and from. On the list of great gift ideas for Mom would be to rent a carpet shampooer, or hire someone to come in and clean up the inside of the all-duty vehicle to sparkling new.
Make a “No Mom” rule. Remove the word “Mom” from everyone’s repertoire for an entire day… ideally to be replaced with “Dad”. If shin pads can’t be found, Dad can search. If “she hit me”, Dad can handle the reprimanding. No one is to say the word “Mom”, outside of “I love you so much Mom”, for an entire day. The longer version of “Mommommommommommommom” does not count as a separate word and should also be removed.
Make/bake her favourite treat. Hubby makes the best oat delight cookies in the world. A container of these (all to myself) would be heavenly. Most Mom’s would appreciate a special treat that they didn’t have to make themself. Why not go that one step further and sort a meal out for her. You don’t even have to get her out the house, instead you could get her a lobster gift basket if she likes that kind of food.
Do chores without being asked/reminded/nagged. One of the best gift ideas for Mom would be if everyone in the home just did their chores without being asked. We know the cat and dog need to be fed – it’s not news – so do it without Mom having to remind you. Putting dishes inside the dishwasher really isn’t rocket science, and turning your dirty socks (and pants) right-side out before putting them in the laundry would just make my Mom’s day.
Charcuterie board. This is my new favourite thing – a tray of meats, cheeses and crackers that you can graze away at all day long. No meals to prep, very few dishes to clean up and a savoury snack whenever you want. Yup, please sign Mom up for a charcuterie board. (click the link for the easy plans to make the board itself!)
Flowers. Not the ugly-dyed blooms from the grocery store, but an actual arrangement, however small, that she can put on her bedside table or desk.
Wide-angle camera lens. (Oops, how’d that get on here?)
Purge. What Mom wouldn’t love for her family to go through their things and purge some of the crap that doesn’t fit, isn’t played with, is broken, or is always left on the floor. Don’t make Mom throw out everything you own to ease her clutter anxiety – purge your items and make a list of summer clothes that the kids will need this year. If you really want to “WOW!” Mom, bring in gift idea #2 and take the kids shopping to get said items as well!
Take a family photo. You don’t have to hire a fancy photographer or go to a distant studio. Capture a few candid photos of the family, WITH MOM IN THEM, so that she will have a proof that she actually existed and a memory of the littles at this age. If you have a big family, then that wide-angle lens might come in handy (wink) (Hint: Lightroom is easy to use and can make almost any photo into a masterpiece)
Mom Book. If you haven’t, start a Mom book – where the kids write a note to Mom every Mother’s Day (and in my case, for my birthday too). We’ve had this tradition for a few years now, and this dollar store book is one of my most prized possessions.
It could just be me, but I think the best gift ideas for Mother’s Day are (almost) free. Give Moms of young children “time off” and give Moms of adult children “time on” (with their grand-babies.)
