Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching. It’s a day of gratitude for your biggest supporter. Moms deserve time off on that day… from EVERYTHING. She should not have to cook, clean, do laundry, or take care of children on Mother’s Day. Spouses or older kids should take care of the little ones and tend to the chores. Moms appreciate a little pampering. She takes care of everyone, and is often taken for granted. This is the time to step up, give her some TLC and do something to make her feel special. Moms say they don’t want gifts, but will always welcome them.
How should we show our appreciation for mom? Let’s take a look.
GIVE MOM MORE TIME
They say time is money, but can money buy time? Absolutely! Hire a personal assistant or concierge service for the day to take care of errands
Hire a cleaning service to clean the house (or do it yourself)
- Ask for a referral
- The Maids
- Merry Maids
- Molly Maid
Buy a DVR to skip commercials and this will save her 20 minutes for every one hour program
- Comcast XFINITY or Verizon FiOS
- TiVo
Childcare during the week or on weekends will always be a big help
- Arrange for someone to watch the kids for a full or half a day so she has uninterrupted time to accomplish her goals
- Younger school-aged kids could go to an After-School program for a week to give mom more time
PAMPER MOM
Cook breakfast or go out for an upscale brunch on Mother’s Day
Go on a picnic if the weather is nice
- If you don’t have a picnic basket, you can buy one from Kitchen Kapers or Williams Sonoma
- Buy some tasty dishes from Bon Appetit, D’Angelo’s, McCaffrey’s, Olives, or Olsson’s
- Parks with picnic tables include Community Park North, Greenway Meadows Park, Marquand Park, or Smoyer Park in town, and Washington Crossing State Park gives you a river view at certain points
- Have an indoor picnic if there is inclement weather
Spa treatments are usually appreciated
- Give mom a foot massage, hand and foot scrub, and paint her nails.
- Give mom a shoulder rub
- Buy a gift certificate to her favorite spa
Arrange a girlfriends’ getaway
- Antiquing – Purchase a U-haul gift certificate plus a hotel overnight, and arrange for mom and some friends to drive to PA or CT in a small U-haul truck to look for amazing finds
- Atlantic City – Read this post for ideas for an ultimate AC girlfriends’ getaway
- Vegas Baby! – Enough said
MAKE MOM A GIFT
Get creative and personal
- Oil portrait – Have one painted of the kids or a photo of the kids converted into an oil painting and have it framed
- Concert/Recital – The family could play their favorite pieces
- Theme-Based Gift basket – Vacation: sunscreen, a bestselling book (like Eligble), and a cosmetic bag filled with travel-sized toiletries, or Relaxation: reed diffusers, a bestselling book, a pillow, and a blanket
- Custom Journal – Have one customized by The Paper Source and write your favorite inspirational quotes on the first page
PURCHASE MOM A GIFT
Buy Local
- Botari – Fun eyeglass cases and adorable luggage tags
- Carter & Cavero – You can buy individual items (oil, vinegar, mustard, honey) or they can make a customized gift basket for you
- Hedy Shepard – Fashion forward Hostess Dishwashing Gloves
- Mandalay Trading Company – Scented candles
Flowers – Avoid roses this year and choose something less common, e.g.: Anthurium, Bird of Paradise, Cala Lily, Chrysanthemum, Exotic Ginger, Gardenia, Hydrangea, Orchid, Oriental Liliy, Peony, Plumeria, or Ranunculus
- McCaffrey’s Floral Department has a nice selection of budget priced flowers, including tropicals
- Monday Morning Flower and Ballon Company in Forrestal Village offers exotic, hi-style and tropical flowers
- Perna’s Plant and Flower Shop offers reasonably priced bouquets
- Viburnum Designs make stunning arrangements
Redecorate/Remodel – A homemade certificate for one of these options will surely make mom happy
- Custom Closet – She will marvel at a place to neatly store her shoes, handbags, hats, jewelry, sunglasses, and accessories as well as her clothing.
- Mom Cave – This could be anything from a small nook to an entire room
- She Shed – You can purchase a shed from the PA Dutch Farmers Market in Kingston, Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Lowes, or TrueValue
- Spa Bathroom – This could be as small as the addition of a heated toilet seat with bidet, to a one-piece toilet with built-in bidet, a Jacuzzi bathtub and spa shower.