Make sure mom can enjoy her Mother’s Day gifts
Social media, television and magazines are filled with advertisements suggesting gift ideas for Mother’s Day—bath fizzies, chocolate, perfume, flowers, a new book or gift cards for her favorite places or items.
But, it can be difficult for moms to enjoy the pampering if they’re always short on “me time.” Giving the gift of time may be just what she needs. Go ahead and shower her with the traditional gestures of love and affection, but, in addition, free her from some daily obligations.
The level of Zen reached from her day at the spa will evaporate in an instant if she comes home to find no one picked up the slack from her “me time.” And the chocolate will taste better if she’s enjoying it while watching someone else do the work.
Take a good look at what she does each day to make your family run smoothly and see where you can step in.
Dinner duty
Is mom the one primarily responsible for putting a meal on the table each night—or at least making one so people can grab it and go when they are flying in and out of the house?
Take it over for the night—all of it—the planning, shopping, preparing and cleanup. It will be one of the best meals she’s ever eaten.
Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning
In many families, everyone helps out to keep the house clean. For Mother’s Day, everyone else should do a little more. Take a look at what mom does and do it first. Make your goal a tidy house without her even thinking about it.
Laundry, laundry, laundry
(See cleaning above.) Is mom the one in your family who is on a first-name basis with your washing machine? Create a situation where the laundry is magically done before she could even think to ask.
Carpool queen
If mom manages the family carpool, other driving family members can rearrange their schedules, so she gets a day or two without worrying about everyone else’s appointments and obligations.
A nag-free week
Moms are often the project managers of the household. Keeping track of everyone else’s responsibilities can be an exhausting mental load.
Each family member should pay attention to what mom asks you to do—over and over and over again—and for Mother’s Day get it done before she asks.
Fill in the blank
Your mom may not do any of these things, but trust us, she is doing something to make everyone else’s life easier. Pay attention, identify it and do it for her.
Gift ideas
Looking for suggestions of gifts she can unwrap and enjoy while you assume some of her responsibilities? We offer a few ways mom can pamper herself here, or you can find some of her other favorite products on the websites below.