It seems like every time we turn around another holiday is right in front of us. That might have something to do with the fact that we have seven people in our house so seven birthdays, three graduations this year alone (2 college and 1 high school), two anniversaries (funny story), plus the normal calendar holidays…it can be a lot. I am trying to be more intentional this year with gifts – we’ve love to do experiences for birthdays – some of my favorite memories with the kids are trips we took for their birthdays. Covid put a little damper on a few so we owe them some time away and I’m going to work on that for next year’s birthdays!
Every year the kids ask what I want for Mother’s Day and honestly, it’s a struggle. I don’t need a lot and if I do, I usually just grab it while I’m out running errands. Gift cards are always a good gift for me because we do a lot of things for the house and they make it easy to fit the projects into the budget, but they also aren’t specifically FOR me and I can understand wanting to give a gift FOR the person, not FOR the household. I am pretty sure I’m not alone in this feeling so I decided to assemble a list of things I would love and things I have and love already.
Healthy Mom Goals
I’m in the middle of Breast Cancer treatment still so my first set of gift ideas were definitely tailored to that part of my life – a rebounder (https://amzn.to/4bcNmWr), a walking treadmill (https://amzn.to/49Zuf1d), a lymphatic brush (https://amzn.to/4aRSCiD) and an acupressure mat (https://amzn.to/3JDzZTh) were high on my list. I’ve been struggling with breast lymphedema and fibrosis, so all of these things are recommended to help me get back on my feet and painting rooms again!
I have a Stanley that was a gift for Christmas and I love it for those days around the house when I’m forcing myself to drink my water like an adult, but carrying it out and about can get a little bulky and fitting in my cupholders next to my shifter is like doing a puzzle. I like my smaller Simple Modern Insulated Tumbler for errand days and at bedtime (let’s not even talk about how many times I smacked myself with my very heavy Stanley…). The SM Tumblers keep my water cold and I love that they come with a straw lid and a flip lid both included! So many colors and fast shipping for the procrastinators among us… (https://amzn.to/49Yth5f)
For the Mom That Loves Her Devices
Tech-y Mom? This portable charger is so handy to have all the cord options attached as well as a digital read out of battery life left! (https://amzn.to/3JDzlVV) For the house, this charger stays in my room and fits my phone, watch and AirPods and I don’t worry about cords falling behind my nightstand. It is available in multiple colors as well. (https://amzn.to/3y565EY)
I’ve been trying really hard to read more this year – less mindless scrolling and more page turning. If reading more is on your list, a Kindle (https://amzn.to/4biIXS2) is a great help! You can download books instantly so picking one when you have a few minutes is easy and with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription, you have many free options! (https://amzn.to/3JFdrSh)
For the Animal Lover
I am not an expensive jewelry kind of girl, but I do love some fun pieces from time to time. My son found this last year for his sisters and girlfriend. They are such a cute idea for an animal lover. (https://amzn.to/4a0WgFk) Fahlo has multiple animal options to choose from – giraffes, sea turtles, penguins, elephants to name just a few. When you receive the bracelet, it gives you the name of an animal being tracked so you can follow along with it. A portion of the proceeds go to support various animal conservation groups. This could be a great shared experience for mom and her kids to track the animals!
For the Homebody Mom
There is always the discussion about tools for the house – vacuums, kitchen appliances, and so on – and only you know best if that’s something you want to gift or receive on Mother’s Day, but for me something new and fun to use in the kitchen is always a great gift. My favorite tool in the kitchen is my KitchenAid Mixer. My kids gifted me a new one for Christmas last year to replace my hand me down one. It was still working but had started to slow down a little bit and I was wanting to replace it with a different color. (https://amzn.to/3UDQqWg)
My second favorite tool is my Ninja Foodie Air Fryer. I love that it has two baskets so I can mix and match what is cooking or double up on things when a bunch of us are home. It cooks evenly, is easy for everyone in the house to use and cleans up evenly. (https://amzn.to/3WD7Tj5) One of my goals this year is to get more adventurous with what I cook in it and a recent Pinterest search led me to an entire trove of air fryer recipes to try. You can literally cook anything in this thing!
Whatever you ask for or gift, it really is the effort that matters – I’ve had years where my kids drew me a card and I still have it. We have a running joke that one of my kiddos is definitely getting me peanut butter cups no matter what and I wouldn’t trade that for the world!
Hope this helps get those ideas flowing,
