Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12 and it will be here before you know it! Everybody knows that moms deserve recognition and to be shown some extra appreciation for all they do for us. From kissing our boo-boos when we were kids to sharing their wisdom, advice, and babysitting services with us as adults, our mothers are invaluable. While bouquets and breakfast in bed are always appreciated, this year why not do something different? Here are some alternative ideas for celebrating those special ladies in your life.
Dig In!
If flowers are an essential part of Mother’s Day in your family, instead of grabbing a bouquet or having an arrangement delivered, take Mom out to choose her own blooms at ACE Garden Center. Pick up extra gardening gloves, soil, fertilizer, pots, and anything else you might need and spend the day planting or potting them together. For long lasting memories, plant perennials, shrubs, or trees that will bloom for years to come. If you really want to get ambitious, start a garden together; but make sure you don’t end up leaving all the weeding and hard work to her as it grows!
You know what moms really love? Family photos!
It might take a little advance planning and scheduling, but maybe you can arrange a family session at the beach or under the oaks with a local photographer and present Mom with a photo book of the session or a framed or canvas copy of her favorite shot. There are many other types of photo books you can create as special Mother’s Day gifts as well. Showcase your meaningful moments over the years by creating a book with an image or two for every year with mom from your birth to her years as a grandmother with your children. Scan old photos to preserve them digitally and make a book that includes photos that have special stories behind them or favorite trips together. You’ll end up with an album that honors your unique relationship. You could also present Mom with her own personal history book. Honor her life with photos of her and her accomplishments through the years, plus scanned newspaper clippings, handwritten letters, ticket stubs, playbills, and anything that might show the various roles she plays and eras of her life. Another unique idea for a photo book is to create cookbook with favorite family recipes and an accompanying photo of each dish. For an extra personal touch, include photos of the family members who contributed the recipes. Recreating old family photos with children who are now adults posing in the same manner and place as the original shots can be fun too. To be honest, even if you simply ask your server to snap a photo of the whole family together while you’re out enjoying brunch and send Mom those pictures, she’ll love it.
Make some art together!
Sign up for a pottery workshop, a Sip & Paint session, or some other creative activity you and Mom will both enjoy. Glynn Visual Arts and Makers BWK are a couple local spots where you’ll find numerous options to exercise your artistic talents. You certainly don’t have to go out to do this, but it might make the clean-up process less painful! If you choose to stay home, pick up DIY kits at the craft store. If you want to stretch those creative muscles a little more, there are YouTube videos for just about anything from jewelry-making to tie-dying shirts. Don’t worry about perfection or how it’s “supposed to look,” the true beauty here is in the time you get to spend with Mom and the memories you’ll both have.
Is Mom a music lover?
Take her to a concert or catch some live music at one of our local venues. You can find out who’s playing where by checking the I’m With the Band blog at elegantislandliving.net and @imwiththebandssi on Facebook or Instagram. If you’re tech savvy and have a sharable music library or Spotify, create a playlist for Mom using her favorite songs. For even more fun, create a playlist together. Finding old classics and tunes you both remember being special in your lives or discovering new music through each other is a wonderful way to share the music you love.
Cook something up!
If Mom enjoys time in the kitchen, give her an opportunity to hone or expand her culinary skills. Engage the services of a private chef to teach you both how to make fresh pasta, perfect your pastry, design the ultimate charcuterie board, or make a special meal. You’ll get the experience of learning together and enjoy the epicurean results too. There are several personal chefs in the Golden Isles who offer in-home cooking demonstrations. For a more casual approach, you and Mom can pull up any number of YouTube videos from the Food Network and many other sources to put on the TV to follow while you hit the kitchen together. Then again, if you dropped a favorite meal and a delicious dessert off to Mom and she didn’t have to lift a finger, she’d probably appreciate that too!
Enjoy a Girls Day In.
You don’t have to wait for a spa appointment or deal with a room full of chattering bridesmaids with a DIY beauty experience. Grab an array of skin care and beauty products like exfoliating scrubs, face masks, salt soaks, body butters, and deep conditioners, then join Mom for a home pampering session. If you have a steady hand with nail polish, you can even treat her to a manicure and pedicure. Add in a movie marathon of her favorite chick flicks, rom coms, or a long binge session of Yellowstone or true crime shows, accompanied by tasty treats and no interruptions, and you’ll have a winning “Girls Day In” combo!
Take Mom fishing or out for a boat ride.
Give her a Big Green Egg with a bow on it. Tour a distillery or learn how to make craft beer together. Those things aren’t just for Dad, you know! Whatever you choose to do on Mother’s Day, just be sure to let the mothers in your life know that they are loved and appreciated.
