Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

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What better way to say, “I love you” to your mother than to give her opportunities for relaxation and a few heartfelt gifts? If you are a nanny working for a female client, you have the perfect opportunity to engage the children in your charge with some projects around the house to help them show their mother how much they care. Here are a few of our favorite ways to say, “Thank you mom.”

The little things:

1. Let mom sleep in
2. Prepare her breakfast in bed (something as simple as pancakes and coffee will do)
3. Include a vase of flowers from your own garden, or flowers you’ve purchased, on the breakfast tray
4. Get her a gift card to her favorite spa so that she can pamper herself with a massage, a pedicure, manicure, hair cut or other service. If you don’t know what spa she likes, find one in your area and choose for her.
5. Think of ways to make mom’s life easier. Once you’ve brainstormed what these things are, give her a “coupon book” of chores that she normally does that will be done for her. Ideas include (may depend on the age of the children):

• Doing the laundry for one week
• Doing the dishes for one week
• Tidying the house for one week
• Mowing the lawn/doing yard work for one month
• Doing homework without being asked for one week
• Cleaning up after the pet for one week
• Dusting, mopping, sweeping for one week
• Making the beds for one week
• Plant her a mother’s day garden. Mother’s Day falls in the beginning of spring, so if your weather is still under a frost alert, you could just start the garden from seedlings to be transplanted outside after the frost.

Little things made by little ones—make her a card: If you have small children in the house, make sure to engage them in a craft that they can do for mother’s day. From a mother’s perspective, the most affectionate gift is one that is hand-made, no matter how small the child. With younger children who can’t yet draw, consider finger painting as a craft idea. As long as you are able to think ahead and prepare for a creative mess by dressing the painting children in smocks or old t-shirts, and being prepared with a cleaning area to go to when the painting is over, it’s not as scary as it sounds. For older children, let them create with whichever tools in the craft box you can find.

Bigger things made by all—make her dinner: You don’t have to be extravagant with this endeavor – remember, it’s the thought that counts, and also the concept of letting mom relax on this day. Some ideas that are easy to make and that can include the help of the kids for mother’s day dinner include:

• Spaghetti and meatballs with a garden salad and a glass of her favorite wine (kids can help put the spaghetti in the water and help prepare the salad)
• Tacos or burritos (kids can help clean the vegetables, spread the beans, meat, cheese in the tortillas)
• Stir fry with vegetables and rice (kids can help prep the vegetables)
• Don’t forget a special dessert. Some ideas for dessert are strawberry shortcake, chocolate chip cookies, or a fresh fruit cup.
• Make sure to clean up the dishes after everyone is done. If she insists on helping, just remind her that it’s her day to relax.

Stay away from getting mom gifts to help her clean her house, her car, her laundry, etc.