how to plan the best mother's day ever and how to make that special day actually feel special

How to Plan the Best Mother's Day Ever

First House
This post was entirely written & edited by a real human being based on their real lived experience, no robot assistant required.

How to Plan the Best Mother’s Day Ever

Pssst this works for birthdays too!!

Here’s the TLDR basics of what moms want done for them so they can have an enjoyable day and maybe even feel relaxed for a minute!

The Big Three

1. Clean(ish) House: Get the chores managed for the weekend

2. Handle Food: meal plan for the fam for the day, make brunch or dinner reservations

3. Plan & Execute Any Activities: make reservations, book tickets, arrange childcare, pack kids bags, and then get people there on time with everything they need in tow!

Let's Break This Thing Down

On the home front:

Male Partners, child wrangling is all on you today. The clothing, the wiping, the screaming, the hitting, all the things. Mom gets hugs and kisses and hand drawn cards and macaroni necklaces.

Clean the house the day before. Moms cannot relax with dirty bathrooms, messy kitchens, and laundry piling up ahead of a busy week. Monday is coming and people will need clothes for school and work. 

Food &/or Dining:

If you’re planning to go out for brunch, lunch, or dinner:

  • Make a reservation. No long waits on one of the busiest dining days of the year please.
  • If you have small children who don’t do well in restaurants, get a babysitter.
  • If there’s no good childcare options, you can cook at home or order in - but make it a special, elevated, or unique meal and not something you eat every day! Also you’re on dish duty. 

Activities:

Give mom the chance to have some alone time, particularly if they're overstimulated or infrequently gets time for themselves. This can look like:

  • An uninterrupted NAP (probably everyone else leaves the house!)
  • A solo walk or hike
  • A yoga class 
  • Solo visit to a coffee shop with a good book
  • Strolling around cute shops solo
  • A sound bath*
  • Horseback riding, paddleboarding or rock-climbing* if she’s adventurous or outdoorsy!

*for these more involved activities, it is YOUR job to book them in advance

Gifting:

Part 1 - How to Tell People What You Want

For Moms, this is the only part of this article that is advice for you!

When it comes time for me to give someone a wish list, say the ole “what do you want for Christmas?” line, my brain goes straight to crickets. I go completely blank.

Of course, I find things I want all the time! I just need to put them all in a place where I can actually remember them. Whether that’s a Google Doc, your Notes app, or even a Pinterest board, I encourage you to create a single easily shared place to make a brain dump of anything and everything you’re interested in. Bonus points if you include links to the specific products!

Specific books, jewelry, beauty products, clothes, classes, activities, even places you like to shop. THEN when your family needs to shop for you, they have a handy cheat sheet of things you’ve had your eye on.  AND this brain dump "stuff I like" list can be evergreen, constantly rotating.

Class pass to that new barre studio? Done. 

Gift certificate to that local boutique? Sold. 

Subscription box? You’re now subscribed!

Part 2 - Gifting

If you've received a wish list, amazing! If you have a general idea, great! If you need professional help, you're local shops are right there ready to guide you (trust me, we're happy to help the hapless). Here's some easy grabs that are always winners.

Fun Things

Jewelry 

Journals

Candles or Incense or Room Sprays

Cute Home Decor

Gift Cards! Make sure to plan time for her to actually go to the store and enjoy some leisurely solo shopping time to cash in that gift card.

Fun Experiences

As mentioned, a gift certificate for:

Do Not just buy a gift card for experiences that can be used whenever. Pro Tip: Book the Appointment for said service or class and then YOU take care of finding the childcare. It is your job to check the calendar, make sure the time you are booking works for everyone’s schedule, and then cover childcare yourself. Without all these steps, figuring out when she’s actually going to find the time to do the fun thing she was gifted is just another task that is going to fall to the bottom of the to-do list, and most likely that gift certificate will never get used. 

In Summary! Here's the general advice for anyone planning a special day for a mom/caregiver in their life that's Actually Restful and Enjoyable!

DO

  • Make plans in advance. Reservations, babysitters, etc
  • Clean the house, stay on top of chores to they don’t pile up making more work later
  • Take charge of all childcare duties on mom’s special day
  • Give the option for the mom to have some solo time to do things they normally don’t get the chance to do (drink hot coffee, read a book uninterrupted, window shop, skydive)

DON’T

  • Be the last person in the house to wake up on the special day
  • Turn to your partner on the day of the event and say “so what do you want to do” - aka have No Plans
  • Make the whole family wait an hour at a restaurant with tiny hangry children, then suffer through a stressful meal out with tiny tired children
  • Buy a massage gift certificate without scheduling the appointment yourself - because “schedule massage” becomes another thing on the to do list, and let’s face it, will always be the last priority
  • Leave a pile of dirty dishes for mom to deal with the day after Mother’s day

 

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