What Your Mama Really Wants For Mother’s Day

We Promise To Tell The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth about What Your Mama Really Wants For Mother’s Day! No pretty little blogger graphic with an assortment of lovely little things that your Mom MAY like. We’re giving it to you straight from the Mama’s mouth. We’ve got a combined 52 years of motherhood – including pregnancy time – so we speak from experience.

Sandy’s Picks

I became a mom at 20 years old, so I’ve had more Mother’s Days than most. When my kids were little, their Dad would do the Mother’s Day shopping. It was usually something small and sweet – nothing over top. As they got a little older, they would make a Mother’s Day craft or card at school. My kids would always get so excited about their homemade gifts. They could rarely keep them a secret until Mother’s Day. I miss those days. When they were in college, they would usually come home for the weekend with a card (and laundry) in tow. As we have all gotten older, I have told them “What your Mama really wants for Mother’s Day is just spending time together – no gifts”.

Have they listened? Yes and no. I usually get to spend the day with them, but they always feel compelled to give me something. I feel pretty safe in saying that ninety-nine percent of the Mamas out there DO NOT want their adult children to spend their hard earned money on a gift. At my age, I basically have everything that I need. No need for Mother’s Day gifts or even birthday gifts for this girl. That being said – they will still give me a gift. So with that in mind, we’ve come up with a few gift ideas that you might consider for your own Mama this year.

A plant that she can’t kill. A live plant is a great gift for anyone. One of my favorite Mother’s Day gifts was a jade plant from my daughter Melinda. I still have it many years later and have added other plants to it throughout the years! It’s probably around 15 years old now. I have nurtured it over the years and definitely give it a little more TLC than my other plants. This plant from Etsy looks very similar to the plant she gave me way back when. As you can see now, it has probably tripled in size. For a list of easy-to-grow plants for your Mama, click HERE.

Something homemade. What Mama doesn’t love a homemade gift? Even as an adult, you can make your Mom something with your own two hands. Things like body scrubs and lotions, candles, or even “sweet treats” make awesome gifts. Pinterest offers tons of ideas. Trust me, she will be touched by the time and effort you put into a homemade gift. When Abby was in the 5th grade, she also gave me a plant (yes, I’m the plant lady 🙋‍♀️). It was in a little clay pot that she painted herself. The plant eventually died, but I still have the pot. I cherish that little pot and will keep it forever.

Something she would never buy for herself. Suggestions along that line would be a piece of personalized jewelry, perfume, or maybe a pair of comfy pair of silk pajamas. When my son Jonathan was around eight years old (around 31 years ago) he bought me an outfit at a flea market. I know that must sound a little strange, but at the time, these little outfits were really popular in the Houston area. It consisted of a tee-shirt and leggings decorated with craft paint. He used his own money and he and his dad snuck off without me and he picked out the outfit all by himself. I will never ever forget how excited he was to give it to me. Believe it or not, I still have the tee-shirt. How could I ever part with something like that? The memory of him that day and how excited he was, was the ‘real gift’.

Time to herself. This one’s for all you dads or for someone who wants to help out a “special mom” in their life that may not necessarily be your own. For a mom with kids still at home (especially young kids), she probably needs some time to herself. I’m not talking about a couple of hours, I mean 24 hours – at home – all alone. This would allow her to do whatever she wants: sleep, eat, drink, catch up on the Housewives, clean the house – WHATEVER. She just needs time all to herself. I am talking from the voice of experience. Mama needs some alone time.

A charitable donation. If your mama has put her foot down on gift giving and you feel that you just have to give her something, make a donation to her favorite cause or charity in her name. My favorite charity is Habitat For Humanity. Everybody deserves a home right? I love this charity because community volunteers work alongside the future home owner to build a home. Whatever the donation, it’s a win/win for all.

Abby’s Picks

Help Around The House. I’m like any Mom and I cherish all homemade cards and gifts from my kids. One of my favorite life memories was my son’s first year in preschool when we celebrated Mother’s Day at his school. I’ll never forget walking up and seeing him waiting for me outside with flowers in his hands. He waited on me at school, brought me cookies and tea and his teacher even read where he said my favorite drink was wine and my favorite show was The Housewives. So funny!!!! Nothing like a wonderful memory to cherish forever.

Something I would also really appreciate would be for my kids to do some chores on my special day. I often have my kids help with yard work, but on Mother’s Day, maybe no complaints about doing it? Maybe even helping with laundry, picking up their rooms or playroom, again with no complaints. Even helping with a meal would be awesome. I would love and be so grateful for any of these tasks this Mother’s Day!

Something For Her Home. Anytime I want something for my home that is pricey, I always wait to ask my husband for it around a holiday and Mothers Day is no exception. How could any good husband turn down a gift for the hard working mother of their children, right?! My husband is actually very generous to me around holidays and is usually very easily persuaded. Thank you Jesus! This year I would love a gorgeous new wallpaper in my entry way. I am loving this one from Anthropologie. It is definitely on my Mother’s Day wish list.

Time To Herself (sound familiar?). If I’m being completely honest for Mother’s Day, this Mom would like an entire day to myself. Meaning no husband and no kids! Do I sound like the worst wife/mom ever? I really hope not. Surely I’m not alone. I’m in a season of my life where my family is all very dependent of me and sometimes a Mama just wants a break! I cherish any alone time I get because it’s so rare.

My ideal Mother’s Day would be waking up to sweet homemade cards from my kids, a simple breakfast made by my husband and the day off. I would love heading to the spa to get a massage and a pedicure, do some shopping and come home to a clean and empty house. While this may sound crazy on Mother’s Day and my day off, that’s what would make me happy! That’s actually how I spent a majority of my day last year. Deep cleaning my kitchen cabinets while my husband took my kids to the park. I really loved it!