Mother’s Day To-Do List: Thoughtful Things You Can Do for Mom

Your mom is special and although you tell her you love her all year long, Mother’s Day can be the perfect opportunity to let her really see the evidence of your appreciation.
By planning a in advance these thoughtful things can be added to your To Do list for this Mother’s Day.

Take her on vacation – Not everyone will be able to afford to pay for an entire vacation but if you’re already planning a vacation why not include your mother? Lasting memories can be created by taking your mom on a “girlfriend’s getaway” or if you are taking the entire family then bring grandma along for the fun.

Family BBQ – You can make this as simple or elaborate as you would like. Want to just have your mom and the immediate family present? Make your favorite barbequed meat and sides and enjoy your time together. Thinking bigger? Think about making it a family reunion type of event and invite everyone – aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, whomever you think would attend. Ask everyone to bring a side dish or desert and you provide the meat and paper goods.

Handmade Gifts – Anything made by hand is sure to be loved by your mother and a handmade gift could be anything your precious hands can create from her favorite desert to a new sweater or quilt. If your not exactly the crafty type, keep in mind that “hand made” might not even have to be “made by your hand.” If your mom likes hand crafted items or maybe you have recently been to a craft fair and your mother has shown interest in a specific item you could purchase it for her as a surprise.

Help Her With Chores – There are a ton of things that your mom might appreciate help with. 

Some things that come easily to mind:

• Gardening- mow the yard, weed the garden or help plant flowers and shrubs
• DIY – houses are in constant need of care. Maybe you could visit your mom’s house and make a list of everything that needs to be done from painting to helping with remodeling. Make a seasonal checklist and help your mom make sure her house is ready for each season
• Wash Windows – this is probably her least favorite job anyway so why not help her out by bringing your cleaning solution, buckets, rags and squeegee and get those windows spotless and squeaky clean
• Wash Her Car – clean and vacuum it out, too. A clean car just makes you feel good.

Pamper Her – Call her favorite hair stylist and make an appointment for a cut and style. Then make an appointment for a manicure, pedicure and facial. Be her chauffeur for the day and take her out to lunch, too.

With a little effort and planning you could show your mother how special she really is to you and make this Mother’s Day one your mother will never forget.

Mother’s Day Fun for Moms by Kids

Mother’s Day is coming up soon (psst it’s Sunday, May 10th this year) and you don’t want it to sneak up on you so get a grown up to help and make a plan to take care of mom for a change. Take a look at the easy ideas below, choose one and make this Mother’s Day one she will not soon forget.

Breakfast In Bed

If your mom is like most, then I bet she is usually up early every morning to get everyone ready for the day. Why not let her sleep in this year and then serve her breakfast in bed?

To keep things simple, plan your surprise the night before. You could serve mom her favorite muffins, fresh fruit and beverage. Make sure to include a nice flower and maybe even a poem written by you especially for the occasion.

A Day To Herself

Your mom loves you very much. That’s why she is always ready to help you out anytime you need anything. Imagine the look on your mom’s face when you present her with a coupon for a full day to do whatever SHE would like to do.

All you need to do is get a pretty piece of paper and create your own gift certificate entitling your mother to one day of peace and quiet. Decorate it with markers, crayons or stickers. Anything you think your mom would like.

When she wakes up Mother’s Day morning, present her your gift certificate filled with love. If you want to really impress her, ask a grown up to buy a book you know she’s been wanting to read.

You could even present the book and coupon with a pretty cup or mug so she can enjoy her favorite beverage while she’s reading quietly.

As for the “quiet” part – ask the grown up helping you to make sure you are kept busy as well as supervised so that mom doesn’t have to worry about anything the whole day long.

Family Time

If you think your mom would prefer spending time with the family instead of a quiet day alone, plan something fun your mom enjoys doing. She spends a lot of time making sure you are entertained and often will not do something she enjoys because she know you would enjoy doing something else better.

Why not repay that kindness by planning a day of fun family activities that you might not ordinarily do?

Need some suggestions of what mom might like to do? Here are a few:

If your mom likes art, you could take her to the local museum. Many museums even have a place where you can enjoy lunch together.

If mom likes the outdoors, pack a picnic lunch and head to the park or trails.

Does mom like music? Take her to a concert with music from “when she was a girl.” Buy tickets for the whole family and go enjoy.

Is mom a movie lover? Going to the movies to see a movie she wants to see is a great idea, but can be expensive. Why not rent a few of her favorite movies, pop some popcorn and spend the day watching at home?

The possibilities of things to do with your mother this Mother’s Day are endless. You just need to use your imagination. Ask Dad, her friends, family and neighbors to help where necessary. She’ll enjoy her day no matter what you do for her, but when you take the time to do something especially for her, you’ll give her the one thing she wants more than anything – your appreciation.
 

3 Mother Daughter Tea Themes Perfect for Mother’s Day

With Mother’s Day fast approaching now is the time to start planning your special activities for the day. If you’ve never considered holding a Mother Daughter Tea for family, friends or even the ladies in your church group, here are a few ideas to consider you started.

Usually, simple is better, easier and more elegant. After deciding on your theme just add tea bags, hot water, lemonade and a few finger foods and you are ready to host a well planned tea party.

If you don’t have a full tea set sitting around, you can find some very nice cups, saucers and tea pots in places like Goodwill or other thrift stores for very little money.

You could also borrow them from your friends or, should you decide to make this an annual tradition, everyone could bring their own special cup just for the occasion.

Here are three tea themes perfect for moms and daughters of all ages. Choose one of these or create one of your own to make this Mother’s Day even more special. 

• Mother/Daughter – This can be a special time for moms with grown up daughters. Simple decorations with a simple flower arrangement to grace the table alongside tea cups and saucers can be pleasing to the eye as well the heart. Finger sandwiches, cookies and scones finish the menu. For a special treat, have the mothers and daughters write a note or letter to each other sharing how much they are appreciated.

• Mommy & Me – For moms of younger girls this theme would be really cute if the moms came elegantly dressed and the girls were able to rummage through a trunk with donated dresses, shoes, gloves and jewelry so they could look just like mom. Include cookies or simple finger foods along with lemonade, punch or hot chocolate for those that prefer it over tea. Have the invitations ask the children to bring a stuffed animal guest to share the table. Think about the tea parties you hosted as a child and let your imagination run wild.

• Beach Time Tea – With Mother’s Day being celebrated in May, just prior to the official summer season, why not take the opportunity to serve flavored iced tea instead? Use iced tea glasses instead of tea cups and serve typical summer appetizers. Have everyone dress in straw hats, sunglasses and flip-flops or sandals in anticipation of the warmer weather.

What would a tea party be without perfect tea?

Instructions for Brewing a “Proper” Pot of Tea

Here’s How:

• Fill a tea pot with tap water to warm it up prior to adding tea leaves and boiling water.
• Fill tea kettle with fresh, cold, non-distilled water.
• Place kettle on stove and bring to boil.
• Just before kettle begins to boil, pour water from tea pot and add one teaspoon tea leaves per cup to pot, plus an additional teaspoon for the pot.
• Remove kettle from heat right after it comes to a boil and pour 6 ounces per cup into tea pot.
• Let tea steep 3 – 7 minutes depending on desired strength.
• While tea steeps, ask a friend to "do the honors" by serving the tea to your other guests.
• Add cold, whole milk, or lemon to tea cups depending on preference of guests.
• Pour tea into cups using a strainer to catch loose leaves.
 

Tea Brewing Tips:

• Use a ceramic tea pot rather than metal. Metal can affect the taste of the tea and will cool the water more quickly.
• Keep boiling water available for second cups and to dilute tea that becomes strong while sitting in tea pot. Rinse out the tea kettle and start with fresh, cold tap water. Never boil anything but water in your tea kettle.
• Bring the water to its first rolling boil. Never over boil. Over boiling takes the oxygen out of the water, which in turn creates a flat beverage.
• Take the teapot to the tea kettle and rinse out the pot with the boiling water from the kettle. Never take the kettle to the teapot, as you lose one degree of heat per second. Water for tea should be 212 degrees.
• Use one teabag or teaspoon of loose tea per cup. Leaves enter the warm teapot and the infusion begins when the leaf opens.
• Allow the tea to brew for three to five minutes, according to the blend of tea and how strong you like it.

By purchasing tea sampler boxes everyone will be able to choose their favorite. If you’ll be serving iced tea additions like peach, raspberry, cranberry or lemon can be a refreshing change from plain old sweet tea.

If you’re looking for a change of pace or want to start a new tradition this Mother’s Day consider a tea party.