Mother’s Day Ideas

Mother’s Day Ideas

Charlotte is turning five later this year (we won’t be discussing at this time) which means I have been a mother for almost half a decade. That’s something, right? 

I think I have enough “street cred” to consider myself a mid-level authority on celebrating Mother’s Day–at least I’m telling myself that anyway. 

Let’s face it: moms make the world go around. No matter how helpful our partners are (and some dads truly are superheroes), I don’t think anyone would argue the fact that mothers are the engine behind the operation. 

We carry the mental and emotional load of knowing what everyone needs and when. We juggle family dynamics and write lists and research nutrition and cleaning supplies. And understand who our children are at the deepest level. We share our food, use our shirts to wipe snotty noses, and lay awake at night praying for guidance, wisdom, and safety over our families as we begin the whole thing over the next morning. We give of ourselves wholly, without a second thought, day in and day out. 

So, yeah, we deserve a nice little Mother’s Day weekend. Husbands, if you’re reading this, take notes. 

Mother’s Day Ideas

Here are some ideas for making the mother(s) in your life feel celebrated, seen, and cherished: 

Preemptive bouquet 

This is straight out of the Tyler Nuss playbook. Since before we got married, he’s been “surprising” me with gorgeous flowers a few days before special occasions. He’ll bring home a bouquet on the Monday of my birthday week or have Farm Girl Flowers delivered the Friday before Mother’s Day. That way, I can enjoy the flowers throughout the whole weekend. It’s a hype builder, his way of letting me know that he wants me to feel as special as possible. 

This also takes the guessing game out of it for moms–like, YES, you will be celebrated this weekend and here’s a bouquet to prove it. You know? 

Farm Girl Flowers: You can’t go wrong. These bouquets are stunning. Check this off your to do list today and get those bouquets scheduled for the Friday before Mother’s Day! (The “just right” size is plenty big enough!!)

Native Poppy: If you’re local to San Diego, I recommend Native Poppy. Their flowers are gorgeous, and you can order ahead and pick them up in Solana Beach, North Park, or Mission Valley. They also deliver almost everywhere in SD county! 

If you don’t want to spend a ton of money on this, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have some great options (and don’t sleep on Jimbo’s!!). If you do go the grocery store route, just make sure to trim those babies and plop them into a vase or mason jar for the full effect. 

Schedule a facial or nail appointment 

Send the mom in your life for a little alone time. Chances are, you’ll spend Mother’s Day as a family, but mama needs a break–trust me! This is a great thing to do on the Friday or Saturday before Mother’s Day. 

Book a facial, massage, or nail appointment at a local (well-reviewed) spa. Definitely pay (and tip!) ahead of time to make this a seamless experience. And, by all means, send that woman out the door early so she has time to stop for an iced coffee on her way! 

A few San Diego spa options: Skin Habit in Pacific Beach or North Park, Shop Good in One Paseo or North Park. If you really want to splurge, send her to La Estancia in La Jolla or Rancho Valencia in Rancho Sante Fe for the day. 

Mother’s Day gift ideas

I feel like there are two important attributes of a solid Mother’s Day gift: it should be useful, and it should be just bougie enough that she would hesitate to buy it for herself. 

So, yes, a framed family picture or whatever is nice, but can we pair it with another gift like some Lululemon leggings that you know she needs another pair of? 

If we are dealing with the type of woman who just buys herself whatever she wants (baller!), then go for the spa day or experience route. 

If your wife is of the pickier variety, then just flat out ask her what she needs or wants and then go get it ASAP. 

Another route is, frankly, the gift card route. Make it intentional though! Send her off to the mall by herself with a Nordstrom or Anthropologie gift card and tell her not to come back until it’s dark out, lol! I don’t think any sane mother would balk at that. 

But if you want to show up with a wrapped present, here are a few gift ideas:

Hokas

I believe every mom–nay, every human–needs a pair of Hokas. Even if you’re running-averse, they are the BEST walking shoe–that is, of course, if you’re interested in the idea of walking on a cloud. Tyler and I both have the Clifton 9 style. I have the all-white version. 

Naghedi St. Barths Tote Bag

Tyler got me a Naghedi St. Barths tote bag for Christmas, and I love it SO much. I retired my diaper backpack (!) and use this now daily. And I keep this organizer from Amazon in it so I can keep track of everything. I have the large; it fits a book, laptop, water bottle, and much, much more. Kind of a Mary Poppins situation. I love all of the colors–you can’t go wrong with black–but this plaid is especially fun for summer. 

Lululemon

Another idea is a good old fashioned Lululemon haul. I LOVE the oversized Scuba pullover in both the hooded half-zip and collared half-zip styles. Combine that with a fresh pair of Align leggings and maybe a summery color of the famous belt bag, and you’re all set. 

Waffle Robe

I have heard nothing but amazing things about this waffle robe from Parachute. It looks like the perfect weight for spring and summer. 

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Jewelry

I don’t care how low maintenance your wife/mom is, everyone appreciates nice, simple jewelry. Mejuri has an amazing, affordable line of solid gold jewelry that is all stunning and perfect for everyday wear. The small and large hoop sets are both beautiful, versatile pieces. If you want to add a little extra sparkle, consider this delicate pavé diamond necklace or diamond line ring. You can thank me later. 

Youswim

This is the year I become an unofficial Youswim spokeswoman. The scrunchie material is SO soft, and their suits are designed to fit and flatter every body type. What makes these suits great gifts is that they are “one size fits most” and come in just two sizes (Stretch I and Stretch II), so there’s no panicking over choosing a size. These suits come in the most gorgeous colors. I ordered both the Aplomb Standard Two Piece and the Aplomb One Piece, thinking I’d choose one of the two and send them back, but I’m going to keep both, lol! These suits just hold you in all the right places. If you’re wanting to get this as a gift for someone, I suggest the one piece because you just can’t go wrong. 

(Note: if you’ve been drooling over Hunza G’s swim line, please note that I found the material to be nearly identical–but Youswim runs about $100 cheaper per suit). 

CALPAK Luggage

I love the idea of a luggage upgrade as a Mother’s Day gift. CALPAK is running a great Mother’s Day promo this weekend: buy 2+ items and get 15% off. Consider treating your mom/wife to a new duffel. I recommend the Luka for an overnight size and the Stevyn for a weekender size. And you’ve probably seen me post about their clear cosmetic case–so sturdy and cute. This would make a GREAT gift for a mom who is traveling this summer. I recommend either the small or medium size, as the large feels a bit aggressive, I think! (My CALPAK code is RUTH10 but I don’t think you can stack it on top of the Mother’s Day promo!). 

Osea

You knew I had to include some fancy beauty products on this list. Osea is the best in the body care game. The packaging is stunning and the products are so rich and luxurious. This is a wonderful gift for any mom that needs to take a little extra time to themselves. For Mother’s Day, I recommend the Total Body Glow Trio which comes with this insane body scrub, a dry brush, and their cult-following body oil. (My Osea code is RUTH).