Mother’s Day gift ideas she’ll actually love

Moms can be tricky to buy for. We scold you if it’s too expensive, but we don’t want it to be total crap either. We want to feel special but also need to be practical. Those leather leggings I saw? Ah-Ma-Zing. But where would I wear them? I am either going to a playdate or the PTA meeting, so probably not. We don’t need any more perfume. Flowers just die. Here is a diverse, unique list of Mother’s Day gift ideas SHE’LL ACTUALLY LOVE!

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store-bought mother’s day gift ideas

1. I love ALL THE T-SHIRTS. If it has a funny saying, a pop culture reference, or anything involving coffee, I am buying it. Jane always has a large selection of great-fitting shirts that you can’t find anywhere else. I just bought the baseball mom t-shirt because my boys are playing baseball for the first time ever and apparently I’m all in.

2. Give me anything personalized. There is something about seeing your name on something that makes you feel like the gift giver took a little extra time with it. Jane (I love this site so much) has things for the home or office, or accessories that are so fun and uncommon. I have a notebook and a porch sign from the site.

3. BOOKS! And then give her time to read them! Give her an hour uninterrupted in the bath, if that’s her jam. Or send her to Starbucks where she can read, people watch, and buy an overpriced, albeit delicious, panini.

My personal favorites are UNTAMED by the amazing Glennon Doyle. If you have read more than one post on my blog, you probably know I’m a little obsessed. If Glennon was a religion, I would be one of the 12 disciples. UNTAMED was life-changing and will turn your mom into the badass she was always meant to be.

I also am loving A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. No joke FIVE people suggested to me that I read this. It’s a trilogy, which I love because I am already very invested in these supernatural characters and the love story. A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES is escapism at its best.

homemade gifts

4. Coupon Books!

This is what I want for every holiday but Mother’s Day especially. My husband knows that I will probably use all of my coupons in 1 weekend, giving me 2 days off. When I do these for gifts I like to just buy the template or buy an already printed set, like THESE. But you could even just use some construction paper and a stapler. I love that these are so personalized and can be adapted for any mother or wife or grandma. If you’re stuck on some ideas, here are some helpful hints:

• 1 free IT call. I promise to not tease or be exasperated when you have tech questions.
• Bedtime. I will do the kid’s bedtimes, you go read that book I got you!
• Morning routine. You sleep in and I will attempt to get everyone fed, dressed, and where they need to go. Don’t come out of the bedroom unless you hear the smoke alarm.
• 1 cooked meal. I will not just order pizza when you tell me you don’t feel like cooking. I will cook something with the ingredients we have in this house.
• You pick the movie. No snide remarks. I won’t even fall asleep. Probably.
• You pick the restaurant. Even if it’s the same restaurant you always pick.
• 2-hour nap. I will keep the kids out of the bedroom.

5. Get the kids to make a craft or artwork for mom. I am always the one that orchestrates these cute ideas for others for various holidays. I love to do it, but then I never have the cute handprint oven mitt or the painted canvas. Do it for mom, she will be so surprised!

6. You take the kids and leave! Time alone is great but time alone in our own house is priceless. I just want to sit and watch my shows or read my book. I might even clean or do chores and let it stay clean for 5 minutes. Take the kids somewhere and just leave mom alone for a couple of hours. Maybe she’ll be productive, maybe she’ll be in the same position she was in when you left her. Who knows. Read my related blog post about self-care HERE and get some more ideas!

7. A subscription box. There are so many on the market now. There are curated clothing, makeup, workout gear, even food boxes. Whatever the mom in your life’s interest is, there is some monthly or quarterly box waiting for her. I just signed up for a makeup one that comes monthly and I’m loving it. I’m not even that into makeup but I think that’s exactly why I love it so much. Buying makeup from anywhere besides Target is overwhelming and expensive, and I have no idea what I’m doing. I like the little samples from a wide range of brands that come to me every month and I can see if I like them or not.

8. A night alone at a hotel. My husband did this for me a year ago and it was just the best. It has to be a moderately nice hotel, at least nice enough that there’s room service. The one I went to was attached to the Mall of America so I did some shopping, took a bubble bath, ordered way too much food for 1 person from room service, danced around to music, and took up the whole damn bed when I slept. Blissful!

thoughtful mother’s day gift ideas

9. Coffee cups

I am a sucker for coffee cups. I am also a sucker for anything that says “Mom” on it. When you combine these two loves of mine, my head actually explodes and this becomes my favorite gift. You can buy this one HERE.

10. A handwritten letter. Whether the mom you’re buying for is your wife, your mom, your grandma, aunt, stepmother, a friend who is maternal-ANYONE. Anyone will love a handwritten letter. Everyone wants to feel appreciated and telling someone how you feel about them is always an excellent idea. She will love your sincerity and thoughtfulness, and will for sure have to step it up next month for Father’s Day!

What are you getting the Mother in your life? Let me know in the comments!

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