Sure — flowers, chocolate, and jewelry are Valentine’s Day staples. Safe go-to’s when you’re not sure what to get your lady on this special day of love. However, for some of us exhausted moms, there are about 1,000 other gifts we would love to have instead. Well, maybe not 1,000. But there are definitely 10 I can think of off the top of my head that would be considered the “best Valentine’s Day gift ever.”
So, if you have an exhausted mom in your life who’d like a gift that is outside of the norm, let’s browse through some ideas that she’d REALLY love!
1. Spa Day
Every woman on the planet loves to be pampered. To simply lay there, or sit there, and let someone make them look and feel beautiful. Consider booking a spa day for your wife/mom/sister/girlfriend to get a massage, pedicure, manicure, or facial. Or, make her an appointment to get her hair highlighted, cut, and styled, or even a nice makeover by a professional makeup artist.
2. Hire a Babysitter
While we love our children to pieces, sometimes we just want to get out of the house for a date night or some alone time. If you don’t have family or friends nearby, who are willing to watch your kids for a few hours, pay a trusted babysitter to take care of your littles. If you don’t know who to call, ask some of your local friends for babysitter recommendations, or search on websites like Care.com.
3. A Maid Service
We all know that a clean house and organized life brings so much more peace and relaxation for the exhausted mom – and for everyone in the home, for that matter. And look, for us moms who have to juggle a thousand things in a day, sometimes the LAST thing we want to do is clean the house. Hiring a housekeeper to do some deep cleaning is a huge blessing, and a big weight lifted off. Ask around for housekeeper recommendations in your neighborhood, or search online for maid services in your area like Maid Brigade or Molly Maid.
4. “Sleep In” Days
Between waking up with the baby multiple times at night and waking up early when the other kids are ready to tackle the day, it’s no wonder we moms are so exhausted. If you’re a spouse, or if you live in the same house, consider taking over the responsibility of getting up early with the kids and tending to the baby at night, even if it’s just for a few days. Sleep is essential for us to be the best moms we can be for our kids, so letting mom get a good night’s rest or sleep until noon would be such a gift!
5. Uninterrupted Relaxing Bath
For some of us moms who have small children, we never get to bathe alone, let alone go to the bathroom without kids at our feet. Or, for a mom who has a demanding full-time job, there’s nothing like taking a long, hot bath. Consider decorating the tub and bathwater with rose petals, candles lit all around, and buy her some bubble bath soap to bathe in. Once the room has a serene and romantic vibe, let her relax in the tub as long as she wants. Make sure the kids are occupied in the other room so that she can recharge without any interruptions.
6. Food Delivery Service
Sometimes grocery shopping can be tedious and having to plan meals can be stressful. There are tons of awesome food delivery services available nowadays, where they ship meals to your door, without the need to go grocery shopping. Some companies ship you the ingredients and groceries to make the meals from scratch, while other companies ship the food pre-made and ready to cook. Consider looking into companies like Home Chef, Sun Basket, Blue Apron, or Hello Fresh, which will make cooking and meal planning so much easier.
7. Wine
I mean, does this one need an explanation? Wine is amazing. And for many moms, a perfect way to wind down after a crazy day. There are also some great wine companies that ship bottles to your door every month. One of my favorites is Dry Farm Wines, which has tasty wine selections that are also organic, low in chemicals, and with no added sugars. Getting a subscription to receive a few bottles every month would be an awesome gift!
8. A Shopping Spree. Alone.
Shopping is always fun – but shopping with kids is always short-lived. Give mom some money to splurge on whatever she wants, but arrange it to where she can do it by herself, and with no time limit on when to return home. Give her a budget, watch the kids for the day, or find someone to babysit and let her have a great day of buying anything and everything she wants to splurge on herself.
9. Essential Oils
Tons of moms swear by these that oils help balance their hectic lives in about a thousand different ways. There are essential oils for helping mom rest, keeping her emotions steady, supporting her immune system, making her home smell amazing, and so much more. This was, by far, the best thing I’ve ever bought for myself, and keeps my life as a mom much happier and healthier.
10. “50 Things I Love About You.”
Sometimes, all mom wants to know is that she is appreciated. Kind words, recognizing all that she does for the whole family, showing her that all of her selflessness doesn’t go unnoticed is sweeter than any expensive gift you could ever buy. A really awesome (and inexpensive) gift idea that mom would love is a jar filled with “50 Things I Love About You.” Just write 50 different things you adore about her, cut them up on separate slips of paper, and place them inside the jar. She will be able to pull them out, one by one, and read all the things you (and the kids) love about her. Talk about a heartwarming gift she can keep forever!
In any case, make Valentine’s Day special this year for mom. She deserves it; after all, she does love and cares for everyone around her. If you chose to do any of these ideas, I promise, she would absolutely love it!
