Here are a few ideas, from a mom, to support local business this Mother’s Day.
By Julian Jamie
@julianjamie
Mother’s Day: the one day where we all focus on celebrating the inherent and non-stop duties us moms provide, by being spoiled with gifts, love, and most importantly, “me-time”.
The day we all write a 200-word Instagram post dedicated to our mothers who likely don’t even have an account.
The day we tend to “spoil” mom with the late night toddler crafts made with sticky, white glue and glitter that we–the moms–will likely clean the next morning.
Oh, joy.
At the very least, we deserve to drink a cup of coffee uninterrupted while it keeps hot . . . for once.
On top of all the responsibilities we mothers hold heavy on our shoulders, throw a goddamn pandemic in the mix, why don’t cha. But hey, if we can manage everything we had to manage pre-COVID-catastrophe, we can handle canceling our annual Mother’s Day Celebration.
As a mother of two kids under the age of five, what I was really looking forward to this Mother’s Day was my bi-annual visit to the spa. Surrounded by silence, sipping on “mommy juice” and not anxiously awaiting nap time. My beloved escape to the spa is literally any mother’s dream come true.
When I received the email notification from my spa mid-March notifying clients that they would be closing their doors for an indefinite amount of time, my heart sank — deeper than my mom-bod in the spa’s infinity hot tub overlooking the mountains. Sigh.
Now that it looks like I’ll be housebound, I will deliberately be locking myself in my bedroom all day with Netflix on binge-mode in order to mute the anticipated sound of “mommy” being screamed out every other minute.
Can’t wait.
Naturally, my Mother’s Day wish list looks a little different this year: it’s no longer about buying from big box stores. It’s about supporting our neighbours and the businesses that mean more to us than we had possibly realized.
I know that the two-day shipping we’re so accustomed to with our Amazon subscription is tempting, but it’s time to put our money where our hearts are.
Here are a just a few ideas that any mom, ahem–I, would enjoy on this quarantined Mother’s Day:
Specialty Coffee
There’s nothing more depleting than trying to replicate my early morning latte with a leaf design on the top. I am not a professional barista, I am a human craving some normalcy during this isolation period. I’m lucky if I have 60 seconds to press the button on my drip coffee machine, let alone recreate an artisanal early morning delight.
It’s a simple pleasure we don’t get to enjoy day-to-day basis right now. And since it’s a special occasion celebrating one of the most important people EVER, why not start mom’s day with a luxury seldom afforded to us?
Scoot out before we wake to a favourite cafe (hopefully one that’s practicing contactless coffee exchange). This will help a small business while supporting mom’s undeniable caffeine addiction. Because how else are we surviving this quarantine with kiddos?
Suggestion: Bean Around The World same day coffee bean delivery.
Local Takeout
This year, we can’t really use Mother’s Day as an excuse to get out for date night. Bring the delicious food and experience to us, please! I’m talkin’ antipasto, entree, desert, drinks – the full nine yards! And while the restaurant industry is being hit hard by having to close their doors to the public, it’s vital to support them anyway we can.
I encourage you to place a takeout order at mom’s favourite restaurant to offer them the nostalgia of the good ol’ days, plus the obvious luxury of not having to clean the dishes afterward.
Pure Bliss.
Suggestion: Pre-order a curated family-style Mother’s Day meal from Anh and Chi.
Local Apothecary
There’s just something about opening a gift that screams alone time. Hunt down your local skin care curator/bubble bath maker and tell mom to squeeze in that self-care time we are all deserving of.
We’ve been forced to spend every living minute with tiny humans, whom are eating everything in sight and begging for our attention while we try to get work *done* (talk about the impossible).
Imagine artisan bath salts chock-full of local lavender ready to be enjoyed without distraction. And by “distraction” I mean our feral children.
Suggestion: Build a Box of Harlow Skin Co. faves, including bath salts and bath elixirs.
Gift Card to Their Hair Salon
I am confident that any, if not every, mother is craving some hair TLC. They’d likely give their first born in exchange for a haircut and colour (just kidding. Or am I?). Combine their three-inch roots and 24/7 kid wrangling, the first thing any parent will want post-pandemic is a sumptuous getaway at their hair salon.
Purchase a gift card to support their local stylist. What a nice excuse to get out of the house once their hair salon is back open for business.
Suggestion: You should probably know your mom’s hairdresser by now 😉
Local Labour
Mom’s balcony or backyard Pinterest board may be full of too-time-consuming-to-tackle images, but wanting to spruce up our spaces this summer is understandable. Especially for those of us who have little ones craving a play session at the near-by park that’s been wrapped in yellow tape.
Instead of letting mom get their hands dirty, why not hire a local contractor to make their Pinterest dreams come to life?
You bought them their lavender bath salts, so let them know they have a professional to take care of all their balcony or backyard wish lists while they soak their worries away.
Suggestion: Bur-Han Gardening Services will do weekly or bi-weekly services like lawn mowing and pruning, but you can also hire them for a one-time garden installation, planting & clean up service.
Julian Jamie is a wife and mother to two children aged 2 and 4. As a self proclaimed City Girl, Julian is adjusting to the new slow-living lifestyle her and her husband have acquired in a small town 5 hours east from the city. And as a full-time mother, freelance writer, and social media contributor, she knows a thing or two (or eight) of the true art of multitasking.
