Mother's Day Archives

In honor of Mother’s Day, I’ve partnered with T.J.Maxx to give away one $50 gift card. I also received $50 gift card for myself to stock up on must-have items that help make my complicated life a little bit easier. Yesterday I headed to the T.J.Maxx at Fresh Pond in Cambridge for a few kitchen essentials.

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With the amount of fruit and vegetables we go through here (two fast-sprouting teenagers!), we are always short on knives and mini colanders. Plus, now that these guys are old enough to fend for themselves, they’ve been doing quite a bit of cooking on their own. One has mastered the art of the chocolate chip cookie. The other is angling for his own set of knives and a knife roll, after having successfully completed a number of complicated chicken dishes as well as French onion soup.

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Teaching the boys to cook means I can spend more time working (or watching Friday Night Lights). Plus, they’ll be able to impress chicks, and hopefully keep up healthy eating habits too. #MaxxMoms

TO ENTER my $50 T.J.Maxx Gift Card Giveaway, share a #MaxxMoms moment of your own in the comment section of this blog post or my Instagram feed, along with hashtag #MaxxMoms (If you share here on the blog AND on social media, I’ll enter you twice.)

Deadline to enter is Saturday, May 9th at midnight E.T. I’ll notify the winner on Mother’s Day.

Nothing like waiting until (almost) the last minute to find a Mother’s Day gift, let alone put together a Mother’s Day Gift Guide. I usually order fresh flowers, which are easy, last minute proof, and a special treat (though kinda pricey.)

I was born on Mother’s Day, so I spent many years worrying that I was going to be cheated out of a holiday. Turns out we don’t make a big deal about Mother’s Day, though I do insist we honor it in some way, just in case my sons’ future wives expect a fuss. Last thing I want to do is raise boys that badmouth honoring moms. It’s actually nice that my birthday falls around that time, because it makes both occasions a lot more meaningful.

I especially didn’t want the boys to be at preschool and elementary school and spread the word that it’s a Hallmark holiday, and therefore not important, etc. I can just imagine the call I would get from the school. Believe me, there have been similar occurrences regarding the tooth fairy. I kid you not. And here I thought it was discussions of God that we told them to avoid. Who knew.

I always send my mother-in-law flowers for Mother’s Day. Winston Flowers in Boston does an amazing job finding florists in other areas that align with their aesthetic. I send my own mother flowers too, though sometimes it’s cookies or brownies from a local (very yummy) company Dancing Deer. If I were to buy them non-consumable presents, or get tokens of appreciation for friends, I’d opt for sweet, design-y things, like the ones arrayed here, and above in Mother’s Day Gift Guide Part Deux. Trinket boxes or trays, bubble bath, a breezy scarf, pretty notebooks, an art print, bud vase, canvas tote, or straw clutch. (Feel free to use this as a birthday present guide too.)

It might be too late to order some of these (though not all!), but hopefully it will at least give you ideas so you can get into a store and shop efficiently.