Melt Mom's heart this Mother's Day
For Mother's Day this weekend, many of you will no doubt be pulling out all the stops. For those of you who haven’t made plans though, Natarah has come up with a few inexpensive ideas that will definitely melt mum’s heart!
“It’s the thought that counts,” is a saying often used when gifts are exchanged. It means, it doesn’t matter the size or cost, what really matters is that the present you’re giving, came from the heart.
Handmade cards
There’s nothing more personal than a handmade card filled with stunning messages you’ve written from the heart. Natarah’s mum says even though her children have grown up, she would still appreciate a card put together by them, even though Natarah and her brother aren’t very good artists. In fact, many mums who’ve written on our East Coast Breakfast fanpage say they love opening a card made for them by their children, no matter how big they are.
Frame her
Give mum a photo frame that traces special moments in your lives. For example, you could buy a frame that contains spaces for three pictures. You could place a pic of mum and you, as a baby, another during your school years and a more recent picture. She will love watching you grow up all over again.
Beauty treats
We’d all love to send our mums to the spa for a day of pampering but let’s face it, those treatments can burn a hole in our pockets. Why not plan an afternoon of ‘mum and me time’?
The whole family can get involved. Light a few candles in a room she’d be most relaxed in. Ask mum to sit on a comfy couch. Then present her with a foot spa (if you don’t have a spa, a large dish will do) and let her soak those tired tootsies, while you massage her shoulders.
Exfoliate mum’s feet with a good scrub, followed by a massage with a nourishing cream. Clip her toenails, file them and add a coat of pain. While she’s waiting for that to dry, treat mum to a mini-facial.
Here are a few steps on how to give mum a mini DIY cleanse.
Make sure you remove all her makeup with a cleanser. Use gentle circular movements with your fingers to work the product into the skin with some warm water and use a clean, wet face towel to wipe the skin.
Again, using your fingers, apply an exfoliating facial scrub onto her skin using the same motion all over mum’s face. You can concentrate on those oil areas, like the nose, forehead and chin. Wipe away the scrub with a face towel rinsed in warm water.
For the steam, you’ll need to fill your bowl with freshly boiled water. Add some cold water to make sure the temperature is just right for mum. Soak your face towel in the bowl for a few seconds, ring it out and place the towel on mum’s face. You can do this several times.
Next apply mum’s favourite face mask and leave on for a few minutes.
Once you’ve removed the mask, apply a generous layer of moisturiser and massage that in to give her a relaxing finish.
Mummy’s chef
Pick a meal that you’re good at preparing and present a dish that will make her tummy proud. It could be breakfast, lunch or supper. Natarah will be trying her hand at a creamy prawn and linguine dish this weekend.
She’s found a recipe online which she thinks will go down well. It apparently takes minutes to prepare. Natarah will be adding mushrooms and peppers to the meal because her family loves vegetables. The following recipe serves two people, so double up on the ingredients to feed a family of four.
175g linguine
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
100ml white wine
2 tbsp reduced-fat crème fraîche
juice ½ lemon (or to taste)
2 handfuls (150g) raw peeled prawns
small bunch chives, finely chopped
Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the garlic for 2 mins. Tip in the wine and bubble over a high heat for 1 min, then lower the heat and stir in the crème fraîche and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper. Simmer for 1 min to reduce a little, then add the prawns and simmer in the sauce until just pink. Drain the pasta and tip into the sauce with half the chives. Use tongs to mix everything together. Divide between 2 shallow bowls and sprinkle with the remaining chives.
Just look how delicious this looks:
Time
Whatever you plan to do on Mother's Day, remember that giving her your time is probably the most meaningful gift you can give.
Even if it means watching her favourite romcom for the umpteenth time or going to the park or the beach because she loves the outdoors, do it! Sunday is all about celebrating mum, so think about the things she loves doing and incorporate it into her day.
