Mother's Day alternatives for when you can't go out
Your Mother's Day plans may now be happening indoors - but they can still be brilliant. Here are some fabulous alternative Mother's Day ideas.
Breakfast in bed will work a treat for Mum. Photo: Freestocks
Mother's Day is the perfect excuse to take mum out, whether you want to enjoy a West End musical or one of London's magical and kid-friendly afternoon teas.
However, as we're learning all too well in our current, confusing climate, the best laid plans quickly go awry - and sometimes it's better to stay home, even if that means missing out on seeing mum for the occasion or having to skip the meal out.
Here are some ideas for how to have a brilliant day celebrating the most special woman in your life - even if you can't physically spend the day with them.
Photo: Alexander Drummer
Plan a video chat
For those of us who made plans to visit our mums this weekend - whose mums happen to be 60+ - the quick-moving pace of the current crisis means we won't be celebrating the occasion with them in person.
A virtual Mother's Day will have to do - thanks to FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp and Zoom, the video chat can be almost as good as the real deal.
One sweet idea for grandparents? Send them a copy of a favourite children's book that your child loves re-reading. Then Granny can read the story to them over the phone, while the child looks at their version at home.
If you need to make an impact at the last-minute, try Boomf for an unexpected Mother's Day card, from personalised photo cubes with exploding confetti to personalised mallows and gift boxes.
Photo: Freestocks
Breakfast in bed
It's no secret that the biggest treat for mums on Mother's Day isn't the lovely candle or box of chocolates, it's the chance to have someone else do the washing, and cleaning, and cooking, for the day.
First things first: she needs a lie-in. Let her wake up... whenever she naturally wakes up (note: that's definitely not 6am) and have the kids help out with a dreamy breakfast-in-bed tray. They can put their handmade cards on it, pick some flowers to put in a small vase and help make and decorate the fruit-covered pancakes. Croissants (yes, even frozen ones - she'll never know), porridge, fruity smoothies and omelettes all welcome too.
Photo: Estee Janssens
Do something crafty
Perhaps your Mother's Day plans involved a candle-making or terrarium-creating workshop, a baking class or a floristry course? Even if you're going to miss what you'd originally booked in, Mum can still spend a fun day crafting with the kids at home.
The easiest, no-kit craft is to make a scrapbook - use an old notebook, photos, magazine pages, etc. for a gorgeous memento the family will love flipping through together. Liberty has a range of crafting kits (from cross-stitch to pom-poms) for the keen seamstress, while Not on the High Street is your go-to for everything from gin kits to make-your-own terrariums.
Photo: Samuel Yongbo Kwon
Bake together
Baking with kids is mindful, fun and tasty, whether you're figuring out how to make beetroot brownies work or going for donuts and cookies, topped with everything in the baking cupboard. Mum will love being baked for, as well as baking with the fam. All you need is the right soundtrack... and to make sure she doesn't need to tidy up a thing afterwards.
If mum's got a sweet tooth, then another fun idea is to create a DIY ice cream parlour: set up the counter with a range of toppings like chopped fruit, nuts, hundreds and thousands, chocolate chunks and mini marshmallows. Remember: keeping the freezer stocked with ice cream is going to be essential to getting through these times.
Photo: Tiny Tribes
Make mum a zen den
Create a mindful space for mum to practice some yoga, meditation, Pilates, barre - whatever she enjoys. Many London yoga studios and teachers have launched live streaming classes and online options, so just because she can't physically get to her workout studio of choice, doesn't mean she has to stop practicing altogether.
Another essential to make mum's space feel special? A diffuser to create a calm or energising atmosphere - you can find a selection that change colour and release a fragrant mist on Amazon for around £20. Or go luxury with Diptique's electric diffuser, so your home can smell like Baies 24/7.
Photo: Pasta Evangelists
Order in
Missing your meal out on Sunday is a shame, but there are still plenty of delicious, same or next-day food delivery services you can spoil mum with this weekend.
Pasta Evangelists will deliver fresh, artisanal pasta to your door in flavours like wild mushroom ravioli with truffle butter and hazelnuts and wild boar and red wine ragu.
The Cookout Club is a new fine dining delivery service from Philip Britten, from Chez Nico and London Capital, with dishes like crab, apple and ginger salad and rice noodles with butternut squash (it's still in launch phase, so you'll need to check if they deliver to your postcode).
If mum has a young baby or toddler at home, there are also plenty of baby food delivery services providing organic, wholesome purees and finger foods. Not having to steam baby food might just be the best Mother's Day gift ever.
Photo: Maddi Bazzocco
Give her a spa day
If mum's dream relaxation involves a bath, make it a visual treat as well as a pampering one: Neal's Yard sells dried pink and red roses that are sure to create a visual feast to rival what she would have gotten in the Cotswolds B&B you were planning to whisk her away to.
Photo: Kelly Sikkema
Do some gardening
It's no secret that mums are getting nervous about the weeks... and months ahead, which could involve extended periods of self isolation and home schooling. Finding activities mums and kids enjoy doing together are key - especially when those activities involve the outdoors, but can be done at home.
Gardening can be brilliant fun and doesn't actually require much more than a planter, seeds and soil to begin with - herbs can be planted in March and fast-growers like radishes can be planted in April (and will start to harvest by May). Younger kids will also love the excuse to get messy - and this Sunday, mums should go for it. They're not cleaning up, after all...
However, as we're learning all too well in our current, confusing climate, the best laid plans quickly go awry - and sometimes it's better to stay home, even if that means missing out on seeing mum for the occasion or having to skip the meal out.
Here are some ideas for how to have a brilliant day celebrating the most special woman in your life - even if you can't physically spend the day with them.
Photo: Alexander Drummer
Plan a video chat
For those of us who made plans to visit our mums this weekend - whose mums happen to be 60+ - the quick-moving pace of the current crisis means we won't be celebrating the occasion with them in person.
A virtual Mother's Day will have to do - thanks to FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp and Zoom, the video chat can be almost as good as the real deal.
One sweet idea for grandparents? Send them a copy of a favourite children's book that your child loves re-reading. Then Granny can read the story to them over the phone, while the child looks at their version at home.
If you need to make an impact at the last-minute, try Boomf for an unexpected Mother's Day card, from personalised photo cubes with exploding confetti to personalised mallows and gift boxes.
Photo: Freestocks
Breakfast in bed
It's no secret that the biggest treat for mums on Mother's Day isn't the lovely candle or box of chocolates, it's the chance to have someone else do the washing, and cleaning, and cooking, for the day.
First things first: she needs a lie-in. Let her wake up... whenever she naturally wakes up (note: that's definitely not 6am) and have the kids help out with a dreamy breakfast-in-bed tray. They can put their handmade cards on it, pick some flowers to put in a small vase and help make and decorate the fruit-covered pancakes. Croissants (yes, even frozen ones - she'll never know), porridge, fruity smoothies and omelettes all welcome too.
Photo: Estee Janssens
Do something crafty
Perhaps your Mother's Day plans involved a candle-making or terrarium-creating workshop, a baking class or a floristry course? Even if you're going to miss what you'd originally booked in, Mum can still spend a fun day crafting with the kids at home.
The easiest, no-kit craft is to make a scrapbook - use an old notebook, photos, magazine pages, etc. for a gorgeous memento the family will love flipping through together. Liberty has a range of crafting kits (from cross-stitch to pom-poms) for the keen seamstress, while Not on the High Street is your go-to for everything from gin kits to make-your-own terrariums.
Photo: Samuel Yongbo Kwon
Bake together
Baking with kids is mindful, fun and tasty, whether you're figuring out how to make beetroot brownies work or going for donuts and cookies, topped with everything in the baking cupboard. Mum will love being baked for, as well as baking with the fam. All you need is the right soundtrack... and to make sure she doesn't need to tidy up a thing afterwards.
If mum's got a sweet tooth, then another fun idea is to create a DIY ice cream parlour: set up the counter with a range of toppings like chopped fruit, nuts, hundreds and thousands, chocolate chunks and mini marshmallows. Remember: keeping the freezer stocked with ice cream is going to be essential to getting through these times.
Photo: Tiny Tribes
Make mum a zen den
Create a mindful space for mum to practice some yoga, meditation, Pilates, barre - whatever she enjoys. Many London yoga studios and teachers have launched live streaming classes and online options, so just because she can't physically get to her workout studio of choice, doesn't mean she has to stop practicing altogether.
Another essential to make mum's space feel special? A diffuser to create a calm or energising atmosphere - you can find a selection that change colour and release a fragrant mist on Amazon for around £20. Or go luxury with Diptique's electric diffuser, so your home can smell like Baies 24/7.
Photo: Pasta Evangelists
Order in
Missing your meal out on Sunday is a shame, but there are still plenty of delicious, same or next-day food delivery services you can spoil mum with this weekend.
Pasta Evangelists will deliver fresh, artisanal pasta to your door in flavours like wild mushroom ravioli with truffle butter and hazelnuts and wild boar and red wine ragu.
The Cookout Club is a new fine dining delivery service from Philip Britten, from Chez Nico and London Capital, with dishes like crab, apple and ginger salad and rice noodles with butternut squash (it's still in launch phase, so you'll need to check if they deliver to your postcode).
If mum has a young baby or toddler at home, there are also plenty of baby food delivery services providing organic, wholesome purees and finger foods. Not having to steam baby food might just be the best Mother's Day gift ever.
Photo: Maddi Bazzocco
Give her a spa day
If mum's dream relaxation involves a bath, make it a visual treat as well as a pampering one: Neal's Yard sells dried pink and red roses that are sure to create a visual feast to rival what she would have gotten in the Cotswolds B&B you were planning to whisk her away to.
Photo: Kelly Sikkema
Do some gardening
It's no secret that mums are getting nervous about the weeks... and months ahead, which could involve extended periods of self isolation and home schooling. Finding activities mums and kids enjoy doing together are key - especially when those activities involve the outdoors, but can be done at home.
Gardening can be brilliant fun and doesn't actually require much more than a planter, seeds and soil to begin with - herbs can be planted in March and fast-growers like radishes can be planted in April (and will start to harvest by May). Younger kids will also love the excuse to get messy - and this Sunday, mums should go for it. They're not cleaning up, after all...
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