What to Do for Mom on Mother’s Day
Show Mom you care by giving her a special dinner, taking care of household tasks and creating new memories together
Becky Harris
May 7, 2018
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
Houzz readers have the best ideas. When we asked you about the most special things you’ve done for your mom (or had done for you) on Mother’s Day, you had great stories from the past and suggestions for this year’s celebration. Here are some of the best.
1. Make her coffee or tea. Houzz user Joel Restel noticed that the best start to the day was missing from our original list: Wake up before Mom does, get that java or tea brewing, grab the paper from the lawn, arrange fresh flowers from the yard in a vase and set it all up. She’ll wake to the wonderful aroma and be drawn right to the nice welcome in the kitchen. If you want to add a gift to the mix, treat her to a bag of gourmet coffee or her favorite tea, or a lovely new teacup or mug.
2. Set up a brunch spread. Houzz user helenjorna likes the sound of something a little more elaborate. “I’d like to add getting in a hard workout and then coming home to mimosas and brunch,” she says.
If Mom enjoys doing the cooking, then you can set the table and offer to be a sous chef she can order around — gathering and prepping ingredients, making the toast and handling all those other sous chef tasks.
If Mom enjoys doing the cooking, then you can set the table and offer to be a sous chef she can order around — gathering and prepping ingredients, making the toast and handling all those other sous chef tasks.
3. Plant a vegetable garden. The idea of completing gardening tasks together was big with Houzzers. Reader darla1116 was excited about getting a vegetable garden started with her kids on Mother’s Day.
If you’re not ready for veggies, starting an herb garden is a nice way to begin growing your own edibles.
Houzz user penthousenester also liked the idea of getting out into the garden on that special Sunday. “In our neck of the woods, Mother’s Day marks the time it is safe to plant tender annuals — so that is what we always did,” she says. If spring hasn’t sprung enough to put in plants, start sowing seeds as a Mother’s Day project.
8 Surefire Vegetables and Herbs for Beginning Urban Gardeners | Find raised garden boxes
If you’re not ready for veggies, starting an herb garden is a nice way to begin growing your own edibles.
Houzz user penthousenester also liked the idea of getting out into the garden on that special Sunday. “In our neck of the woods, Mother’s Day marks the time it is safe to plant tender annuals — so that is what we always did,” she says. If spring hasn’t sprung enough to put in plants, start sowing seeds as a Mother’s Day project.
8 Surefire Vegetables and Herbs for Beginning Urban Gardeners | Find raised garden boxes
4. Help with the spring mulching. “As for me I would love for my son to go pick up some mulch for me and lay it in my garden,” reader tshome says.
How to Pick a Mulch — and Why Your Soil Wants It
How to Pick a Mulch — and Why Your Soil Wants It
5. Tackle Mom’s household to-do list. “My grown sons, 28 and 30, have given me the gift of a Honey-Do list for the past 10 years,” reader 55snownow writes. “I make a list, they show up with tools and start working. It’s a great time to talk and laugh together while we work.… I absolutely adore them for making the day special for me.”
6. Take care of a week’s worth of household tasks. One Mother’s Day, “my hubby and kiddos surprised me with a card that announced it was Mother’s Day Week,” reader swsunshine writes. “They said I could relax, and they were going to take on all the chores and cooking that week. I have been married for 20 years and this was a first. I was totally surprised and may have shed a tear.”
To do this yourself, attach a blank numbered list to your Mother’s Day card and invite Mom to write down tasks she’d like done that week. Hang it on the fridge to remind you of your new duties. You’ll finish with a whole new appreciation for all that your mother does for you — and maybe an idea of a task or two you can take on from here.
To do this yourself, attach a blank numbered list to your Mother’s Day card and invite Mom to write down tasks she’d like done that week. Hang it on the fridge to remind you of your new duties. You’ll finish with a whole new appreciation for all that your mother does for you — and maybe an idea of a task or two you can take on from here.
Taking care of Mom’s to-do list will give her the gift of time to do things she loves, reader candoli notes. “I personally like spending time doing projects at home, so it would be lovely to have the house tidied on its own without me having to do that in lieu of a project I wanted to start and finish,” she writes.
7. Put your cooking skills to use. Reader Andy Gibbs cooked Mom her favorite dish. If you’re lacking in kitchen skills, pick up her favorite restaurant dish instead. Get out the tablecloth, the good china and the candlesticks to mark it as a special meal.
8. Don’t leave the cleanup to Mom. “The kids cleaning their room and planning, putting on and cleaning up dinner is music to my ears,” reader daffodilmama writes. Clean up the kitchen, clear the table and do the dishes. (That includes putting them away.)
9. And don’t forget the most important thing you can give your Mom: time spent together. “Any day I can spend time with my kids is special,” Ann Stewart writes. “No money can buy the memories we make.”
Share: Let’s keep the list going. Mothers and kids, please tell us about your best Mother’s Day and your ideas or wishes for this year.
More
Surprise Mom With an Elegant DIY Bouquet
Houzz Call: Show Us Your Mom’s Influence on Your Home
Share: Let’s keep the list going. Mothers and kids, please tell us about your best Mother’s Day and your ideas or wishes for this year.
More
Surprise Mom With an Elegant DIY Bouquet
Houzz Call: Show Us Your Mom’s Influence on Your Home
At Winks Remodeling & Handyman Services, your satisfaction is our main priority. Since our business started... Read More
Related Products
Related Stories
Gardening Guides
10 Garden Projects to Do for Mom as Mother’s Day Gifts
Host an alfresco meal or plant a shade tree as a gift to honor the special women in your life
Full Story
Feel-Good Home
For Mother’s Day, Treat Yourself to a Spa Day at Home
By Anne Colby
Create your own refreshing retreat at home, and let the relaxation begin
Full Story
Life
Style Sense and Spatulas: The At-Home Gifts You Got From Mom
The woman who gave you life gave you heirlooms and original artwork too. We’re celebrating it all for Mother’s Day
Full Story
Holidays
Surprise Mom With an Elegant DIY Bouquet
For Mother’s Day, use flowers and branches from your local market or backyard to create this pastel beauty
Full Story
Houzz Call
Show Us Your Mom’s Influence on Your Home
Maybe it’s a great chess set or a style philosophy. With Mother’s Day nearing, where do you see your mom in your space?
Full Story
Features
A First-Time Mom Finds Life Remade in the Family Cabin
Living in a strange, new and confining space unexpectedly shapes a writer’s experience of becoming a mother
Full Story
Mother’s Day
Mother-Daughter Duo: Big Dreams About Furnishings
Their creative talents combine to create fun luxury furniture for the market and their clients
Full Story
Mother’s Day
Mother-Daughter Duo: Each Brings Her Own Style and Skills
Before-and-after images show what this duo can do when they use their strengths
Full Story
Mother’s Day
Mother-Daughter Duo: Each Finds Her Own Design Calling
Different paths led these women to interior design careers. We ask each of them 4 quick questions
Full Story
There seems to be an assumption here that because Mom is the one who does all of this on regular days, doing housework, cooking, etc on mom's day is a big deal. A family should share all the chores every day. I agree with the commenters here who say they want to go somewhere and be pampered. That could be done for a mom at any socioeconomic level, in some way.
@dianecshirley, these suggestions were based upon feedback from Houzzer kiddos and moms. Yours is duly noted for the next time!
Completely agree that time spent with Mom is always a good gift. We play games, or do theme Dinner and a Movie nights. We also do crafts together, like these super fun and easy DIY silhouettes - We used photos of the furry kids, but regular kids work too. :-)
18 Great Gift Ideas for Moms