I want to do something really special for my mom who came to stay with me for a month to help with a new baby. We have three kids now so her help was so appreciated. She did all the things I could not keep up on from bathing the kids, to meals, dishes, laundry.... you name it. I wanted to get her a housekeeper to make her house look great after being away for a month. My budget is $150-$300. Any better ideas?
I meant to add that she is not the spa type. She hates getting massages. mother/ daughter Shopping and spa day sounds good but I have to wonder if those who proposed this remember what it was like to have a new born? Thats so not happening. Not to mention she lives in a another state and leaves soon.
A stay at a hotel, a night at the spa. Maybe you could do an activity with her. Do the spa together, go out for dinner, do some shopping.
As a Mom, she just wanted to help. Allowing her to make that big a difference for you and your family is all she wants. I love the idea of sending her home to an immaculate house!!
I think children are a gift. So maybe give her one of yours? ;-)
J/K - I bet you have a busy home these days. A spa trip might be fun for both of you together.
I agree with taking her to a spa for a day of pampering (massage, pedicure, manicure) WITH you!
If you can't swing that, take her out for a nice lunch & some shopping.
This way you get a little break, too.
If you can't get away, send a limo to pick her & a friend up to take them wine tasting or out to dinner.
Maybe too late to add a suggestion.. But i think you should take photo's of her and the new baby.. maybe a few of the three of you and make your own memory book .. tons of online sites.. with great tools and fun layouts.
You know your mom the best. What are her interests and hobbies? Give a gift that relates to something like that.
Strangers can't give better than generic ideas, and those ideas will not be nearly as thoughtful as something only those that know her can suggest. The people to ask would be her friends, or your dad/siblings, etc. People that love her.
Jumping off from other suggestions below, how about a gift certificate for a mom/daughter day (and maybe an overnight) at a hotel with a spa - redeemable for when you feel you can be away from the new baby (not sure if you are nursing).
Sometimes people your mom's age don't want someone in their house helping to clean it!
How about a nice scrapbook with pics of the kids (maybe some with her with them?) and some drawings the older kids have made for her, maybe a page with 3 different handprints and on the opposite side 3 different footprints? That's a gift of your time, which you might not have, but maybe you can take that budget of yours and pay someone who's a scrapbooking maven to put it together for you. You could include a letter from you, sincere and maybe funny too, about meals and laundry and dishes. You could use some funny decorative items showing dirty dishes or even take photos of your overflowing laundry baskets now that she has left, with a funny "wish you were here" note.
Or, do a nice photo array (professional photog) of the 3 kids?
I'd say not to feel compelled to do something immediate - take some time to think it over.
We did a scrapbook for my mother for a major birthday, and her 2 kids, our spouses, and our children all did a page that included photos and a letter about what she means to us. Believe me, she loved it.
