Sleep
It’s Mother’s Day! My Gift Suggestions for 2015
Guys, I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT MOTHER’S DAY THIS YEAR.
After weeks of everyone being taken down by virus after virus, having both kids on “the pink medicine” as Bee calls it (aka: thick, sugary strawberry flavoured amoxicillin), sleep training going out the window because of travelling, as well as all sorts of childcare drama, Hubs and I were sitting on the couch clutching our glasses of wine the other night like they were there to save our lives, and I sighed a loud, “uuurgh. I need a BREAK.”
We sat there in golden silence for a moment, only the crackle of the baby monitor lilting through the air, when Hubs said slowly, “isn’t it Mother’s Day soon?”
“…..oh my God. It’s Mother’s Day soon. It IS MOTHER’S DAY SOON! Find out when it is!!! GOOGLE IT!!! MOTHER’S DAAAAAAAY!!!”
Through all the madness and hysteria of the last few weeks, I had forgotten the one day of the year when it’s every Mother’s RIGHT to ignore everyone and everything – children, spouses and mountains of laundry included – and laze about like an old-timey Lady of Leisure, splayed out on a 4-poster bed or a chaise longue (lounge? long?), sipping mimosas and eating bonbons brought to her by above mentioned ignored children and spouses.
A day which sees her being showered in compliments (“oh my darling, your eyes looks so refreshed and youthful. Not at all like the eyes of a woman with two small children who never sleeps.”), grand gestures (ignored children miraculously learning to do laundry on their own, “don’t get up, sweet Mother. We shall tackle these mountains for you.”) and, perhaps most importantly: GIFTS.
With the realization that this GLORIOUS day is just around the corner, I flipped open my laptop and started taking note of what I’m dreaming of for Sunday, May 10 (thank you, Google!)
***Now, seeing as how we just bought a house, I do not expect any of these to actually materialize this year. But for those of you Mamas looking for something to wish/hint/outright ask for, or if you’re a Papa looking for suggestions, here is my Mother’s Day Gift List for your consideration:
Specifically these gorgeous, delicate and colourful stacking rings! Jill over at Baby Rabies listed them on her 2015 Mother’s Day Gift List, and the moment I saw them I knew I must have them on my list, too. I totally stole the idea, but… I mean, look at them! Full disclosure here: I’m not someone who wears a lot of jewellery – in fact, you can list the amount of pieces I own on two hands. Maybe even 1.5 hands. Okay, I own 7 pieces of jewellery, and that counts my wedding rings. It’s not that I’m accessory deficient! I have a vast collection of scarves (much to my husband’s displeasure), quite a few pairs of shoes and various purses/bags for different occasions. It’s just, jewellery has never “done” it for me. I like to think of myself as Marilyn Monroe, who rarely wore any in her day-to-day life. Yes, I just compared myself to Marilyn. It’s a Mother’s Day post. I’m allowed! But there’s just something about these little rings… they’re so delicate, and with those pops of colour I think they’re just the perfect thing to add to any outfit, giving it that extra bright, happy “oomph!” Plus, they’re subtle enough that you can wear them for any occasion. Kind of the perfect accessory, I’d say! So I have to thank you Jill, for introducing me to Samantha and her lovely company!
2. Daniel Wellington Classic St. Mawes Lady Watch
The last watch I owned I bought for myself as an early 30th birthday present in Las Vegas. It was after a wild night of uncontrolled gambling that saw me win a whole $50! AMERICAN! Don’t ask me which game I was playing, I couldn’t tell you. It was a card game. Not Blackjack. Not Poker. Apparently it was something that old ladies play and it’s super easy and all I remember about the event was calling my then boyfriend (now husband, lucky guy) at 4am and hoarsely shouting that I had WON! I WON, BABY!! And to celebrate, the next day I blew it all (*coughplusacouplehundredmorecough*) on a Michael Kors watch I’d had my eye on for a while. I loved that watch. I still have it, and still think it’s pretty great! But it is big and chunky, and five years later and two babies on, just isn’t practical anymore. Now that I’m entering a “Schedule or Die” phase of my life, with Bee being at home part-time and Bubs having set, regular nap times, lunches and playdates and appointments to keep track of, not to mention the fact that I’ll be going back to work in a few months, I’m looking for the next generation in a “I’m Still Cool Look At My Cool Watch” watch. And I believe I’ve found it in this Daniel Wellington beauty. What I love is the large face, which I think it looks bold and sexy on a feminine wrist, as well as the deep tan colour of the strap. The simplicity of it, the clean lines are exactly what I like in a timepiece. Wow. I just said timepiece. I just aged myself there, didn’t I.
Get your mind out of the gutter. Not those kind of colouring books! These ones by Johanna Basford (I especially like the look of the Secret Garden edition), look dreamy and ethereal, and I think would be a lovely way to de-stress while the Littles nap on a rainy day. I’ve always loved colouring, and once upon a time imagined I might one day think about maybe possibly looking into taking an art class. That never happened, of course. But I’m totally into these “grown-up” colouring books, and would love to have them tucked away in a drawer for those days/nights I’m feeling like flexing my artistic bones. Anna, from Annawithlove Photography posted the above photo on her Instagram and Facebook pages a few days ago, and I’m already drooling over how gorgeous and perfect she’s making the images out to be! I can’t wait to have a go myself!
4. Seven Spoons by Tara O’Brady
If only for the food photography alone, I need this cookbook. The words “beautiful” and “gorgeous” are used in every review and, from what I’ve seen, Tara has created not only a practical cooking guide, but a collector’s item to proudly display on your coffee table rather than stashing it away on a shelf. Perhaps these aren’t quick 5-minute weeknight meals, but they are beautiful and thoughtful, and sometimes dizzyingly complex (in the best possible way ), and are meant to be treated with love and shared with the ones you love. I got the warm and fuzzies – and quite hungry – while poring over it in the bookstore, and can’t wait to own a copy of my own some day soon. In the meantime, I’ve put my name on the wait list at the library behind 150 other people hoping to admire Tara’s work. If you’re too impatient to wait like me, Seven Spoons is available for order on Amazon now…. Also, Tara replied to a comment I tagged her in on Instagram, which means we’re totally BFFs. That there is reason enough to buy her book!
5. Consonant Skincare Ageless Beauty Kit
I’ve been a fan of the Consonant Skincare line from waaaaaay back when I first interviewed the ladies at The Freeze Clinic all those many moons ago. Since then I’ve been a regular user of their dreamy Organic Foaming Face Wash and Ultra Firming Organic Eye Cream, and recommend it to anyone who cares to listen to me go on about basic hygiene as if it’s a “thing,” “washing your face is the coolest. You should try the Consonant line!! I love their stuff!” The truth is though, that their line is pretty cool: they use only healthy, 100% natural botanical ingredients in all of their products, and their HydrExtreme serum won the grand prize at the 2012 Canadian Beauty Innovation Awards for its “potent” – and natural – moisturization. I can vouch for this award, I used it every day until the bottle drained completely dry (which took a while because, another amazing thing about these products: they LAST FOREVER) and my skin has never looked or felt better. The price point is great what you’re getting, so a kit like this one – with the 3 products I’ve tried plus your choice of face cream and a $25 gift card- is definitely worth it! Your skin will thank you!
6. SLEEP.
I would like to look like this lady, sleeping happily and peacefully for one day. One full day. In bed. Without sticky hands or or meals or pee or puke or sh*t or laundry or natural disasters or crying babies or Royal Babies or fights before school or scheduled playdates or knocks at the door or people needing something they forgot or phone calls or emails or “is this okay to give the kids?” or Instagram or Facebook or anything else you could possibly think of that could distract or keep me from delicious, glorious, wondrous, elusive, desperately needed and desired SLEEP. Just… give it to me. Just that. Only that. Sleep. I want sleep. One full day. Sleep. THAT, is the greatest gift of all.
*****
Now I’d love to hear from you, Mamas! What’s on your list for this year?
If you could have ONE THING, what would it be?
I Am The Mama Mantra 