This is your not-so-typical gift idea that could actually make you feel so amazing!!! As a double toddler mama over here, I find my car one of the hardest places for me to keep clean and it’s also just one of the places I despise cleaning out the most! You can get your car professionally detailed and finally get those crumbs (and unknown sticky things) out from the cracks or you can keep it simple this time and ask for your husband or older children to vacuum and wash it!

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but wanting some alone time away from your kids does not make you a bad mom. In fact, you might come back from alone time as a better mom! You can’t pour from an empty cup. This time will look different for everyone! Maybe you want a night alone at a hotel or maybe you want to do a solo coffee and shopping trip! Maybe you’d like time to spend on a fun hobby or maybe you’d like to go see a movie in the theaters! Or maybe you’d like to stay at home and just like to have the house to yourself for a few hours! Whatever this looks like for you, take some guilt-free time to be you, care for yourself, and relax. No errands, chores or mom-guilt allowed.

Do you love getting flowers for holidays but want to upgrade the grocery store bouquets? Ask for a bouquet from a local florist! For Valentines Day this year I ordered a bouquet from Wild Blooms Studio and I’ll never be able to go back to anything else! There was so much thought put into the actual floral design, the flowers smelled amazing, they lasted for weeks AND I got to support a local business! How amazing is that!?

Who doesn’t love a yummy snack?! Think about some of the local places that you love to get special treats and snacks from and stock up! And don’t forget to hide them from your mooching family members! I love personally love Poppy Popcorn here in Asheville! They have so many different flavors and you can even put together gift sets to ship to family members! Check out the Asheville Mix Artist Bag to support Asheville Entrepreneurs after Hurricane Helene!

Maybe you do want to actually spend time with your kids on Mother’s Day but perhaps in a way that is really intentional and special and a little less chaotic than having the whole crew together! Planning some 1-on-1 time with your kids (whether little or grown) doing something you both love can make this Mother’s Day oh so sweet! Here are some ideas for you: play putt-putt (mini golf), have an ice cream date, get pedicures, get matching fairy hair, play a sport together, go to the movies, go to the local children’s museum or zoo, go to a trampoline park, go to Waffle House, or stay home and bake or paint together! Oh, and don’t forget to take pictures of it all!

I recognize that this might be out of the budget for some of you this year and you can totally go the free, manual labor route, BUT hear me out, sometimes it’s not as expensive as you think it is! You could also just look at doing one floor only or just the kitchen and bathrooms or something to help you enjoy the perks without breaking the bank! And I know you have to “clean” for the “cleaner” but I find that to be great motivation for me to actually take that pile of clothes upstairs and pick up around the house! I’d recommend doing a quick search on one of your local Facebook Groups to find some highly recommended local cleaners!

Maybe you’re not ready for another photoshoot just yet, but you have photos from your last session that have yet to be printed! Let’s get those photos out of the digital abyss and into your hands! I LOVE giving photo albums as gifts because they are always personal and sentimental and can’t-not be loved! Plus the kids love to look through them too! This is a fantastic grandparent gift as well, or if you know I’ve taken a mom in your life’s photos, you could even reach out and order an album for them! How sweet would that be!?

Relax and take care of yourself this Mother’s Day with some physical self-care! Book a Mani-Pedi (I love Essence Nail Spa in Fletcher and it’s right next to Fletcher Village Bakery!) and make sure you upgrade to the hot stones massage! If you don’t love people touching your feet but still want to take care of them, you can pair a head/shoulder massage with your foot soak instead of a foot massage! If your town doesn’t have a foot sanctuary, you can replace this one with a pedicure, massage, facial or any spa-like service! I wanted to highlight Wake Foot Sanctuary in Downtown Asheville because they are amazing and have the most relaxing atmosphere!I think I have been four times now and have had the best experience with every time!

Ask hubby to reach out to your favorite babysitter EARLY and go on a fun date night that reminds you of where it all began! Remember that dates do not always need to be fancy and they don’t always have to be at night, so talk about what would be the most fun for you! A morning hike? Brunch? Mini Golf? Game Night? Taco Bell? Couples Massages or Pedicures?? PRO TIP: Have the babysitter come early so you can actually get ready without rushing with littles pulling on your dress or playing in your make-up bag!

Airpods + Audible were a LIFE SAVER for me when it came to the newborn stage and especially the four month sleep regression! Which in my opinion was actually harder than the newborn stage! But having audiobooks to listen to when baby is up for the countless time each night made it sooooo much easier to get out of bed and to do it without grumbling. Sometimes I even looked forward to listening to my book when I heard baby crying at 4am! Not only did this combo change the game for nighttime feedings but also for those household chores that I dread! It is so much easier to go room to room doing laundry, picking up toys, emptying the dishwasher, etc. when I have my airpods in and am listening to an audiobook or listening to music that isn’t from Ms. Rachel! Literally the best parenting hack ever for me.