Watch CBS News

5 Activities To Do With Your Mom On Mother's Day

By Deb Flombgerg

Mother’s Day is almost here, so if you haven’t spent some time figuring out how to tell mom that you appreciate all she’s done for you, this is your official call to action. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to show mom some love on the big day, either. There are lots of things you can do together, for very little money, that will create a beautiful and picture-perfect Mother’s Day for the most important woman in your life. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Spend Time In The Garden

Mother’s Day signifies the unofficial start to the gardening season in many areas. Depending on your local weather, this is the perfect time to swing by the garden store to pick up a few plants, some fresh soil and some new gardening shears. Don’t just gift the great new gardening haul to mom—spend some time in the dirt with her. Get your hands dirty together and build or grow something beautiful as a team. She’ll love spending the time with you, and you’ll both have the great results of your effort later in the year.

Pampering Done Right

How many times has mom mentioned that all she wants this year is “some peace and quiet”? What better way to give it to her than a day of pampering in honor of Mother’s Day? You don’t have to spend hundreds at a fancy salon. Instead, make sure mom wakes up to a perfectly cleaned bathroom. Draw her a bubble-filled or bath-bomb-infused bath, leave a gift basket of soaps, lotions, eye masks, and other fancy stuff by the tub for her to try. You can even include a new, comfy robe and some plush slippers for her to slip her tired feet in once she’s out of the tub. Then follow up her pampering with a manicure or pedicure at your local salon for some great mother-daughter time.

Take A Class Together

Mother’s Day is the perfect time to learn something new with your momma. Check out the local adult education schools and find a fun class that you can enjoy together. Try a cooking class and learn how to make a new dish, or visit a local crafting store to take a class in knitting or felting or another fun handmade craft idea. Try a wine-tasting class with your mother or learn how to brew some craft beer together at home (yes, many moms love beer, too.) Whatever class you decide, the gift here is time with mom, so be sure to take the class with her and make some memories of your own.

One-Day Vacation

As much as you’d love to be able to send mom on a fabulous European vacation for Mother’s Day, it’s probably not in the budget. But with a bit of creativity and planning, you can still enjoy that trip to Italy at home. Create her favorite Italian meal, get a bottle of the best red wine to go with it, and spend some time decorating with Italy in mind. Some red, white and green table cloths and napkins will help set the mood, as will a basket of fresh bread on the table, some candle light and a string of lights to provide the perfect atmosphere. Then have dinner together in your own Little Italy (or Paris, or anywhere else mom has always wanted to visit.)

Capture Time Together

One thing mom will always tell you is how fast the time flies, so spend Mother’s Day trying to capture that moment in time with a time capsule. Find a pretty box and spend the day with mom filling it with all sorts of memories the two of you have created over the years. Put the box somewhere special and open it the following year. Then you can create your own new yearly time capsule with your mom, and it can become a fun annual tradition where you get to look back over the previous year’s memories together each Mother’s Day. You can even bury the capsule in your backyard or garden and use the opportunity to plant a flower or two in honor of the capsule each year. 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.