Mother's Day is a special occasion that many people look forward to — not only to celebrate our mothers as an appreciation for everything they do, or have done for us, but also to express that extra love towards them. 

While gifts are always a good idea to show your love to your mum, this year, the best Mother's Day gifts can actually be cheaper or free with easy and meaningful gestures. It's about time we honour our mum as Anna Jarvis wished it to be done when in May 1908 she founded Mother's Day. Jarvis conceived it as an intimate occasion for sons and daughters to show devotion to the mum they knew and loved — hence the term Mother's Day in singular. 

Rather than wrecking your brains searching around to find an extravagant gift for your mum this Mother's Day, here are some thoughtful gestures you can do to spoil her silly. 

BREAKFAST IN BED 

Most days of the year it's mum who wakes up early in the morning to prepare everything that needs to get done ahead of everyone in the household to start their day of school or work. So on Mother's Day, why not let her start her day off with the gift of sleep? In the meantime, make her feel special with a freshly prepared breakfast by cooking her favourite meal and serving it to her while she's still comfortable in her PJs. Mum will definitely feel like royalty when her children bring her breakfast in bed, with maybe a small bouquet of flowers on the side! You can take care of emptying the dishwasher, tidying up any laundry from the previous night or doing other chores around the house she usually does early in the morning, so she can get up to a decluttered space as much as possible (at least) on Mother's Day.

SPARE HER THOSE BORING CHORES

Although Mum might, and rightly so, take the day off from any household chores on Mother's Day, committing to helping around the house is another nice gesture that the rest of the family can do on other days. Whether or not she's usually juggling work and house chores, Mum deserves an extra helping hand to complete the boring list of everyday chores. This Mother's Day, you can gift her with a DIY coupon book of chores that includes tasks like vacuuming, dusting, doing the dishes, doing the laundry and ironing the clothes among others — she'll surely appreciate the thought behind it and the fact that you would have dedicated the time to do it yourself! Then, whenever Mum has had an overwhelming day she'll be able to strap off a chore coupon that you can handle while she relaxes a bit. 

MAKE HER HANDMADE CRAFTS

Speaking of do-it-yourself, Mother's Day can be the perfect occasion for the kids to prepare something handmade from the heart. It doesn't need to be perfect — just putting your effort and heart into it is definitely enough for your mother. Whether it's making her a handmade card with a thoughtful message inside or creating a photo album or scrapbook with illustrations and photos recalling different episodes of life with your mum is certainly a beautiful gesture to invest in. She'll get to go down memory lane to the day her kids were born or to their first day of school, or even when they got to visit the doctor for their first vaccine, and so on. Such a gesture is a good way for Mum to have her family snuggled around her while rolling through different messages and photos — it doesn't matter if you make her cry — undoubtedly they will be happy tears! 

SEND HER OFF FOR THE DAY

Another gesture Mum can truly appreciate this Mother's Day instead of an extravagant gift can be planning an overnight getaway for just herself. Every day, she's not only putting on the shoes of a mother that nurtures her kids. She might also be the mummy with a career, the mediator between the kids, the taxi driver, the nurse, the cook, the handyperson in the household and much more. So for this Mother's Day make your utmost to give her a break from all of these roles and let her focus on herself, alone, away from home. Whether it's booking her an entire day at the spa or planning her a one-night stay in a full-board hotel, pack her essentials and surprise her. Let her go on a decently-priced relaxing day to live moments of silence, get uninterrupted sleep and munch on mouthwatering meals she doesn't have to prepare herself. This kind of gesture can also be the perfect option for the mum-to-be before embarking on the life-changing journey of motherhood.

MAKE MUM'S DREAM COME TRUE

Mum, has also a list of dreams she wishes to fulfil some day or the other, and Mother's Day could be just the perfect day to make at least one come true for her. Having opted or needed to put her dreams on the back burner and put all her strength into raising her kids and taking care of the family, while also growing in her career, Mum still dreams. With just a few days to go for Mother's Day, you can take the opportunity to tick off one of her dreams from the list. Whether it's dance classes or art classes, or enrolling on a course about a subject she wishes to study further, subscribe her to it. She might also have a charitable cause she wishes she had the time to take part in — sign her up or make a small donation in Mum's name as a start.

There are loads of other gestures you can invest in to celebrate your mum this Mother's Day and transform the day into a truly memorable one. Whichever you choose to opt for, make sure you insert plenty of hugs and kisses in between, especially on the day. Hugs and kisses cost nothing and are definitely heartfelt gestures way better than any gift to express genuine affection to your mum. So, go ahead, and ensure you squeeze her tight even if you're not used to it — let this Mother's Day bring down that wall!

An article dedicated to the stay-at-home mum, the working mum, the single mum, the step mum, the mum-to-be, the grieving mum, the adoptive mum, the foster mum and anyone doing the role of a mum — you've got this!

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