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I’m a stay at home mom with two littles. Every holiday I put in a massive amount of time and energy into making sure that every member of my family has an incredibly special, hand-curated collection of gifts. However, I’ve realized that over the years, it’s been difficult for them to return the favor.
This makes sense. I’m the one who is primarily responsible for ensuring our home runs smoothly, which means I make sure everyone has all the clothes, toys, skincare, random gadgets, or anything else they may need. I am also the one who is generally in the kitchen doing the cooking and, while I get lots of help, I generally undertake making sure the house is clean as well.
Because of this, it makes complete sense that the other members of my family just aren’t always sure what items I may want to need. They’re not in the kitchen cooking with me, around the house cleaning with me, and when I take some time for self-care (which for me is generally a long bath), they’re giving me some time and space alone (thank you!).
Enter: this gift guide. Its purpose is to help well-meaning husbands and children come up with some great ideas for the mama in your life. We all know you love her more than you could ever express and giving her a meaningful gift that you spent time to research and purchase just for her is another little way you can express that love.
If you’re a mom reading this, feel free to just send the link along to those respective family members. I’ve found my husband really appreciates when I give him a nudge in the right direction around the holidays and I love getting a gift I really want and can use. Win-win!
Whether it’s for her birthday, Christmas, Mother’s Day, or just a random day you want to show her how much you love her, you’re sure to find something here.
This gift guide is broken up into a few categories:
Self-care
Kitchen
Home Decor
Cleaning
Just for fun
It contains ideas big and small–from a main gift to a stocking stuffer. If you find something awesome, just click the link and order it. Gift bought! Just don’t forget the wrapping paper!
Self-Care
The main caveat here is that self-care looks different for everyone. In the weeks leading up to the event you’re purchasing for, try to pay extra attention to what the mama in your life is doing to unwind. If you’re really not sure, see if anything sparks a memory of something she does in the list below, or give something totally new a try!
One of my favorite ways to relax is taking a bath. It’s a great way to unwind while getting a moment of peace. Below are some of my go-bath essentials.
Another great idea is personal care items. The mama in your life may be picky, so make sure you do a little sleuthing to see if she has a specific brand or routine she already uses, but sometimes us mamas really want to purchase good personal care items but have neglected it. If that’s the case try getting her something fancy and new! I love anything from Dime Beauty. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Other great ideas include non-toxic nail polish and nail polish remover:
Also consider getting her supplies for a hobby she enjoys or is interested in starting. I enjoy painting and recently took up embroidery. Sometimes working on a hobby helps us mamas feel a little less like a mama and a little more like ourselves.
Kitchen
I personally love to get kitchen items as gifts, mostly because I’m not one to go out and buy expensive things that only I use even though it’s technically a family item.
High quality pots and pans are wonderful because you can feel great knowing you’re not potentially exposing your family to forever chemicals every time you make dinner. These are all my favorites:
After I upgraded my cookware, I’ve also moved on to upgrading my other kitchen equipment. These are my favorite cutting boards:
And these cooking utensils are on my Christmas list this year:
Getting kitchen gadgets is always a fun gift for me to receive as well. Consider getting her one or more of the following gadgets that will help her day to day life in the kitchen move a little smoother. Many of these also make great stocking stuffers!
And if you want to do something big in the way of kitchen gadgets, here are a few suggestions.
I use my KitchenAid mixer all the time. It’s my favorite.
I also use the hand mixer frequently.
When I’m trying to get dinner together, the Instant Pot and a good old fashion crock pot are awesome!
I also frequently use this rice cooker with a stainless steel interior (avoiding potential chemicals) every time I make rice…I just can’t make it well any other way.
I love this blender:
And this food processor:
This bread maker is also on my wish list currently. Its bread bin is ceramic, which is the best you can easily get in the U.S.
And finally, having an organized kitchen makes the job of getting a meal together so much less daunting. Spices are notoriously disorganized. These are my go-tos for organizing any spice cabinet.
And for pantry organization, these labels are great! Stick ‘em in that stocking!
Coffee
As a tired mom, this is my favorite category! I love cold coffee, so for at least three years this was my go-to cold brew pitcher that made sure I always have coffee in the fridge.
Last year for Christmas we upgraded to a Nespresso machine and we’ve never looked back! The coffee-loving mama in your life will love the Nespresso because she can decide which flavor is her favorite and make it in a moment’s notice. If she loves frothy coffee, make sure to go ahead and get the machine and the milk frother bundle.
These are my favorite pods.
These are my husband’s favorites.
And this is my favorite pod organizer. She’ll love it because she can stick it on the inside of a cabinet door so it won’t take up all that incredibly valuable countertop space.
A to-go coffee mug is a great stocking stuffer!
Home Decor
Like with everything on this list, home decor is personal, but some people would still love to get certain aspects as a gift. Here are a few, slightly more generic things I love around my house.
I have this decorative pillow cover in tan and brown. Both colors are great staples to complement existing pillows.
A diffuser is also a great addition to home decor because it looks beautiful and makes your house smell great without the worry of combining an open flame and children. Just don’t forget the essential oils or fragrance drops. The Magic Candle Company has some great scents.
These candle warmers are also great and look so beautiful sitting out!
And floor lamps also help to make a space feel so warm and inviting!
Speaking of warmth, a Nuzzie, which is a weighted knit style blanket, has also been on my wish list for years. I look forward to cozying up with the family with it on movie nights.
And these artificial flowers look beautiful without the need to constantly be updating floral arrangements.
And if you really want to go big, my ultimate dream gift is a Samsung frame TV. What a gift!
Cleaning
I would say this is the most delicate of all the categories. Nothing has more potentially to upset a stay-at-home mom than purchasing her cleaning equipment (except maybe a treadmill). However, some ladies would LOVE to receive some cool cleaning gadgets as a gift! With this category in particular, really think about what the mama in your life would prefer, and if all else fails, try to discreetly (or bluntly) ask her.
For me, upgrading to a cordless vacuum was a game-changer for being able to easily clean up all the little messes my kiddos managed to make, and help keep me sane (walking on crumbs is a personal pet-peeve).
This Christmas, I’m also hoping to upgrade to this vacuum that mops while it vacuums so I can do both easily on cleaning days.
I also love my robot vacuum. His name is HAL.
E-cloths are also great because they only require water so little hands can help you clean and you can feel good about it!
Experience
Last, but certainly not least, don’t undervalue how awesome the gift of an experience can be. Book a sitter for the kiddos or drop ‘em off at the grandparents house and take you out for a super cool and unique kid-free activity! I can’t provide links for this one as it’s entirely dependent on what available in your area, but some experience you could look into include:
Candle making
Pottery class
Glass blowing class
Painting class
Cooking class
A play
The symphony
Kayaking
Spa treatment
Message
I hope this gives you some inspiration for how you can make the mama in your life feel as loved through a gift as she makes you feel.
Love,
This mama
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