This Mother’s Day gift guide might be a tad late since Mother’s Day is this coming weekend (oops). But Mother’s Day is definitely one of the occasions where a thoughtful gesture or gift is 100% warranted (because being a mom is tough sometimes lol). Also it’s worth celebrating and appreciating all those who care and nurture others whether or not they are a biological mom. And since this is another Mother’s Day spent during a pandemic a little something is extra nice. Anyway here are some ideas (some of these are affiliate links, most are not—but thanks again for your support of this blog if you purchase through my links!):

Jewelry from Etsy: This was my number one entry from last year’s Mother’s Day gift guide and I still stand by it this year. I wrote a guide on purchasing vintage/used jewelry from Etsy and really they have the best prices for some of the most beautiful pieces. And secondhand jewelry is not only great for the environment but it’s totally unique (and sometimes better crafted than some of the more mass produced pieces out there today).

Jewelry from Rellery: If vintage or antique pieces are not your thing or not in the budget, I like Rellery for their 14k gold filled jewelry that’s made in Rhode Island. My sponsored review of Rellery here.

Plants: Instead of cut flowers, maybe a potted plant would be a nice gesture for Mother’s Day. I personally love potted plants for Mother’s Day because they’re around year after year (as long as your mom manages not to kill them). I still have my Mother’s Day present from last year (the pink anthuriums I’m carrying in the top picture). I also love that I was able to divide and propagate the anthuriums and give them to my fellow mom friends. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. And actually this year, I chose my Mother’s Day plant early: it’s the calla lilies pictured below. I happened to be at Home Depot when I saw these and knew they’d be the perfect Mother’s Day plant. But if you want to purchase your potted plant online and have it shipped directly to your mom, I wrote a little guide of online plant shops here.

LED Light Therapy Mask: Ok this is poor post planning on my part since my review of this will be posted on Thursday. Buuut I wanted to mention it here because this LED light therapy mask that I’ve been using 4-5 times a week has reaaallly helped my skin. I’ll go more into it on Thursday but let me just say the red light therapy for 20 minutes a day has really smoothed out my skin and I recommend this over any lotion/serum you can topically apply to your skin (yes this is better than my favorite Augustinus Bader Cream). If your mom is into skin care, this is a really great tool (as long as it is used consistently).

Jennifer Fisher Salts: If your mother is a foodie or likes to cook, I recommend the salts from Jennifer Fisher. JF is a foodie mom so she knows what she’s doing. I still have her salt blends and use them daily (I’ve repurchased the universal salt in the big bag and that’s lasted me over a year and counting). These fancy salts add an extra bit of flavor to my eggs, steak, broccolini or stir fry noodles.

A photo session with a professional: This gift might be the most time-consuming and expensive gift of this list but it’s also probably the one most worth it. I never done a professional photo session before (other than at my wedding), but figured it was worth a shot while Emi was still young and cute (and while we were in Hawaii). And I have to say I’m a believer. To find my photographer I asked some friends who routinely do the professional photography thing and asked for recommendations. And then I would cross-reference Yelp and/or Instagram. Depending on where you are it can be quite pricey, but you won’t regret the great photos that’ll last a lifetime.

Anyway that’s it for my short little gift guide since as always I only recommend things I’ve tried personally. And even without a gift, a little longer Facetime (or if you’re lucky, actual face-to-face quality time) is all that’s really needed. Hope you guys all have a great Mother’s Day this weekend and show some extra love and appreciation to all the nurturers in our lives.