Plan ahead for Mother's Day

I think the best thing you can do for Mother’s Day is to write a letter telling her how much she is appreciated. It could cost as much as a stamp to you, and mean the world to her.

That having been said, several families like to throw in a gift, too. Here are some ideas:

It’s for Mutter, Meré, Mater and Mom

Red Envelope, the online site that brought me much-discussed Panda bamboo wooden sunglasses, offers a Languages of Mom sterling silver bracelet etched with Mom in 32 languages. The elliptically Möbius  strip is dainty and durable makes me think of what makes the world go round. Even in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Texas, All-American moms come in all kinds. I do not personally know any Urdu speakers, but I’m enjoying the symbol.  The Dutch of Nederland and Cajuns of Port Arthur will find their “moms.”  Tribute to others are found in German, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Catalan, Swedish, Hungarian, Norwegian, Czech, Hebrew, Greek, English, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, Swahili, Hindi, Latin, Estonian, Polish, Dutch, Tibetan, Irish gaelic and Italian.

Creative dads and children can find this at Red Envelope.

Mother’s Day

The jars are iconic, with flat sides and the checkered lid. Bonne Maman means something fancy to me, with the totally must-save container, but I never thought much about where this sweet stuff came from. I just knew that the  sweet stuff within was found at fancy places and just a glimpse of one makes me feel pampered.

The 100 percent natural preserves are from French culinary tradition and for Mother’s Day, they’ve come out with a little book of recipes, such as orange pancakes and blueberry croissant. There are also ideas for saving the jars, such as corralling artists brushes and perching a poached egg atop a mini jar. I tried a fig preserve layered with yogurt and granola. I tried a variation of this every night for a week. Here are some ideas from makers:

Not-a-Morning Mom:  For the mom, who cherish an extra hour of sleep, make breakfast in bed. Turn any scone, toast, or waffle into something incredible with the preserves

Hostess Mom:  Mom likes to celebrate this day with all the other moms. While hosting a  brunch each guest parts with a jar as a gift

Luxurious Mom:  Mom can feel spoiled at any price with this elegant gift under $5

Chef Mom:  Impress the chefs of the family with some recipes using Bonne Maman visit BonneMaman.us for ideas

Homemade Mom:   This mom likes gifts best when they are homemade. Make a signature spice mixture or rub and give it in an empty Bonne Maman jar

Empty Nest Mom:  Make sure the house feels full of life using jars to decorate. The Bonne Maman jars warm up any space when filled with candles or fresh flowers

Soccer Mom:  Mom spends her days in the car so prepack her lunch or snack in a Bonne Maman jar with some plain yogurt, mom’s favorite preserve, and some granola

DIY Mom:  Help kids surprise mom with a clean and organized crafting station using jars to store lots of little odds and ends.  For inspiration, visit Bonne Maman on Pinterest!

Walking Halsa style

Psy’s “Gangnam Style” has brought attention to Korea’s exercise of walking backwards. Halsa Resistance Poles could help Americans take to the streets with sticks. Naturally, a walker stands out with these high-tech poles that offer up to 13 pounds of resistance, depending on how hard he or she presses down. The end of the sturdy poles retract into themselves. Just take them down the street or to the track. Around here this season, it appears one is skiing on paths of pollen instead of snow.  As soon as they arrived, I tried them in my driveway for just a few minutes and the next morning, I felt it in my arms. When I took them for a public spin, my husband grabbed one and I took the other and he reported feeling a good stretch the next day.  Multi-taskers will love that all the energy your arms just “wasted” before can now be used for toning muscles. Halsa calls it a high-tech upgrade to power walking, combining a cardio burn with a total upper body workout to tone triceps, biceps, chest and back while increasing calorie intake and fat burn.

These poles are very well made and clip together for easy storage. Moms, check these out for gift requests.

ddoiron@panews.com