This Mother’s Day (May 10), I’m spending it apart from mum, no thanks to the ongoing Covid-19 situation.
Yes, I can still surprise her with food delivery, send her messages or video call her, but to me, it’s not too special because everyone’s been doing that already.
So I racked my brains, and came up with some ways to brighten up her day in the most personalised ways possible, even though I’m doing it from a distance (belated celebration later).
Don’t let the circuit break stop you from celebrating your mum this Sunday!
Here are some ways to make mum feel special this unique Mother’s Day:
If you’re staying with mum
For those of you who are privileged to be staying with your mum, here are some ideas for Mother’s Day 2020, Covid-19 edition!
1. Leave her little heartfelt notes
Thank her for preparing breakfast for you every day when you were a kid, tell her you really look forward to seeing her after a long day at work, or just jot down a simple “I Love You”.
You can leave these little memos in plain sight, or tucked away in her favourite spots — under the TV remote in the evening if she loves watching her 8pm Korean drama, inside her notebook where she regularly jots down recipe ideas, or next to her pill box in the morning when she takes her daily supplements.
2. Bake her a cake
You don’t need to be a star baker or a top chef to impress mum — it’s the thought that counts, really! (Although I wouldn’t recommend this if your mother used to be a top pastry chef with a whole team to critique daily)
I’m really bad at making fancy cakes with intricate details, but when I whip up a manageable butter cake in my small kitchen, that works too! I just make sure to taste the cake first…
This is an even better idea to butter mummy dearest up as many cake shops are closed during the Circuit Breaker period.
3. Serve her breakfast in bed
Treat mum like the Queen she is, with room service! Whip up a delicious breakfast for her, without her even needing to leave her bed. No groceries? Here are 32 online grocery sites for you to peruse.
If that’s not practical, the alternative is to “dabao” food for her instead of her cooking or needing to head out herself.
Otherwise, there are always food delivery services to the rescue!
4. Warm foot soak with massage
Since mum can’t go to the spa, bring the spa to her! Okay, well, you’re not a trained masseuse, but there are ways to improvise.
Dim the lights, bring out the scented candles, warm towels and brew a pot of lemongrass and ginger tea.
Fill a basin with lukewarm water and some bath salts or essential oils if you have, and give mum an invigorating foot soak. Once that is done, towel her feet dry and give her a gentle foot massage to ease the knots in her tired toes.
5. Find activities to bond over
On social media, I’ve been seeing friends posting about various activities they are doing with their parents during the circuit breaker.
One started baking with her dad, and another made boba pearls with her mum. Video conferencing has also been gaining popularity, and now’s a great time to teach mum how to stay in touch with friends and family through technology.
Some of my retired ex-colleagues have also started taking online courses, and these are done through webinars too.
If you’re not staying with mum
1. Post her a letter
Did you know that Singapore Post has a tracked mail service? You can also send small packages through this service that will be sent directly to the recipient’s mailbox (contactless, yay!).
This way, you can send mum a handwritten letter (get your kids to pitch in as well, the activity might help keep them busy now that it’s school holidays) or drawing, and you’ll be certain that it won’t get lost in the mail.
2. Scent her a gift
You’re not able to personally give her a foot soak, but you can still send her an aromatherapy set for her own home spa experience. There are a plenty of beauty and wellness brands to choose essential oils and aromatherapy kits from.
Send some nice scents her way, because mum “nose” best!
3. Meals with feels
I’ve yet to try this, but there have been many accounts of people receiving food delivery along with a message from the sender, even “I love you, hehe”. It was a friend’s birthday recently, and they too, received food delivery AND a birthday song from the delivery person.
Well, I’m not sure if the uncle delivering my food would so gamely do this, but that’s an option!
4. Become her personal shopper
Personally, I’ve observed that our parents don’t like to buy groceries online or rely on food delivery services. They like to do things the old school way, trudging to the nearby supermarket and back with 2 big bags of stuff that they could have ordered online.
For a day (or as often as possible), become your mum’s personal shopper — but in line with safe distancing rules, only contactless delivery is allowed!
The other day, I sent groceries to my mum’s place and she peeked through the door while I was headed for the lift. Although fleeting, that feeling of seeing Le Mama after so long was quite heartwarming!
More sweet gestures
Here are other sweet gestures to consider, whether or not you’re in the same household as your mum.
If you’re musically inclined, treat her to a “live” concert, and why not broadcast this via video conference to other family members at the same time? Even better if everyone can play a different instrument — family jam sesh!
Or take mum on a “virtual trip” to a country of her choice through a video or image gallery presentation. For sense-surround, order in some of that country’s cuisine to savour while on your virtual guided tour.
You could also pre-purchase vouchers to cash in once the circuit breaker has ended. These can be spa or massage vouchers, movie tickets, or a promise to take mum on a holiday once the whole pandemic blows over. Bonus points for helping local businesses stay afloat!
Another thoughtful gift is to do good is donating to a cause in mum’s name, to a charity supporting the less fortunate on her behalf. For a start, check out the Giving.sg platform.
Happy Mother’s Day, stay safe and stay positive!
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This article was written by Mary Wu, who hopes to share what she’s learnt from her home-buying and renovation journey with PropertyGuru readers. When she’s not writing, she’s usually baking up a storm or checking out a new cafe in town.
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