A MOTHER'S DAY LIKE NO OTHER - Healthy Family Living in Metro Vancouver

Mother's Day 2020 will not look like any previous one in our lifetime.

Here's the most likely scenario...

your child's online schooling hasn't covered mother's day arts & crafts or seed planting thus far
eggs, milk & flour weren't in stock for your online grocery delivery, so brunch will be coffee & frozen waffles
the Amazon gift that your hubby ordered on time arrives in June (if you're lucky!)

And you know what? That's okay.

For real, this year it just doesn't matter. During this global pandemic, us moms are tired, stressed, worried and holding up our families while quietly (and some days NOT so quietly) falling apart. If you're like us, deep down you know your family loves and appreciates you, and they don't need to buy you fancy gifts or plan elaborate brunches to prove it. Honestly, for this Mother's Day, a good snuggle session followed by a solid nap all by yourself would likely be a dream.

The notion of "self-care" is thrown at moms a lot and often ends up feeling like another "to-do " item on a list of things you may never get to. Another logistical hurdle to add to a day full of Zoom calls in PJ pants, holding kids while they cry over nothing and everything because their worlds are upside down and, and you're wondering how you got stuck on this desert island with a spouse who chews so loudly. But it really and truly doesn't have to be. There are VERY small things you can do for yourself to recharge and reclaim moments of calm & joy during this storm.

For this very unusual Mother's Day, we connected with a few businesses who've saved our sanity more than once, and put together an incredible $500 gift basket of "self-care" goodies we're giving away on our Facebook Page to brighten one Metro Vancouver mom's Mother's Day. It includes healthy freezer meals delivered to your door, delicious grapefruit body care, the best of the best chocolate, a relaxing screen-free activity for just mom (no kids allowed!), and a memory-making kit. Sounds perfect right about now, eh? Keep reading to meet our favourites.

WHAT WE WANT AS MOMS

1. Feeling pampered and valued

When we really boil it down, the reason we like to pamper our bodies is to remind ourselves that we are worth the time and attention. We aren't sure how we can forget this so easily, but we do. Our favourite pampering moments right now are thanks to basd body care. As moms, we just don't have time to luxuriate in a bath very often, but we find that we can just about carve out a few minutes for a quiet shower. This shower becomes the perfect place to take stock of how we are feeling physically and to show ourselves that we are worth the time. basd body care body wash & coffee scrub in their mint, creme brulee or brand new refreshing citrus grapefruit scent fills the shower with the most amazing smell as it scrubs off the day's worry, followed up with equally delicious body lotions. There is something so cathartic about the physical action of scrubbing the skin. A definite 5 minute mom-friendly "cup filling" moment.

2. The Best of the Best Chocolate

Do you find that you are giving everything you have to your family? Most of the time that feels good, but as our energy reserves drop, we really feel drained and sometimes a bit resentful. As much as it goes against what we instinctively do as moms, maybe this is the time to hold a little back. It's ok to have a special treat that is just what YOU like and that's not for sharing. We highly recommend having your own hidden stock of out of this world chocolate and sneaking away for a moment of decadence in solitude (even if you have to do it in the pantry!). Theobroma Chocolat has always lifted our souls - especially their organic raspberry and 72% dark chocolate minis. There is magic in this chocolate. It may be hand-crafted by unicorns - we don't know for sure, but this Canadian-made wonder has all our love at the moment.

3. just not doing dinner

Some days lately we just...can't...even. Nevermind raising a sourdough starter, learning a new language and becoming an urban farmer... some days just making dinner deserves a round of applause. Let's drop the "use this time to expand your life" mantra and adopt "let's get through this in one piece". The gift of having a delicious, healthy dinner ready in the freezer is always such a relief. It opens up a huge amount of time and energy at the end of the day when we all need it. Well Fed Studio is the dinner fairy for us in times of stress. We reach into the freezer and pull out the most delicious ready made meals. All of a sudden we have one less task to do or coordinate and the evening runs so much smoother.

4. Ten minutes of screen-free peace

We love to veg out with a good dose of Netflix or Facebook as much as anyone, but lately it has felt like this is just buying us time. It's not building us up in any way. So we've looked for simple, meditative activities that we can leave and come back to casually, that give us the chance to be distracted but don't overload our fragile hearts. We were really surprised when we found the peace we were looking for in a gorgeous jigsaw puzzle we bought online from BC Playthings. It turns out that puzzles are not just for kids and grandparents. There is something very calming about the whole process and super satisfying when you find just the right piece and it falls into place. Some days when our cup is a bit more on the full side, we invite our kids to join in with us and create a shared quiet bond. Other days it's just us and the puzzle, and the world will just have to wait for a few minutes.

5. Simple Memory Making

Although this time of physical distancing is really hard some days, we also feel like it's a time at home with our families that we will want to remember - the precious way our family held together against the storm raging around us. Now that we are faced with a time when our immediate family are the only people we have around us, we have realised that we really want a way to hold them close to our hearts always. A way to carry this closeness in our memory long after any physical distancing regulations have been lifted. We've found this with Smallprint custom jewellery. And now thanks to their inkless print kits, our kids' handprints are with us always.

Healthy Family Living Team

Wondering what to do with the kids in Metro Vancouver this weekend, or what to make for dinner? You can find it at HealthyFamilyLiving.com! From the Sunshine Coast to the Fraser Valley, we’re the best online resource for busy parents looking for practical tips for healthy, active, sustainable living. For the latest on family events, outdoor adventures, birthday parties, camps & classes and kid-approved recipes, follow us on Facebook and sign-up for our parent-approved e-newsletter!