The end of the school term means one thing and one thing only for me; total and complete relaxation.
Or at least, as much as my mom will let me have.
As of yesterday (May 9th), I’ve officially ended my first year of university (yay!), and I’m ready to basically do nothing for the next three months. Unfortunately, I know that’s not possible. The amount of weddings I’m about to attend is absolutely ridiculous, but good for the couples, I guess. What’s not good is the dresses on top of dresses that I’ve tried on, gotten altered, and basically had to squeeze my head into. There’s this one dress (I won’t include the picture for my dignity’s sake) that made me look like an actual grape. Yes, the fruit. The “I will sacrifice my life for Pakistan” “GRAPE” kind of Grape. It was abysmal (remember the code GRAPE for a special early access Mother’s Day deal).
The worst part: my mother, dear ol’ Naz, was considering buying this Barney-looking dress, and she would have to if I hadn’t told her what I thought of it. She proceeded to agree with me. It was a whole thing.
I know my mom has my back, but at that moment I was seriously doubting it.
This Sunday, May 14th, is Mother’s Day, and my siblings and I used to do this whole thing for her. We’d wake up extra early (which, for my family, means like 10 o’clock), and we’d make a huge mess in the kitchen to whip out mid-tasting pancakes and cut up horrid-looking fruit and we’d serve it to her in bed.
I’m not sure when we stopped doing that, or why, but it was a cute tradition and I’ll never forget those rare days where my sister and I worked together for something (my brother never helped but still got all the credit somehow).
Mother’s and Father’s day always sneaks up on my family and we don’t typically remember the day until it actually arrives. We end up making-do and scouring something up for each of my parents, but the gifts definitely take the saying “it’s the thought that counts” into fruition. I want to be better at this, though. I need to be. My parents have supported me my whole life, giving me things I didn’t always deserve and ensuring I had everything I could ever want or need. My mom has shaped me into the person I am today, and she continues to teach me lessons I know I will pass onto my kids one day. In Islam, we’re taught that Jannat (heaven) lies underneath our mother’s feet. It’s a beautiful thing to think about.
For this blog, I will include an assortment of Mother’s Day gifts that I know my mom would like, and hopefully yours would too.
First off, if there’s one thing I know about Nazmeera, it’s that she loves the sentiment in things. She has this bouquet of roses that basically never die. I don’t know what kind of witchcraft they put in these things but I am fairly certain they’re real flowers. These are the most adorable thing because you can get them in a variety of colors to tailor to your mom the most.
Up next is the obvious: chocolate-covered strawberries. The only reason I’m including this on the list is because I enjoy them much more than my mother ever does. Can you really blame me? See, my mom has a sweet tooth. But, she’s a baker. I can’t really go get her a cake/cookies because then she’ll get offended I didn’t ask her to make them. I could do that, and go through her Instagram and submit an actual order request, but my friend already tried doing that for me for my birthday and my mom consciously ghosted her. Naz stays humbling me (if you’re in the Dallas/Fort Worth area then check out @BakeBoutique.Dallas on Instagram).
This next thing is definitely cute, but my mom didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought she would. It was a phone case with mine and my siblings' names on it. I believe the one I ordered was from Etsy, but I know CASETiFY has some great ones too. If this is an option for you, then for your own well-being, please ensure your mom will keep it on her phone for longer than a week. Told you, she’s a good humbler.
Anything customizable is the way to go, in my opinion; picture frames, mugs, magnets, or even necklaces/bracelets. You can’t even go wrong with a cute candle. It’s all about the aesthetic at this point, so the scent isn’t as important (just don’t ever light it). When it comes to all things-personalized, I know that Etsy is the safest bet.
Now that we’re on the topic of jewelry (sort of), would this be a Mantra and Co. blog if I didn’t shamelessly plug the best small business in the world? The answer is no. Stay tuned this Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 14th) for a special Mantra sale. Your mom would love you even more if you gifted her a, let’s say, Adeenah bracelet perhaps? What you choose to buy her is entirely your prerogative, but if you want to know my personal favorite products then you can check them out here.
Perhaps you can get her a personalized Mantra bracelet, too. Stay tuned for a new and exciting Mantra and Co. jewelry piece that will be announced very soon.
My mom has imparted her wisdom on me time and time again. Whether it be beauty tips or fashion tips (which I don’t usually follow), Naz always has something new to say. I hope she’s reading this blog because she’s definitely my role model and, you know, my best friend. She knows that, so I don’t have to say it.
She taught me that the good things in life are worth waiting for. That it’s not okay to give up. That everything happens for a reason. The baking business I mentioned earlier is a really good example for those three statements. My mom has always loved baking and everyone’s always loved her baking (MashaAllah). She always talked about opening up a bakery one day, but my siblings and I were her first priority. Now that we’re older, she has the time to do what she loves. Now, she has a thriving small business and has even upped the ranks to wedding-cake making.
She’s absolutely inspirational. Her dedication and passion is unmatched, and she motivates me every day to keep doing what I want to do. Mother knows best, after all.
One thing that we can’t forget moving forward is to thank our mothers, or our caregivers, for the love and support they’ve provided for us through the years. I hope you spend the time to remind your mother of your gratitude, and if words fail us, then hopefully we can show them this Mother’s Day. I hope the list provided in this blog was helpful, and that you spend this Mother’s Day with those you love.
All my love,
Adeenah
PS, don’t forget about the exclusive, early-access sale that starts NOW. Use the code GRAPE at checkout, and each order will come with a free mystery scrunchie!
(Here’s the picture I mentioned earlier… y’all deserve it)
