Are you excited at the prospect of cooking for mom this Mother’s Day May 13, 2012? Breakfast in bed? Barbecue?
These are all great ideas to pamper mom. Unfortunately many mothers dread this gift idea for Mother’s Day because it usually means more work for mom not forgetting finding bread crumbs in the bed months after Mother’s Day.
To ensure that this gift idea for Mothers Day is something that will be a positive experience for mom, here are some points to remember.
We all think it is so cute when the kids or dad decide to bake or make mom breakfast in bed as a token of appreciation for all that moms do both in and outside the home. This is usually thought to be a great gift idea for Mother’s Day if mom is usually the one who makes most of the family’s meals and giving her a day off from this task is a thoughtful way to show mom your love and appreciation.
This is a great idea until mom gets to the kitchen and discovers all the dishes and leftovers left for her to clean, put away or discard. If you do decide to go this route for a gift idea, make sure that you do not provide extra work for mom after cooking for her otherwise this will defeat the purpose of the Mother’s Day gift of cooking.
Also pick food items to prepare for mom carefully especially if you will present her with something like breakfast in bed. Despite best efforts, there will always be bread crumbs that will get into mom’s bed and there is nothing more annoying than rolling over in bed and encountering bread crumbs. So nix any ideas of including toast and similar food items.
When cooking for mom on this special day, you want her to truly appreciate the gift without having to remind herself that it is the thought that mattered if she has to deal with washing up or bread crumbs in the bed, etc. Moms are long suffering and will smile, thank you and then get busy with the task of cleaning up what you left for her. Let this truly be a day off for her from cooking, cleaning, putting away, fetching, etc. So do not just go half way.
Before undertaking this task for a Mother’s Day gift, it is important to ask yourself whether you can cook and clean. The cleanup part is usually the worst part of cooking for most people so be honest about yourself about whether you can get this done after cooking for mom without making excuses about getting to it later.
When cooking for mom, you want to ensure that you also create a meal that she will enjoy. Do not present her with something that is burned, undercooked, unidentifiable, etc. Following a recipe to the letter is a great way to ensure that you create something that is not only edible but delicious.
If you are cooking challenged, you can get already assembled food items from many gourmet cooking stores that come with the ingredients already assembled with cooking instructions. This is not only a great way to prepare a great meal for mom but will also ensure that you do not have a lot of mess to deal with after the food preparation.