Motherhood
Don’t let COVID-19 ruin your Mother’s Day activities. Here are some fun and thoughtful ways to spend Mother’s Day at home or with a loved one from afar.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been thinking about Mother’s Day since last year. I really look forward to this special day so I can spend time with mom, grandma, & sister. I love being able to just relax with them and reflect on all the joys and craziness of being a mom…I also enjoy the mimosas and pratically child free day while enjoying brunch and massages, but I really love just being with the other women in my family. So you could imagine my disappointment when stay-at-home orders were pushed back through Mother’s Day. Not only would I not be able to see my family, or have a peaceful day to myself, but the Mother’s Day Brunch I had been planning for months for DFW moms was going to be cancelled.But if you know me, you know nothing can keep me down for long and I will always come up with a creative solution to celebrate this day even if I am bound to the walls of my home. Of course I couldn’t keep all my ideas to myself, as I know many of you are looking for ways to celebrate, whether you are a grandparent, mom, daughter, son, husband, or boyfriend, here are some ways to celebrate Mother’s Day at home with your loved ones close and afar!P.S. I even have some kid friendly ideas in here to 😉
Ideas For Celebrating Mother's Day
Everyone Loves Flowers Right?
Nothing says Mother’s Day quite like flowers. I know it may seem kinda basic, but with everything going on, a beautiful bouquet of flowers would brighten anyone’s day. This is also a great way to show love to someone who might be far away, like a mom or grandma, or even a friend who just had a baby. You can never go wrong with flowers. Luckily for Mother’s Day, many florists are open! If flowers aren’t her thing, an edible arrangement is always delicious!If you are local to DFW, Below are some amazing local florists that are still OPEN! If you are not local to DFW, 1800flowers.com is still taking orders!DFW FLORISTSGloria’s Flowers: 2752 W. Davis St. Dallas, TX (214) 339-9273Mockingbird Florist: 5606 E. Mockingbird Ln. Dallas, TX (214) 821-1433Paraiso Flower Shop: 1921 S. Story Rd. Irving, TX (972) 600-9688Fort Worth Florist: 8247 Camp Bowie W Blvd. Fort Worth, TX (817) 244-2345
Relax With A Spa Day
Okay, so if you aren’t here for the flowers, well I have another idea for you! Whether you do it on your own or if your a hubby or boyfriend reading this, treat youself or your special lady to a spa day! I love this idea because it can be as affordable as your budget allows or you can go all out and do the most!Here are some ideas to make your At Home Mother’s Day Spa perfect!Purchase a cute lounge set and relax in a cute and comfy outfit to enjoy your day in!Get some amazing bubble bath soap or a bath bomb and take a luxurious bath.*If want want to get extra fancy get some candles and soft music and really set the scene*. Pick up some face masks from Target and a nice bottle of wine. *Combine this with the bubble bath, a good movie, or both…talk about heaven*For the men reading this, look up a quick youtube video on how to give a partner massage (trust me, yall aren’t that great at massages as you think you are), purchase some massage oil, and give her a much needed full body massage!
Dinner For 2..Or 3 Or 4
I know they say “the way to a man’s heart is his stomach” but have you ever witnessed a hangry momma? I can assure you it is not a pretty site and you don’t want those problems. Avoid that this Mother’s Day by cooking something nice for the momma in your home or take a FREE online cooking class together!
Cooking is also a great way to get the kids involved this Mother’s Day! Have them be your little helper with mixing ingredients or even some light chopping if they’re old enough!
If you need some recipe ideas you can always check out the recipes here on my blog or check Pinterest for some inspiration! For those free online cooking classes I mentioned above, click here for a list of chefs who are hosting free classes almost every day!
Get The Kids Involved
Mother’s Day wouldn’t be a thing without our little ones invloved. Although I usually like to spend most of my day child free, that won’t be happening this year. I don’t know about y’all but I LOVE every single little craft my daughter does. So here are some crafts that your little ones can do to make your day a little extra special!DIY Mother’s Day Sugar ScrubDIY Mother’s Day CardNail Polish Marble MugsBaby Footprint FlowerDIY Popsicle Stick Flower PotsFlower Picture CardMother’s Day Crayon ArtMom DIY Coupon BookHandprint Jewelry DishHomemade Bath Bombs
I hope you enjoy all these cute and fun ideas to do at home! Let me know in the comments what your Mother’s Day plans are!With Love, Julianna
I’ve done all the looking and research for you. Here are the best places in Dallas, Texas to take your toddler or baby!
Now that Spring is here, I love getting out and taking Jordyn to different places to play both indoors and out. Dallas is filled with so many amazing places for families and toddlers outside of the typical zoo or aquarium. It’s one of the many reasons Josh and I love it here so much. No matter what suburb you live in, whether you’re in Mansfield, Plano, or somewhere in between, there is always a fun place to take your little! So here are my top places in DFW for your little one!
Play Street Museum
Play Street Museum has to be one of our favorite places to take Jordyn. They are a Montessori based play place that focuses on imaginative play. What I love about PSM is that they have several locations around Dallas and each location is centered around a specific them so you can go to different locations and experience a whole new play place! Our favorite location is in Las Colinas which is College themed so its designed to look like a college as well as have a range of toys for your little one to play with centered around its theme. We also love this location because it’s the only location with extended hours until 7 pm! From ages 1 to 8 years old this is a great place to let your toddler or child run free and their imagination run wild!Click HERE to check them out and to find a location near you!
PlayGrand Adventures
PlayGrand Adventures is a brand new park in Grand Prairie that opened in January 2020! What we love about this park is that it’s designed for children of all ages and abilities. This playground is just a small zone in their 10+ acre parkland that will have a variety of play areas in the future. This park is completely free and has so many fun things to do. We’ve been several times already and it has become our favorite outdoor playground for Jordy. Even if you aren’t in the Grand Prairie suburb I definitely recommend making a day trip out to this park! Its also conveniently located next to Epic Waters, the only indoor water park in the DFW area that is open year-round!If you’d like to see more, click HERE
Luv 2 Play
Luv 2 Play is another great indoor play gym located in Grapevine! From young crawlers, all the way up to 12-year-olds this place has it all. What makes this place so special and one of my top places is that it features enclosed play spaces for younger children. Let’s be real, a play place for 6-month-old babies and 10-year-olds isn’t a combination I thought would work but it does! They have different areas within the gym that are restricted to certain age groups. They have a baby area, a toddler area, and a larger play area and playground for the bigger kids. They even have a cafe and eating area where parents can hang out! This is also my go-to location when I’m hosting a meetup for my mom group since we all have children in different age groups! If you haven’t been yet, you definitely need to put this location on your list!You can find more info HERE
Roy Meyers Children's Adventure Garden
Roy Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is apart of the Dallas Arboretum and for some reason still undiscovered by so many Dallas locals. When the weather is cooperating this is the place to be! The adventure garden has so many amazing features you can go over and over again and never be bored. They have over 15 galleries both inside and outside, an edible garden, and some amazing water features. I also love that they have daily programs offered for kids of all ages. So no matter your schedule you can come any day of the week and have a great time.For hours and tickets click HERE
Klyde Warren Park
A Dallas favorite, this park is right in between downtown Dallas and Uptown with the most amazing skyline views. This park is a great free place to let your little run wild. What I love about this park is that they ALWAYS have some type of event going on. From movies on the lawn to festivals or even children focused events, you will always have a good time. This park also has some amazing features like a childrens only park, reading rooms, butterfly park, and so much more. Make sure to check out their website for all their scheduled events!For their event schedule click HERE
Motherhood is already hard, but adding friendship to the mix can be a whole other struggle. When I got pregnant in late 2017 I had just moved to Dallas four months prior and the only friend I really had here was my boyfriend. Although many of my friends were either currently pregnant or already had little ones of their own. All of my friends from grade school through college lived all over the state of Texas hundreds of miles away. Even my family was far. Pregnancy was a very lonely time in my life without having close friends near by to hangout out or talk to.
After the birth of my daughter in August 2018 and being stuck at home for 12 weeks with little to no human interaction I told myself I was going to make some mom friends. This wasn’t easy and actually took some effort on my part, but because I put myself out there I was able to make a few solid friendships and build a tribe of women that I can go out with for a mom’s night out every now and again.
So here are 5 tips on making friends in motherhood:
1. Have a judgement free mindset!
You cant expect to make any friends if you are judging them before they even get the chance to spit their name out. Passing judgment on another momma is a big no no and will likely get you shunned from the mom community. It’s 2020 ladies, we dont judge mommas over breastfeeding, bottlefeeding, droping the f bomb, and letting your kids be kids. There is so much more important things to focus your energy on than what the next mom is doing. Choose to celebrate your differences versus attacking someone on them. Who knows..you might end up finding your new best friend.
2. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
How do expect to make any friends if you stay at home all day in your sweatpants and breastmilk stained shirt. Trust me I know, this is probably the hardest thing to do bc ya girl loves her sweatpants and messy bun. I’m not saying you have to do the most and put on a fab outfit and heels, but momma, try to break away from your little one and home and treat yourself…YOU DESERVE IT. Go to a spa and get a pedicaure or even browse the aisles at Target ALONE. You never know when you’ll bump into your newest friend when checking out the clearance rack in the baby section! By putting yourself out there you are also putting out the necessary energy to draw in friendships.
3. Join a mom group or make your own.
I know we’ve all heard some horror stories about mom groups. But don’t let that scare you away from trying one. After I had my daughter I tried several different mom groups in the area. There were all great in the aspect of getting me out of the house and Jordyn having the opportunity to interact with other little babies, but for me personally it was never a great fit so I made my own group. Making my own momma group was the best desicion I could have made because it allowed me to find women that I could relate to on deeper levels than just being a mom. There are so many platforms you can use to find or create your own mom’s group. I would suggest meetup.com and search for local groups in your area!
4.Utilize social media.
We are on social media platforms every day so make the most out of it and find your new bestie. Making friends on social media is always a little easier than in person, so if you’re a person who is more introverted or doesn’t have the time to go out and find friends this is a great option for you! Make use of Instagram and find moms in your area by searching for hashtags like #dallasmom #dallasmommy etc. just swap out dallas for your city. From there you will find sooo many women and interact with the ones that seem most relatable to you. Instagram is where I met one of my gal pals last summer in 2019 and we’ve been hanging out ever since! Another great social platform for making mom friends is Peanut. Peanut is an app that is basically the tinder for mom friends. Like literally, you swipe up or down on different womens profiles in your area and see if you match. They also have great message boards where you can interact with women outside of swiping and matching.
5. Have fun & be YOU!
This is the last and most important step. Never try to force friendship. I know its hard because we crave that interaction and friendship, but you should never stress yourself out trying to make friends. Let it happen as organically as possible, you’ll make more meaningful friendships that way. Also, make sure to stay true to yourself. Being 100% authentic is going to bring you friendships that will last you a lifetime. Remember you want to create lasting friendships and build your tribe. Trying to fake who you are will only lead to fake friendships!
I hope you found these tips to be useful! Let me know in the comments how you’ve made some of your mom friends!
With Love, Julianna
