Valentine's Presents For The Practical Mamas

Raising a half a dozen children has made me a little more practical and a little less romantic at times. When Valentine’s Day rolls around, I do my fair share of cringing. I think I’m still traumatized from my childhood days. It seemed so odd that somehow Valentine’s Day romanticized children’s relationships. I remember desperately trying to find cards to give out that didn’t have cheesy expressions like “Be Mine” on them, and thinking that Cupid was a creepy naked dude with a bow and arrow.

Fast forward to present day, and I find most Valentine-related things still fairly cringe-worthy. When the Daddy-o at our house comes home with flowers, I immediately envision how they will look in five days, as I dread washing out what will become a grungy vase. As for diamonds, I’ll also take a pass. I stopped wearing diamonds when I discovered picking Play-Doh out of the diamond claws was more trouble than it’s worth. And when you’ve changed as many diapers as I have, Play-Doh getting caught in your rings is really the least of your concerns.

So, what gets this sensible mama revved up on Valentine’s Day? Here are a few simple ideas for the practical mama in your life: 

Tote it! You’ll be amazed at how much this classic tote can hold. Usually when I go to a pool party, I throw all my kids towels, goggles, and bathing suits in a laundry basket and off I go. I put an end to that when I got this personalized beauty. And Thirty One has so many styles and colours. Now I’m much more stylin’ than I was when I was carrying my laundry basket around.

The Brag Bag. With six little beauties, I love the opportunity to show them off on my Heritage Makers purse. Bags are definitely a theme for busy moms, because we have a lot of stuff to carry around. This practical and durable bag holds all my important mom stuff and looks great too!

Label It! Moms lose stuff, too. We bring dishes to other people’s houses and Tupperware likes to make a job of disappearing on us. Put an end to that with Mabel’s Labels. Plus, use it for all your tech gear—you won’t find my laptop, smart phone, or any of my other gadgets unlabeled!

Funky stuff. Okay, I might not wear diamonds, but a beautiful necklace with my kids’ names engraved from Posh Mommy? Absolutely.

Take a break. Really, tired moms just want to sit down and put their feet up once in a while. When these rare occasions happen, I love to chill with some of my favourite Steeped Tea. The cinnamon heart-flavoured tea is perfect for this occasion.

There is plenty of time for romance later. For now, get the busy, active and practical moms something that they’ll actually use and love.

Need Valentine's Day gift ideas for the other special people in your life? Check out: "Hot Valentine Gifts for Your Type-A Mate," "Gifts For Him This Valentine's Day," and "Valentine's Day Gift For Children."