As my blog name suggests I am indeed a (mad) mum to seven children and now Grandma to one. I don't need to tell other people who play a mothering role in any form out there that it can be very hard work! Mother's day of course is a great time to show those who mother appreciation but let me tell you, a little more acknowledgment of all we do never goes amiss!
One of my sons randomly brings me flowers from his retail job. They were usually "out of date", destined for the bin but with care I can usually revive and enjoy them for long after they would have been ditched and I really appreciate the gesture. And his sibling regularly treats me to little gifts and fancy coffees lifting a dull day or cheering me up. I've had city breaks and holidays gifted to us by our children too. The pic above was taken at Bremen Oktoberfest last year which was all paid for by my 23-year-old. It was an amazing chance to spend time just with them and we laughed and laughed and drank and ate fairground food then laughed some more.
These are just a couple of examples of how small unexpected gestures can make all the stress and hard work of parenting feel a little less. But what if you don't live close to the mum in your life or want to treat her to a spa experience without the travel or time sacrifice?
I was contacted recently by the very lovely people at Bellalisia recently who offer a variety of beautiful gifts which are particularly suitable for mums to be and mothers. They invited me to choose one of their offerings (GIFTED) so I could tell you all about them.
With an exciting range including mini relaxation gifts which are packaged to slip through letterboxes to luxury pamper gifts the difficult part was choosing which collection to request.
I loved the Citrus Caress Pamper gift set for bath and body which includes bath/shower oil, bath scrub, body creme, a body massage brush and flower soaps and was also taken with the Serenity Crystal Candle set which comes with a crystal candle and an aromatherapy roll on lovingly packed in a gorgeous cherry blossom gift box.
Bellalisia offers mindfulness gifts too including a mindfulness and wellbeing giftset for new mums which includes a journal, 40 wellbeing activity cards, a twist pen and keepsake box. There's one aimed at teachers too which would make a great end of term gift or a treat for mums in your life who are also teachers.
There's a lovely set designed as a baby shower kit - after the little bundle is born you could follow up with the new mum set.
Mindfulness and wellbeing is so important to Bellalisia that their website features a mindfulness hub offering free resources ranging from colouring and workbook pages to a free 31 day mindfulness challenge. Definitely worth a visit especially as the new year starts.
After browsing for quite some time I chose the Spa facial pamper kit as I've noticed that age and stress is taking its toll on my face.
Now, I receive quite a lot of products to review but I have to say, the Bellalisia parcel arrival was up there when it came to presentation. I lifted the lid on the beribboned box to reveal an exciting selection of products nestled so I could see them all at a glance.
I hadn't heard of hydrosols which I discovered are basically water based products made from the distillation of fresh flowers, fruits and other plant materials. They share many of the same properties as essential oils (and in fact are often created as a byproduct of essential oil production) but of course are lighter and less concentrated so don't require a carrier oil for skin application.
I use the hydrosol in my set - Bulgarian rose water -as a refreshing facial spritz- the smell is amazing! You could use it to mix the clay mask too or just use water, yoghurt, honey or your favourite carrier oil to mix the clay before applying to your face. I treated myself to a facial including the mask along with a (bought elsewhere) foot mask. I feel like a new woman!
Disclaimer: I received the Bellalisia Spa Facial Pamper Kit "Be Radiant" (RRP £39.99) free for the purpose of this honest review.