Tips to Surprise Your Mom on Mother's Day

You probably know this scenario pretty well: The day of the year in which the whole family gathers to cherish the matriarchs with love, food, and, of course: gifts. It’s Mother’s Day, one of the most special holidays of the year. And even though it seems like a celebration as old as time, it has different traditions and is celebrated on different days around the globe. We’re aware that the traditional Mother’s Day lunch is yummy, with all the traditional pasta dishes and amazing desserts. But how about making things a bit different this year and surprising your mom, mother-in-law, stepmom, grandmother - all the loving maternal figures in your family - with a delicious Mother’s Day filled with surprises? Read our ideas below and prepare a special Sunday your mom will never forget.

So, What’s the History of Mother’s Day?

In the U.S, the celebration has a surprisingly sad origin: it was created as an anti-war statement, and it happened along with the creation of mother’s groups, consisting of women whose sons fought in the Civil War. Back then, it was a way to promote world unity after the sorrow of the American Civil War and Europe’s Franco-Prussian War. The origins of the celebration are linked to brave women such as Anna Jarvis and Julia Howe. The US date was formalized in 1914 by former President Wilson, who decided that it’d be celebrated on the second Sunday of May as “a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country”.

Mother’s Day Around the World

No matter the country - if the world has a consensus, it’s that moms are pretty cool. That is expressed in different ways around the globe, however. In the UK, Mother's Day celebrations take place on the fourth Sunday in the month of Lent, but are pretty similar to the American celebrations, with cards, gifts, flowers and a nice lunch with the family. Japan has its own traditions. Happy Mother’s day in Japan is said as Haha-no-hi! However, children don’t express their love with gifts around there. They get up early in the morning and wish their mom with a sweet message to express their feelings of gratitude.They also shower their moms with flowers, since they represent love. Mother’s Day is very new in India, but since it started to be celebrated, around a decade ago, it has become a huge success.

How Can You Celebrate Mother’s Day - Without the Regular, Boring Stuff

You know the usual for Mother’s Day: cards, dinner, flowers, and chocolates. And hey, those are awesome gifts - but can’t you make Mother’s Day even better? Go the extra mile and think of what would truly make your mother proud or happy. Ask yourself a few questions: what does my mother like the most? What would truly surprise her? The answer we can’t give you - it’s time for you to get creative. And if you’ve been a Blackstone fan all this time, cooking up all sorts of meals, you’ve got it in you to be amazing and surprising! But hey, still lost? We’ve got some tips for surprises:

• Do a chore that’s been bothering her - maybe fix up that hole that’s been on the roof for ages
• Take her out to a place she loves, but doesn’t have the time to visit. It can be a park, the movies, a restaurant, or even the woods. If it’s a place she hasn’t visited for a few years, even better
• Build a photo album to remind her of the good times. You can have a dinner at home and remember all those good childhood memories
• Take her to a class that she would never expect. How about pottery class?

What Can You Cook up for Mother’s Day?

You can cook up anything. From breakfast to dinner, you can make it count with a delicious meal. Here are our suggestions:

Desserts & Treats

Mother’s Day is a sweet day. And what better than a griddled up treat? Surprise your mom with these recipes:

• Bananas Foster
• Buttermilk Pancakes
• Crepes
• Funnel Cake Swirls
• Griddled Pineapple and Ice Cream
• Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
• Peanut Butter & Banana Crepes
• Red Velvet Pancakes
• Sweet Dessert Sandwich

All of these recipes are fully-approved for Griddle use. They were made by experts, tested on the flat top, and guaranteed for delicious flavor. So, turn up the heat on your griddle and get cookin’. Any of these treats will make your mom happy! Don’t have a griddle? Well, it’s the outdoor cooking machine perfect for desserts. And for breakfasts. Oh, and don’t forget it can sear any meat with steakhouse results. Check them out yourself!

Breakfast in Bed

Who doesn’t like waking up on a Sunday with a tray of delicious food? You don’t even need to worry about cooking or preparing breakfast - all you do is the eating. And why not give your mom that treat? Wake up early, cook up breakfast quietly, and then serve a delicious griddled meal on a tray. Make a breakfast of champions for your mom with these recipes:

• New Mexico Breakfast Quesadillas
• Pulled Pork Breakfast Tacos
• Stuffed French Toast

Mother’s Day Brunch

Brunch is always an amazing idea. You get to wake up in a reasonable time of the day and prepare some mimosas, pancakes, toast, eggs, bacon - all on your Griddle. And if you’re feeling creative, make these recipes for your mom:

• Amish Onion Patties
• Fall Harvest French Toast
• Patty Melt

Family Dinner

Surprise your mom with a huge and delicious dinner. Invite the whole family over for a feast to celebrate. And If you’ve got the chance to invite the whole family over to your place, even better! Imagine all the moms together for an outdoor cooking festival full of love and delicious food. So, turn up the heat on your Blackstone griddle and start cookin’ for the moms - here are some recipes guaranteed to fill bellies with love:

• Ahi Tuna
• Chicken Piccata Pasta
• Garlic Soy Pork Chops
• Margherita Grilled Cheese
• Mongolian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Octopus
• Sweet Spicy Bang Bang Shrimp
• Zucchini Fritters

Staying at Home? Here’s Some Cozy and Fun Stuff to Do

So, you want to make it special, but mom isn't a fan of the outdoors. Well, there’s no problem with that - you can have a lot of fun right at home, sweet home (and you’ll also save a few bucks). Get the family together with mom for these activities:

Play Some Board Games

Yeah, we know video games are all the rage with the kids. But before consoles and controllers existed, kids were having the time of their lives with dices and colorful boards. So, take the dust off that board game you used to play with your mom as a kid and have fun. If you have young kids around, even better - you can entertain them and even show what it was like to be a kid in the past. Your mum will love seeing everyone bonding together for an activity. And it’ll make the kids smarter - who doesn’t want that?

Host a Home Cinema

If your mom loves movies, she’ll have the day of her life with this gig. Decorate the living room and turn it into a world-class cinema. It doesn’t take that much effort: throw something red in front of the TV for the red carpet, hang up some flowers on the tables, and of course - get the popcorn. Then build up a program with one of your mom’s all-time faves. It can be a movie you watched together with her as a kid or a movie she’s always been a fan of. Then, rent out some recent movies or log onto a streaming service to surprise her with something fresh. Remember to pick a genre she likes. It can be comedy, drama, or even a documentary - what matters is that she’s having a good time. And why not serve up some snacks for the home cinema? Eat up a delicious griddled meal during the break from a movie to the next. Check our tips:

• Cheese Steak Egg Rolls
• Fajitas
• Greek Gyros
• Jalapeno Cheese Crisps
• Thai Chicken Quesadillas

Play the Draw and Write Game

The Draw and Write game is perfect to get the whole family laughing. And best of all, you only need some pencils and sheets of paper. The goal of the game is to build a story with sentences and drawings, but what comes out is hilarious. The more people, the merrier, and your mom will certainly laugh! Here are the instructions:

1. Hand a piece of paper out to each person. Also, give them a pencil
2. Everyone starts by writing a sentence at the top of the paper
3. When you’re done writing, pass the paper onto the person to the left
4. Now you’ll receive a new paper. Make a drawing that illustrates the sentence
5. When you finish the drawing, fold the sentence over - the next player can only see the drawing. Pass the paper to the left.
6. Now write a new sentence for the latest drawing you got. This time fold the drawing over - the next player can only see the sentence you just wrote. Pass the paper to the left.
7. Continue the game until you reach the bottom of the sheet of paper
8. Now, each person reads out their story and shows the drawings!

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And those are our tips to have a great Mother’s Day! Remember that what truly counts is for your mom to have a good time, no matter what it is! So, did you like our ideas? How will you celebrate Mother’s Day?