Mother's Day Gift Ideas.

My top two gift recommendations for Mother’s Day this year are, first, an Aura digital frame, and second, a gifted Glamsquad blowout.* I say this because these are two thing I absolutely love that have a little extra motherhood substance behind them.

Let me speak candidly: Aura reached out to send me their digital frame earlier this year, and I was unsure how I’d feel about it. Did I really want another screen in my home? Would it feel like having a constantly-on tablet? But Landon has the screensaver of his Macbook set to shuffle through our shared photo album for our children, and I find that any time I’m sitting in his office, I am completely absorbed by the photographs cycling through, and we often pause and reminisce together because of it. My children have also been known to pull up their chairs to watch the slideshow — to laugh, to remember, to swap stories. So I said: OK, let’s try it. Magpies — the Aura frame (I have the minimalist Carver style in the 10″ size) has been one of the greatest additions to our home in a long time. I can’t tell you how lovely it is to be making peanut butter sandwiches in a fluster or hurry, and to look up, and to see your babies at the ages of 12 weeks or 2 years and to remember: my God, the time flies, and how precious it is. The photographs dissolve my haste; they pluck me right out of my mood. I am left remembering how beautiful and rich this life has been. Meanwhile, my children love to ask questions about the parade of pictures: “was that our first apartment in New York, or our second?” “How old was Tilly in that picture?” “Was I born yet?” The frame has seeded dozens of meaningful and beautiful conversations about our life together. Finally, Landon has often observed that he’ll look at a photo — especially the ones from COVID era living in cramped Manhattan apartments — and see how we muddled through, and how the pictures tell a different, brighter story. We might have been white knuckling through some tough parenting days, but our children are laughing and playing with slime and wandering around Central Park, and really, aren’t we resilient?

I have told Landon at least two dozen times since receiving it how much joy it brings me. I cannot — cannot — recommend it more. If you, like me, are a little worried about how it will look in your decor, please trust me when I say this digital frame is as attractive and simple as they come, with a little linen-effect mat around the edge, and that any hesitations about having an “on” screen in your house will disappear when you evaluate the joy it brings you.

By the way, this little extolment is not sponsored. I did some collaborative work with Aura on Instagram, but I really had to share how much I treasure this item here because I think it will make the most gorgeous gift for a mother. Landon and I are contemplating buying one for each of our parents for Christmas this year (Mom, disregard). Aura really thought through everything with this, because you can gift the frame with an album already configured in it — in case your parents aren’t as tech-savvy as you are, or might not be able to set it up themselves. We set it up so that it cycles through only our shared album of pictures featuring Emory and Hill. I believe the code MAGPIE should get you $35 off the frame!

OK, and on the second front — Glamsquad. I love the idea of sending your mother/wife/sister/MIL or self this gift of low-lift, luxurious haircare. There is nothing more luxe than having your hair blown out at home, at your own convenience. I am now in a semi-addictive habit of having my hair blown out most Mondays to sort of reset for the week. I think this would be a gorgeous gift to self/mother/etc.

*Reminder that I have codes for Glamsquad — click here for $25 off your first Glamsquad appointment if you are a new customer; click here for $15 off your next Glamsquad appointment if you are a returning client.

A bunch of other great gift ideas for mothers and mother types below, at different price points —