Some of the crappiest days to live abroad are the holidays you loved celebrating back home but that you won’t celebrate abroad. Bye, bye 4th of July. Au Revoir, Memorial Day. Sayonara, Thanksgiving. Sure you can celebrate these days if you’d like but walking around with sparklers and an American flag on July 4th singing “God Bless America” anywhere else might get you some looks. But you know what day most countries do celebrate… Mother’s Day. And you know why it’s WONderful…
because mothers abroad get TWO!
Since Mother’s Day in the states falls on May 11 – two weeks before Mother’s Day in Dominican Republic on May 25, it not only gives Husband two days to celebrate ME but it gives him a whole week in between to plan for both! To help him you plan for this Mother’s Day, I made him you a gifties list, great gifts for an abroad mom or, really, any mom who likes good gifts.
1. Origami Owl Living Locket – my sister gave me one for Christmas with this very thoughtful insight: “Since you plan on moving from country to country, and you can’t take a lot of stuff with you, I figured a piece of jewelry that is changeable would be perfect.” She was right! Starting with over 20 magnetic lockets to choose from you add, arrange, and rearrange charms as often as you want and bonus – new charm collections are added often.
2. Reusable Wall Art – I discovered reusable wall stickers a few years back when we had our first child. Instant, easy, and peel off stickers in so many variations that allow you to dress up any room without damaging walls and best of all REUSE and take with you no matter where you go. We moved here two months before our baby was born and besides being exhausted all of the time, we knew we would be moving again sooner rather than later so to design and execute a dream nursery was probably not the best use of my dwindling time. The reusable wall art gave me options and made my bare-walled baby’s room look like a baby’s room. Best of all there is so much wall art out there that isn’t just for baby or kid rooms. From quotes to designs to photos of the Eiffel Tower, the options are endless. For some great options, check out WallPops, Walls Need Love, or My Friend Matilda.
3. An Abroad Experience – Although spa days are nice, I find them a bit played out these days. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never turn down a day at a spa but I love nothing more – well maybe wine – then when I know Husband has given some creative thought and fresh air to a present. This requires planning which as I’ve noticed is one of the weaker characteristics of the man breed (at least for Husband who doesn’t like planning more than an hour in advance) but it isn’t impossible. A planned outing is one of my favorite gifts to receive. It also doesn’t take up a lot of space in our small apartment nor will it need to be sold when we leave. But here’s the twist: plan an experience that is destination-focused. How about a planned-route scavanger hunt bike tour of your local hangouts. Live in Italy, plan a wine-tasting followed by a walking tour of some local traditional Italian eateries (walking might be safest mode of transportation after wine-tasting). If you live by the sea, head to a romantic beachside restaurant for some fresh grilled seafood and sunny fun for just the two of you. Live in Buenos Aires… come on you know this one… tango lessons, of course?! Think about where you live and use its local, cultural flair to plan a day for Mom.
4. An Unlocked iPhone – this is kind of the mother-load (pun intended) of gifts (price-wise). Recently, my small, male child who will remain nameless, dropped my cell phone into a tall glass of water. As I watched it buoy in the pint-glass, I thought, this phone is definitely f*cked.
Good news: it is working. Bad news: it turns off randomly and often and takes about 5 minutes to reboot with no promise of staying on and having erased all of my messages.Since then I have had daydreams of an iPhone. What mother wouldn’t love one small device to take gorgeous pictures of her family, share those pictures on social media, supply directions when Husbands get lost, make calls to family abroad, and keep organized. The only disadvantage: as an expat, an unlocked iPhone could cost a pretty penny (with some discounts found on Amazon). The advantage: an unlocked iPhone will travel the world with you no matter where you go. I figure Husband could combine both my Mother’s Days this year and get me an iPhone (in that daydream I was talking about).
While you’re at it throw in a LifeProof Case. These cases are dirtproof, snowproof, shockproof, and oh yeah, most importantly kid throwing your phone in a pint glass of waterproof.
5. SHOLDIT – When I traveled to Europe like most college gradutates, we were told that a money belt was a good idea. A money belt is the equivalent to a fanny pack but worn on the inside of your clothing. Even under my clothes I thought it was the ugliest accessory I had ever seen. So ugly that even when people wouldn’t be seeing it (which was obviously the point – to hide your monies!) I still didn’t want to wear it. Recently, a fellow Wanderlust blogger reviewed the SHOLDIT. Although I don’t LOVE all of the ways that you can wear it – I’d probably stick to my few favorite styles which are pretty fashionable and a much more stylish version to the money belt. (It’s like the Marcia Brady of money belts with money belts obviously being the Jan Brady.) I actually mucho like scarves so I think I’d even wear this one on an evening out when I didn’t feel like carrying a purse. Check out Wanderchic’s review of SHOLDIT for a more in depth look and the SHOLDIT website for ways to wear your Marcia Brady of money belts.
5½. The BONUS “when all else fails” Gift: WINE – buy wine. Lots of it. No matter where you are in the world, no mother turns down wine.
What gifts would you get a mom living abroad?
~ Pack light. Live well. Move often. Repeat. ~ Photo Credits: Map: Kate Ter Haar (changes made to original print by Expat Village) Tree Wall Art Nursery – Wicker Paradise Quote Wall Art – Wicker Paradise iPhone – Dylan Parker Sholdit – Wanderchic Wine – Geoffrey Fairchild