Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Hey everyone, it's Raheel. Mother's Day is 11 days away, so instead of rushing to find a gift next week, the team is getting you prepared now to find the best gifts for Mom. We'll talk fun, H-Town only ideas to personalized items. Joining me today are producer Carly on Jones, newsletter editor Brooke Lewis and lead producer Dina Kespa. This Thursday May 4th, I'm Raheel Rob Snolly and here's what Houston's talking about. Oh my God, Citycast Houston team, it's been a while since we've had a team chat. Everyone's been traveling, we've had different things come up, but we are reunited to chat about Mother's Day to give everyone a jumpstart on Mother's Day because you gotta order those gifts now. Don't wait until next week, alright, because then you're gonna be stressing out. Welcome in Carly on, how are you? I'm good, it's been a while. It has Brooke, how are you doing? I'm doing good, I missed you guys. And the reason we're doing this episode, first time Mom celebrating Mother's Day for the first time ever, Dina, how are you? I'm doing fabulous. Hey, it's all worth it, all those sleepless nights are worth it for this one day, okay? It should be every day, but just because those sleepless nights should be every day, but you know what, one day I'll take it, I'll take it. So we're gonna do a category driven conversation today, okay? Unique gifts for Mom, personalized gifts for Mom, a good lunch dinner spot, and maybe we'll get a couple of recommendations. And then for lazy dads like me, good places to look for ideas, okay? This is, for me, this is now, let me see, how old is my daughter, I'm doing the math, this is Mother's Day number nine for me. So it's kind of, you know, like I'm running out of ideas, that's why I'm doing this chat, alright? And hopefully I get a little inspiration and I hope the listeners do as well. So let's get this started, Carly, on the start with you. What is your unique gift for Mom? So I feel like Mom's need to relax. So I feel like instead of getting a physical gift that she opens or anything like that, get her a gift certificate to like a massage parlor, a spa day, like, you know, the full nails, toes, all of that, like just to relax. So that's like the cheaper option. But if you really want to go hard, I suggest a cruise. Now that sounds like really expensive, right? But really if you look into it, cruises are not that expensive. They're probably a couple hundred dollars if you plan it ahead of time and you can always get a gift and she could use it like next year or anything like that a couple months from now, but super relaxing. And I think that that's a great gift. That's a really good one, a cruise. Okay. So if you fall on this, do you have to still buy the ticket for your dad as well? Or are you just buying it for Mom and dads on his own? Because they're going to go together, right? Okay. Look, I feel like it should be for my mom and me. So, oh, okay. So yes, I would probably do it for a ticket for her, a ticket for myself. But you know, if my dad wants to go, like, I'll think about it. Okay. That's what I got to look forward to is getting booted out of the cruise when Mom and daughter go, thank you, Brooke, how about you? What's your unique gift? Yeah, I have to agree with Carly and that's going to play into a gift that I'll mention later because it's always about Mom and me, not my dad. But for a Mother's Day, I actually feel like Galveston is a good destination. I've done this with my mom before where I've treated her to lunch and we've just like shopped along the strand, done some just Galveston things. So I feel like that's a good idea if you're looking for something different. You want to get out of Houston. It's like a little mini vacation away from home. And then a staycation is always a good idea. Now I did this for my parents actually for Christmas, but you can flip it for Mother's Day and then like I said, boot the dad out and it's just all about Mom. My parents, I booked them a stay at the Moron and City Center just because they love going to City Center and hanging out there. So they got to spend the night there, but then also eat at the restaurants shop at the different, you know, the little shops that they have there. But I feel like this all about Mom. So just book her a one day or two nights stay at the Moron or the Marriott Marquis in downtown is another great hotel just because they have that giant Texas pool. So your mom can hang out at the pool. She can walk to Discovery Green. She can just have her own me day. I like that. And mom can take a picture with the Texas pool, get a nice shot from Instagram influencer for a day as well. You know, her friends can be jealous. And you're like, what? You're at the Texas pool. That's cool. Exactly. Exactly. All right, Dina, how about you? What's your most unique gift for mom? Okay, this is something I've been seeing pop up a lot on TikTok and it's those like scalp massage places. We have one in Houston and it's called Akish and I'm pretty sure I'm pronouncing that wrong. It's a Japanese retreat and spa place. I don't know if you'll have seen those videos of people massaging the scalps, but it looks oh, so magnificent and like I'm just relaxing watching them do the massages. I can't imagine what it's like to experience that. So rather than like the typical back foot massage, this really goes into like deep cleaning your scalp. You get like all this cool like amazing product to put into your hair and they actually do like this zoomed in like image, which could be fun or could be of your scalp to show you how like gross and grimy it is for me to clean depending on how well you wash your head. But that I feel like is so cool. So unique. That is definitely unique. I was not expecting that a scalp massage retreat pretty much. Yeah, basically. That's so cool. I learned something new. I learned something new. I'll be honest. For me, so I'm going to be coming from a husband point of view in this conversation. Okay. So for all the dads out there, if you're looking for a unique gift idea, this is one I gave my wife a couple of years back and it's creating a photo wall in the house. So if you have space on a wall, what you do is you go get, you know, like 15, 20 really memorable pictures, go to Ikea. You can get really high quality frames at good prices and you pretty much map out something on your wall and you create this beautiful photo wall that turns into pretty much a gallery for people when they come to your house. So you get to see all these memories and you can continue adding onto it as well. So that's what I'm probably going to end up doing this Mother's Day as well because with the second kid, I got to put her up there and like, you know, like all the first daughters. So I'm going to have to go and buy some frames as well. That's nice. I like that. That's sweet. Thank you. And it's funny. You get to do something, right? And it's a good surprise when she wakes up on Mother's Day or she comes home and you're like, whoa, there's a, there's a new photo wall. So you have to be kind of sneaky about it. So maybe you do, you do what Carly and Brooke recommended, like book a trip, get them out of the house. And while they're out, you can do the photo wall and then they come home and they're surprised. I like that. Yeah. That's a really nice idea. I like it a lot. All right. Let's move on to personalized gifts. Okay. Because it's nice to get a cool present from Amazon or a gift card. Like it's cool, but there's something special about personalized, right? Carly on, what do you have? So I love interactive activities. So for my personalized gift, I say go make candles at love and make. It's been Rice Village and I did it the other week with one of my friends. And I think it's like the perfect thing to go do with your mom if she's a candle girl, because she can make her own scent and it's just like really personalized to your own house. You can name it something cute. Other ideas, if you don't like candles, you could go make rugs. You could go paint door mats. There's also paint and sips all over the city that you could do. So just get creative and look into like DIY things that you can do with your mom and then take home afterwards just as like a keepsake. I love stuff like that. That's cool. That's a good idea. I like that. Brooke, how about you? What's a good personalized gift that you can recommend to our listeners? Yeah, I echo Carly. Like I love doing interactive activities and I know moms like to do it too. It kind of just gets them out of the house and away from just their normal day to day responsibilities. So a pain and sip class is specifically at Pinos Palais. I've done that before and also given it as a mother's day gift. My mom loved it and she got to take it home and then put it up on her wall. So it's something that you're creating a memory with whoever you go with, whether it's your daughter, your son, your husband, but then you get to keep that memory with you. So it's just a really special little moment. I liked it. Nice. I like that. Dina, how about you? Yeah, I feel like I'm jumping off of what Carly and Brooke both said. When we were younger, for my mom, we would go to build a bear and make her a bear like a mother's day bear. And so I would see it as something similar, but maybe go to Mad Potter and pick up pottery and paint it together. It could be a mug or it could be a plate or it could just be like some little cute to keep safe. I love to have like a little piece of pottery that you can just collect over the years that you do. And you can even book like a private party if you have the budget and you want to do like all the new mom friends that you have, all of y'all book it, go together, maybe don't take the kids and just have a little fun without the kids. I would definitely do that. Definitely don't take the kids in anything, especially the younger. Yeah. You need a break. Exactly. Dina, you need a break. Okay. Oh, yes, I do. Okay. So we're about to see the difference between like really caring daughters and a lazy husband. Because my personalized gift idea is going on Etsy and putting in personalized mom's gifts. Okay. That's because I definitely did that. So if my wife is listening, please turn off the podcast right now. But I definitely did that. And I was inspired by her. Okay. She got me these really cool sweatshirt that says dad on it and then it has my daughter's names on the sleeves and I love that. Let's just one of my favorite sweatshirts. So I'm returning the favor and getting her a personalized sweatshirt that says momma's garden and then it has our kids names and of course our third kid, our dog. So that's cute. Personalized gift from Etsy. And there's so many really good gifting options on Etsy still. So I highly recommend using Etsy. I know I'm like just learning about it and everyone's known about it. But I've definitely gotten to Etsy more for gifts now in the last few months. See, I thought that was going left and then it turned into something really cute and sweet and I love it. Yeah. You started off like, whoa. Like where is he going with this? No, I don't know. Your ideas are so much more caring. Mine is going on Etsy on my phone. You just find something. It just doesn't seem as caring. I don't know. No, Etsy definitely comes in clutch like all the time because I've been in a last minute gift situation and they just have the cutest things. And it is personalized. I mean, you're taking the time. I know you're doing that generic Google search, but I still think it turns out really, really sweet and man. And then one that I'm working on with my mom and this is, I don't think it's ever going to happen, but I've been wanting to get matching tattoos with her for the longest time. And like I've designed tattoos for her. I've shown her. I was like, look, this is like a really cool one that's so personal to our family. How about we get this one? And she just keeps saying no. So I'm going to keep fighting the good fight. I want to get one matching tattoo with my mom. That's so cute. Super personalized. That's definitely personalized. Mm hmm. Absolutely. All right, let's talk about places to eat. There's so many different options and it is going to be busy on Mother's Day. So keep that in mind. But with that all being said, let's get our first recommendation. Carly on, what do you have for us for a lunch or dinner spot? Okay. So I'm probably going to butcher this name, but I think it's called Paragola. It's a new restaurant in Houston. And what I think is cool about this is that they have different rooms with different themes of cities. So they have like a Tulum room. They have a French cafe in there. There's like a Micanos room. And it's so pretty in there. I love a photo opportunity. Let's just start there. I love taking pictures. And it's just- It's Instagrammable. Exactly a good Instagrammable moment. There's flowers all the rooms. It's just so beautiful in there that I feel like it's a great spot to go take some pictures with your mom. Also get a good bite to eat. They have a lot of different food options. So I'm really excited to try that. But since I haven't tried it, I'm also going to recommend RuPore because I just love their food. It's really good. Me and her, me and my mom went there for Valentine's Day this year. And we absolutely loved it. That's so fun. I like that. Okay, Brooke, how about you? What is a good lunch dinner spot or a couple? Yeah. Well, I love 60 Vines in Rice Village. It is just- I feel like a great special kind of gathering spot, whether it's a birthday, holiday, but Mother's Day specifically because it's just so beautiful inside. And the menu is so delicious. There's pasta, pizza, wine. So your mom can get a little wine. She can have her favorite pasta or pizza. And then she can just go shopping in Rice Village after. So it's kind of like a win-win situation. And then Marmo, I went there recently for the first time. It's a newer spot in Montrose. It's an Italian restaurant, but they have live music there, just live piano throughout on different nights. That's another spot. If your mom likes live music and then if she likes Italian, that's another good one. Okay, so that's a really good day in Rice Village. Good eats. So I'm going to go and brook. How about you, Dina? What's a good spot for lunch or dinner? So I'm going to suggest going to Magiano's, which I hope I'm pronouncing that right. It's an Italian spot. They're having a Mother's Day brunch buffet. And I don't know about y'all, but I'm a sucker for buffets. You can hear my son in the background agreeing with me. We all love that variety of food and being able to eat as much as we want. But that's where I would suggest. And then Blue Dorn is having a three-course Mother's Day brunch as well. So we've had the chef on from Blue Dorn. And so we know at CityCasts we're huge fans. So those are the two spots I would say. Check out and hit up. Nice. Those are really good. So I'm totally like on the opposite spectrum of this. I hate going out on Mother's Day, Father's Day, any of the big days, right? Yeah. It's just so packed. It's hard to get reservations sometimes. So for me, it's cook a meal for mom or your wife. You can do it at home, but you have to guarantee that they are not going to clean up. Do not let them touch anything like literally they can relax. They can come home. The food is ready and you have to clean up. You have to make that promise to me if you're listening. No clean up for mom on that day. And then the other one is if there is a favorite restaurant, then order that in if you don't want to cook. Just get it and eat it at home. It's just easier, more relaxed. You don't have to get dressed up. Now if mom likes to do that and you have to take her to a restaurant, I recommend we went to this restaurant last week and it's an Indian vegetarian restaurant called Nirmans Boutique and it has a lot of good Indian street food. It is so good. The vibe is great. It looks great on camera as well. If you want to take pictures, they have two locations, one in Richmond and one in Sugarland. So you might have to drive a little bit to the burbs, but I highly recommend it. It's spelled N-I-R-M-A-N-Z. Awesome food, really good. Those are solid. Honestly, I'm with you on the not going out on big holidays though. I hate crowds. I hate them with a passion. We went out on Father's Day once and it was the worst experience. Like now, for now and I just tell my wife, we're just going to Galveston or we're going to go to the beach. Do not take me to a restaurant. Do not make reservations. But for her, if she does want to try a restaurant, I usually take her the Friday before Mother's Day. So we're not crowded on Sunday. That's a good one. Yeah. Make it a whole weekend. It sucks that they do the Mother's Day Branches just on one day because I'd love to check them out and I feel like listeners should totally do it. But yeah, the crowds are just too much. Maybe we should start a restaurant that just does Mother's Day Branches year round. Ooh. That sounds solid. All right, final piece of advice. Where are some good places to get ideas for those who weren't inspired by our conversation and they're like, I just need something else. Find some good places for them to check out so they can be inspired. Carlion, what do you have? Get on your phone, download TikTok or actually you could just Google TikToks. And I mean, they'll have all types of ideas, activities, they'll have restaurant ideas, creative DIY ideas, anything that you need. They'll have an idea there for you. So that's all you need to do. TikTok, TikTok, TikTok. Good girl. How about you, Brooke? I think if you're still trying to figure out the restaurant scene, go to Eater Houston. I always love using that as a resource. And they have a lot of lists that are like by the type of food. So if your mom's an Italian person, if she likes good text mix, they have a lot of good lists. So I feel like if you're trying to find a place, go there. Mm. Yeah. Nice. How about you, Dina? I'm in a back, Carly and Brooke. I'm crazy. TikTok fanatic. I hit up TikTok, literally just put in the search words Mother's Day and just like see what's out there. And then just like Google to Mother's activities in Houston, if nothing that we said intrigued you, I'm sure Google will be able to find something for you. I like that. I'm going to be a company man. How about you go find old episodes of Citycast Houston and see what we're talking about and find unique ideas places to eat from food Tuesday episodes? Sure. Or you can subscribe to Hay Houston and find previous newsletters as well. There's a lot of interesting things to do. So you will find inspiration somehow, some way. Yeah. That's a great point. Yeah. Yes. Read the newsletter. Read the list. We have the best list. Yeah. We round up the best spots in Houston. The best things do all the time. So that is a good plug. Thanks for plugging. Of course. I got you working hard over here. Okay. My final question, this is for Dina specifically. You know, what do you want for Mother's Day as a first time mom celebrating Mother's Day for the first time? Okay, y'all. Get your pen and paper out. Here's what I want. Okay. I want uninterrupted sleep. I want uninterrupted TV time. I want two hours of TV time. No one talked to me. No one asked me any questions. No one asked me a dinner. Whatever. I don't want change. Diapart. No, I don't exist. Don't interrupt me. I like that. That's it. Those are the two things I want. I love my pen. That's it. I love it. Do you have a specific TV show? You're dying to watch in your two hours of uninterrupted time. Yes. First, I really want to watch The Last Kingdom, the movie. It just dropped. I used to be obsessed with the show. So I'm like dying to watch the movie. And then I'm trying to finish watching Love Is Blind, The Reunion. Oh my gosh. Dina. Let me bend. What the baby is crying. Oh my gosh. I'm like, how have you avoided spoilers? Okay, we got to be quiet. We got to be happy. We can't have like a few snippets. And I'm like, what the hell? Why is Marshall? What happened? Jackie won't give the ring back? What? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. We got to get this woman her two hours of time so she can watch Love Is Blind for now. Oh my gosh. Dina, get this face. We got to get this face. The square waves are. Why wait for mothers? Hey, do it this weekend. Dina, come on. Right. And behind. I love it. That was awesome. Thank you so much, ladies. That was a good conversation. Carly on. I appreciate it. Brooke, Dina, awesome stuff. And I hope you found some inspiration to give mom a Mother's Day gift that she'll remember forever. Yes. This was really fun. Thanks, guys. Had a great time. Thanks, guys. Bye. Bye. That was producer Carly on Jones. newsletter editor Brooke Lewis, lead producer Dina Kesba, and me, Rehil Romsnally. You can find more info on everything we talked about in our show notes. Before we go, we have an update in the TEA takeover of HISD. Three senior staff members are leaving their positions before the June takeover. Police chief Pedro Lopez Jr. is leaving to take a job with the City of Colleen while chief of schools, Denise Watts and chief talent officer Jeremy Grant Skinner are resigning in the upcoming weeks. To learn more about the TEA takeover, you can listen to our two-part interview series for March. That will do it for today. I'm Rehil Romsnally, and may the fourth be with you. Thank you.