Gift ideas for my mom, Pittsburgh edition

October 31, 2013 9:50 AM

I know there's a strong 'burgh contingent here, so I'm hoping you can help me brainstorm a birthday present for my mom. She has had a busy year as a caretaker - she started the year on the west coast with me welcoming her new granddaughter & helping me recover from a c/section. There's been a few trips back to the midwest to help my grandmother with health issues and then cleaning out her parents house of 60+ years. On top of that my dad had surgery about a month ago. If that isn't enough on her plate she and my father have spent the last 3 years renovating a house, they finally moved in this summer but I don't think she's been there more than 2 weeks at any time. A lot of unexpected travel, some assorted business issues, trips getting extended due to unforeseen circumstances, etc. It obviously hasn't all been bad (new house! new grandbaby!) but I think she needs some time to recharge herself. Any ideas?

I'm thinking maybe an activity she could do with a couple friends, a show, drinks, etc. A spa gift certificate would be an obvious choice, but honestly I'm not sure she's really into spa services, except pedi/mani's. I've gotten her tix to shows in the past, but I'm worried with the situation with my grandmother that she might have to make an emergency trip out of town and miss the show. But something that was running for a while, or had flexible dates would be great. Would love to hear about cool, hidden things, upcoming events, etc. ideally downtown/East End of town, etc. Thanks!

posted by snowymorninblues to Grab Bag (5 answers total)

This is a neat thing I've done: Painting with a Twist. Basically, she can grab a couple friends and some wine, and they're led through painting a picture. It can get silly, but I really enjoyed it!
posted by punchtothehead at 2:33 PM on October 31, 2013

Also, would she appreciate something like a cleaning service? That can be a great thing to have taken off your plate, especially if right before the holidays.
posted by punchtothehead at 2:34 PM on October 31, 2013

Two day B & B retreat tied into a deluxe pedi, massage, facial at a salon? I would choose close-by geographically so she isn't traveling far, but she gets the quietude/pampering/removal from stress that she deserves. Yeah, make it a large room at the B & B so she can bring along 2 girlfriends.
posted by Lornalulu at 3:44 PM on October 31, 2013

Phipps Conservatory + lunch at the cafe?

Afternoon tea at The Frick?
posted by asphericalcow at 9:36 PM on October 31, 2013 [1 favorite]

What about something like a museum membership? We have membership to the Carnegie, and that ties in all four museums (Warhol, Science Center, Art & Natural History). If you upgraded the membership to her + one, she could take a girlfriend with her. Then bundle that with a few gift certificates for local places nearby for nice food, and you'd be giving her a few "lady's afternoons." (Bonus, as your daughter gets older, if you keep renewing the membership, she's got built in grandma fun when they go to the Science Center or to see the dinosaurs.)

If she has a local salon that she uses fairly regularly for her hair, I might call them and see if you could upgrade her next appointment too. I just go to a local place in my neighborhood, but would be pretty happy if I walked in to find that someone had added in a massage or a mani.
posted by librarianamy at 4:53 AM on November 1, 2013 [1 favorite]