Stories

No offence to bath bombs and body butter... But if you’re about to buy your mom another scented candle this year, we’re here to help you out. Mother's Day falls on Sunday, 11 May 2025 and this year, we asked real moms what they actually want for Mother’s Day... and built a guide around that. Some fun, some effortless, and a few dream gifts worth saving up for (if not this year, then next). Whether you're shopping for your partner, your mom, your best friend - or yourself - consider this your shortcut to stress-free, last-minute gift genius. 1. The Gift of Relaxation A luxe day off from motherhood, book her a spa treatment: Cape Town: Babylonstoren Spa Joburg: Saxon Spa Durban: Oyster Box Hotel Wellness & Spa 2. The Personalised Keepsake Something that keeps her little ones close, even when they're not in her arms. Famke's handcrafted initial necklaces, made with love in Cape Town. Choose her children's initials in sterling silver, gold vermeil, or solid gold, and create a piece unique to her. 3. The Me-Time Reset Gift her time for herself with sessions at her favourite workout studio Cape Town & Joburg: Breathe Barre Joburg: Nuru House Durban: Kaya Shala Yoga 4. It's-On-Me Coffee Because some days, parenting is just a series of hot sips between cold chaos. Treat her to a never-ending cup of delicious Plato Coffee, with a gift card to one of their 85 stores countrywide. 5. The Wellbeing Moment If she's craving more zen, and stepping away from tension and stress, book her a package of sauna sessions: Cape Town: Labrisa Spa at the Mount Nelson & HotHuts Mobile Saunas Johannesburg: Four Seasons Spa at the Westcliff Durban: Mangwanani Spa Zimbali 6. The Gift of No Decisions  The ultimate luxury? Not being asked what's for lunch or dinner. Sign her up for a week of pre-prepped meals from: Babylonstoren - Meal Solutions UCook - Dinner Made Easy Frozen For You - Restaurant Quality Ready Made Meals 7. The Week Long Parisian Shopping Trip She Dreams of For the ultimate girls' getaway, Condé Nast Traveller's 28 Best Places to Shop in Paris is your go-to guide. From vintage gems in Le Marais to luxury flagships on Rue Saint-Honoré, and charming boutiques in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, this curated list offers something for every style and budget. Whether you're shopping for yourself, your mom, or your mother-in-law, it's the perfect itinerary to make those Parisian dreams come true. 8. A Trip She Doesn’t Have to Plan A surprise lunch with her girl friends - booked, paid for and kid-free. Joburg: Saint Cape Town: Clara’s Barn at Vergenoegd Durban: The Ocean Terrace at The Oyster Box 9. A Retreat Away from it All  Something to centre her outside of being a mom, and reconnect with herself. Whether it's a local weekend away or a full international break away, nothing says you deserve to take up your own space quite like a yoga retreat. Yoga, Breathwork & Silent Retreats near Cape Town: Bodhi Khaya Yoga & Wellness Retreats in Knysna: Vala House  Wellness Retreats in Thailand: Kamalaya Koh Samui Yoga Retreats in Portugal: Six Senses Douro Valley Found something with her name all over it? Send this gift guide to someone who could use the nudge (your partner, your kids, or the family group chat). It’s the helpful hint they didn’t know they needed - and a chance to give mom something better than “just another candle.”

With Mother's Day creeping up on us, we chatted to resourceful Vicki Sleet about how she's renewed herself and reworked her career, as the world has shifted and changed after lock down. From handy mom hacks to insightful lifestyle trends, we're all ears and loving her style.  Tell us a bit about what you do as an editor in the print and media world. At the beginning of lockdown, the company that published Good Housekeeping where I was Deputy Editor liquidated and as a result, the editor Sally Emery and I had to think quickly – and Luckybird Content Agency was born. We are a communications agency offering print and digital written and visual content plus marketing strategy and some PR. We currently produce and co-produce three magazines for various brands – ranging from a smallish digital offering aimed at moms of teens to a magazine for a large fashion chain and another 300-plus page food and lifestyle publication. Each of these offers us a chance to flex our creative muscle while leaning into our many years of publishing know-how. We also produce web content – from web and social media copy to video for brands that span food, finance and lifestyle silos. It's diverse and every day is different which I absolutely love. Oh, I also work on writing commissions for various magazines that I have built relationships with over the years and I have my Instagram which morphed from the blog I started back in 2009.   What is on your radar at the moment with regards to lifestyle trends?  With the cost of living affecting us all – home is where it's at! Lockdown spurred a deep desire to create a sanctuary at home and now we are working hard at making those desires for a better life at home happen a little less frenetically. Whether it's streamlining things to avoid unnecessary spending, tending plants or homegrown veggies no matter how big your space, cooking on a budget or planning our space and day mindfully so we can maximise our home life, all of these are key focuses for people right now but in baby steps – we’re habit stacking rather than throwing in the towel and starting from scratch. Entertaining is definitely more potluck style and we are all seeing the value of investing in experiences rather than focusing on acquiring unnecessary things.   Do you have any mom hacks that you can share with us that's made your life easier? Meal planning and batch cooking is a lifesaver (and I am obsessed with my Instant Pot and Air Fryer for making things so much more efficient in the kitchen). Getting my children to showering age (a good scrub in the bath twice a week though) has been a game changer. I keep a chores list where I have weighted certain chores to rewards (ok, it’s money!). Regular wardrobe weed outs (and no new purchases until some items have sold on Yaga) and very very important – carving time out for myself so that I can recalibrate. This includes at least one friend date a week and my husband and I have Tuesday as our date night, no matter what. Oh, and getting enough sleep – I’m a wreck without it. Also – saying NO to what doesn’t serve myself or my family is a ‘hack’ that is becoming easier to do, a work in progress.   We loved your recent reel on how My Little Morphée has helped your daughter fall asleep easier. Tell us more about your family journey with the Morphée devices. Sleep has been a dirty word in our home for a long time. At least one of our girls likes to come into the bed with us at some stage of the night. While we have no issue with that whatsoever, when our youngest got to six, we knew something had to change because she was reliant on us falling asleep too, which wasn’t sustainable.    My Little Morphée came at a perfect time. She loves the independence of using the device and that there are so many meditation and musical choices. It’s been a game changer for her in creating independence in going to sleep but more than that the value in how it is so calming feels priceless – we should have done it years ago.    The Morphée device is one of those things I think every adult and marriage needs. Getting the phone out of our bedroom is a constant challenge and before we know it my husband and I haven’t said a word to each other for an hour while we both doom scroll. It is also a game changer in terms of sleep quality. I recommend a magnesium supplement to REALLY get you into sleep mode. If you’re peri-menopausal like me, you should know that you can pop on the Morphée if you wake up in the middle of the night and it works to get back to sleep really well too! To stay in the loop follow Vicki and Lucky Bird Agency on Instagram.