Mother's Day 2013

For nine months of chilling inside of your mom, to all the years she has taken care of the family, the animals and making sure that everyone stays on the right path all year long, Sunday, 12 May is the day to show your appreciation for everything she has done for you over the years. 

But what can one do for Mother's Day on Sunday 12 May? First, breakfast in bed followed by a small gift would be a great start! But what else is there to do once she is up and about? If you are still stuck for ideas, here are some suggestions:

Something relaxed:
• Take your mom to the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens or Kirstenbosch for a lovely stroll or a picnic amongst the beautiful flora and fauna.

• Book yourself and your mom in for a day spa treatment.

• Visit a few wine farms in and around Cape Town and offer to be the designated driver (if you are old enough, of course).

• Prepare a delicious three-course meal at home.

• Visit the Noordhoek Farm Village, just out of Cape Town, which is suitable for all ages. Apart from being in a tranquil setting, there is art to browse through, top restaurants to dine in and plenty of activities to keep the kids busy whilst enjoying the sunset over a glass of wine. 

• Treat your mom to a naughty-but-nice Sunday consisting of a wine and chocolate tasting at the lavender-lined Waterford Estate in Stellenbosch.

Something festive:
If your mother enjoys concerts and animals, the 702 Mother's Day Concert
at the Johannesburg Zoo is the perfect solution! Not only will mom get to enjoy the concert but the whole family can take a leisurely stroll around the zoo or have a picnic in the open grass areas. 

Freshly Ground will be headlining this year's concert, which will be taking place this Sunday from 9 a.m. through to 3 pm. The cost is R65 per person, R40 for pensioners and children under 13. Children under 3 years enter for free. No alcohol is allowed and there will be a variety of food vendors at the event. You are welcome to bring in a picnic basket. To purchase tickets, go to www.702.co.za and for more information on this event, contact Sophia Mtshali on email at sophia.mtshali@jhbzoo.org.za.

Another option is to treat your mother to the Old Mutual Music in the Gardens Mother’s Day Concert, which is being held in the beautiful Pretoria Botanical Gardens this Sunday. This concert is a day of celebration for young and old, with Chris Chameleon, Karlien van Jaarsveld and Jacques Du Plessis playing at this festive concert. To make this concert even better, ten lucky mothers will receive picnic baskets, valued at R500 each! For more on the Old Mutual Music in the Gardens music series go to www.dogreatthings.co.za and tickets are available at www.ticketbreak.co.za.

Something adventurous:
If your mom likes the outdoors, take her for a hike along with the whole family. Hikes are easy to find in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, but where can one go in Gauteng? The top three hiking trails in Gauteng are as follows:

• Kloofendal Nature Reserve, West Rand
This hike is in a beautiful and well-maintained conservation area, and offers various interlinking trails over the rocky terrain. This hike takes two hours to complete at a relaxed walking pace, but if you want to hike further, there are other interlinked trails. For more information, visit 
www.footprint.co.za/kloofendal.htm.

• Uitkyk Trail, Magaliesberg Reserve
This trail is fairly strenuous as it is a 9 km, day trail hike that involves a steep ascent to the top of the Magaliesberg Reserve. Although it is a long trail, you won't be disappointed as there's a lovely waterfall, beautiful views of Hartbeespoort Dam and various indigenous bush to have a look at along the way. This trail is recommended for fairly fit people who have previous hiking experience. For more information visit www.jacanacollection.co.za.

• Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, South of Johannesburg
This trail is a 66 km network of easy day trails, as well as a two or three day backpacking option if you want something a little more hardcore and have the whole weekend to spare. For more information visit www.footprint.co.za/suikerbosrand.htm.

For some hiking options outside of Gauteng, visit http://blog.getaway.co.za/activities/six-of-the-best-winter-hiking-trails-in-south-africa/

Something extreme:
Is your mom an adrenalin junkie? If the answer is yes, then bungee jumping off the Orlando Towers will be a great gift! There are various options available, such as rap jumping, abseiling, climbing or the obvious, bungee jumping off the Towers. A jump costs R480 and if you would like a DVD, then it's an extra R150. There is an option to book, otherwise you can just pitch up on the day and do the jump! For more information visit http://www.orlandotowers.co.za/adv_bungee.htm

A little about the bungee jump: A guide will meet you at the waiting area and take you to the open-air lift that will zoom you and your guide up to a platform that is 3 m from the top of the Tower. From there, you proceed on foot up the floating stairway, which is suspended in mid air by the way! Once you have reached the rim of the tower, you will then step onto the sky bridge that is suspended between the two towers, and this is where you are met by the experienced bungee technicians who will guide you through the harnessing and safety procedures. Then all that's left to do is jump! If this isn't enough for you, you can ask for a straight jacket to wear for the jump!  

If heights are not for you, why not try something with a bit more adventure like white-river
rafting along the: Orange River, Doring River through the Kogelberg Nature Reserve, Umkomaas River in KwaZulu-Natal and so many more areas! For more information visit http://www.sa-venues.com/activities/white-water-rafting.htm

So with all these ideas, there is no excuse for you not to spoil your mother this Sunday! Whatever you choose, be it having a fantastic relaxed day drinking wine and watching the sunset at a wine farm, hiking somewhere in South Africa with the family or going bungee jumping, your mom will remember this day forever. Have a lovely one! 

About Mother's Day: So how did Mother's Day start?
Yes, we all celebrate it, but how many of you know how it began? Well, it all started when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in Grafton, West Virginia in 1908 and then went on to campaign for making Mother's Day a recognised holiday in the U.S. By the end of 1914, this campaign became a success. Today, Mother's Day is celebrated all over the world in honour of our mothers and motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society, and to show appreciation of what mothers do for us.