Mother’s Day | A moment just for mom

Flowers, chocolate, a pretty card. Mom will of course be touched! But in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, why not (also) offer the main interested party a little rest, a break, an interlude, so that she can free herself from her tasks, responsibilities, obligations and mental burden. In other words: a moment just for her.

Maude Goyer
special cooperation

“I would like that, to have moments of silence,” says Marie-Kristine Morin, a 32-year-old educator from Lebel-sur-Quévillon, mother of three girls aged 10, 4 and 3. “We’re still together… I’d like that, having time alone, going to the hotel or the spa, taking it easy, resting. »

Far from being a whim, the desire to slow down and rest is very strong this year: the pandemic has taken a toll on women. They have been at the forefront in the fields of health, education and food.

It is they, in the majority, who took care of the education of children at home (in a proportion of 64%, according to a survey conducted by Statistics Canada in December 2020) and who took time off to take care of infected children. COVID-19 or removed from school due to school closures (43% of women took unpaid leave to balance family and work during the pandemic, according to a 2020 SOM co-parenting survey) .

“After teleworking, the COVID-19 isolations of the children, the CPE strike days, I dream of being in a hotel by the water to do nothing and hear nothing, says Marie-Josée Pelletier, resident from Saint-Constant, mother of three children aged 16, 13 and 3 years old.

It is also women who have seen their jobs weakened: the Quebec Ministry of Labor estimates that 68% of jobs lost between October 2019 and October 2020 were held by women. This is without counting those who have gone from full-time to part-time, those who have lost contracts or had to close their business.

“These are the two worst years of my life from the point of view of my career, says Tatiana Lebel, self-employed Laval worker and single mother. I lost contracts, I had to canvass to make ends meet… and then I sometimes had to refuse work, because my two boys were doing school remotely, their classes being closed! »

M^me Lebel dreams of having time for herself: a walk in the forest, a good meal at the restaurant and a night in a chalet or at a hotel. “I need a change of scenery,” she says, laughing. I can’t afford to travel or even go away for a whole weekend, so just going away for a little 24 hours would do the trick! »

For Elisabethe Boucher, a mother of four children aged 9, 8 and 6 who lives in the Lanaudière region, getting away from it all alone for a few days would mean reconnecting… with oneself.

In lack of budget to organize a weekend or a special outing for mom? An idea, free: leave the house with the kids (go to your family or a friend, for at least one night) so that they find themselves alone (with the order not to do any task) to read, take a bath, binge-watch series or simply listen to the silence of the house.

Gifts for Breathless Moms

A bit of calm

To have peace, what could be better than a stay in a… monastery! In Quebec, the Monastère des Augustines offers different packages including overnight stays, meals and workshops focused on well-being, relaxation and revitalization. You can follow yoga, relaxation and meditation classes there and take advantage of the proximity of the Strom Spa. Good to know: there is a package focused on a mother-daughter retreat.

Cost of one night (per person): $98

Urban outing

Want to offer an escape while staying in town? Why not offer a cultural getaway, an exhibition followed by dinner? In Montreal, the immersive exhibition of contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama Dancing Lights That Flew Up to the Universe arrives at the Phi Foundation in the summer (from July 6, 2022). Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Other ideas for immersive exhibitions: Van Gogh — Distortion at the Oasis space in Montreal and Imagine Monet at Terminal 30 of the Port of Quebec.

To relax

Receiving a massage, a body treatment or a water circuit as a gift, alone, with a girlfriend or as a couple, can never be a bad idea! Nestled in the mountains on the edge of a lake, the Balnéa, in Bromont, is the largest spa area in Quebec. You can also walk more than 20 km of trails on the site. The water circuit for the day costs $70 (Mother’s Day promotion). Other spa ideas where you can be pampered: Bota Bota in Montreal, Strom Nordic spa in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Polar Bear’s Club in Piedmont and Spa La Source Bains Nordiques in Rawdon.

For the adventurer

If you know a mother who wants to dare something new, here is an activity cut out for her: canyoning (canyoning) in the Massif de Charlevoix. Halfway between climbing, ziplining and hiking, canyoning is experienced with both feet in the water, abseiling down a waterfall, surrounded by forest. For beginners, the Grande-Pointe circuit (half a day) is ideal. Cost: $164 per person. Looking for other adrenaline-pumping activities? Parachute jump. Browse the vault of the mountains in via ferrata. Or go ziplining.

Special package

At the Fairmont Montebello, in Outaouais, the Mother’s Day package includes one night’s stay, a $20 discount for a massage and a four-course dinner at the hotel restaurant, Aux Chantignoles. Cost: $475. A 5 km hiking trail loops around the site, between the forest and the water’s edge. In the evening, two campfire sites are set up outside to have your coffee (or digestive) under the starry sky.