15 Fun Things To Do With Mom That Aren’t Mother’s Day Brunch

1. Cookie Presses

Williams Sonoma Cookie Press Set

The cookie press was once a must-have for home bakers hoping to create perfectly-shaped cookies. All you had to do was fill the canister with dough and pull the trigger to squeeze out cookies in fun shapes and designs, oftentimes themed for holidays like Easter and Christmas!

But while this tool has some nostalgic charm, it's typically seen as more of a novelty than a necessity nowadays. Modern bakers have gone back to rolling out dough by hand and using cool cookie cutters or other tools like rollers that offer more versatility.

2. Butter Molds

Antique Carved Wooden Butter Mold

Butter molds, typically made out of wood, featured ornate designs like flowers or wildlife and were prized for their ability to shape butter into beautiful patterns. Then, the decorative butter was often used to impress guests at dinners or other formal occasions!

Outside of antique stores, though, this kitchen tool is rarely seen today. The convenience of pre-packaged butter and the move toward minimalist kitchens among homeowners have made these fancy molds almost obsolete.

3. Breadboxes

IKEA Magasin Bread Bin

You probably remember your grandparents' decorative breadbox sitting on their kitchen counter – it was designed to keep loaves fresh by protecting them from air and light while still allowing for enough ventilation.

The invention came during an era when bread was usually homemade or purchased fresh on a regular basis. But today, the availability of pre-sliced bread and the widespread use of plastic packaging have caused the breadbox to fall by the wayside.

4. Egg Poacher Pans

Eggssentials Poached Egg Maker

Next up is the egg poacher pan, which had small cups to hold eggs as they gently cooked in simmering water. The tool was supposed to simplify breakfast prep without the need for precise technique or timing.

Yet, as home cooks became more skilled in the kitchen, they realized the same result could be achieved using just a large pan of water and a dash of vinegar. This has rendered the egg poacher pan pretty obsolete.

5. Cake Breakers

Vintage Cake Breaker

First invented during the 1930s, cake breakers were designed to help people slice through delicate cakes without squishing them. The tool almost looked like a very long-toothed comb and would be used like a knife.

But, much like with the egg poacher pan, the evolution of baking techniques and the rise of better gadgets have caused the cake breaker to be replaced by things like sharper knives.

6. Cherry Pitters

OXO Good Grips Cherry & Olive Pitter

People who frequently enjoyed fresh cherries once viewed the cherry pitter as a must-have. Instead of battling with a knife, the contraption used hand-crank technology to pull the pits out.

Nonetheless, cherry fans can now find pitted cherries readily available in supermarkets, so de-pitting them at home is no longer a typical chore.

7. Hand Mixers

SMEG Hand Mixer

You probably have memories of cranking a hand mixer to whip, beat, or mix ingredients. Thankfully for your forearms, more efficient appliances have been released that rendered the hand mixer unnecessary.

Obviously, there are electric hand mixers and even more heavy-duty stand mixers on the market, like the famed KitchenAid. Plus, some people use regular blenders or immersion blenders to achieve the same result!

8. Toast Racks

Apollo Chrome Toast Rack

Last (but certainly not least) is the toast rack! This quaint kitchen item helped hold slices of toast upright, allowing the bread to cool without becoming soggy.

It was particularly well-used in more formal settings or when multiple people were being served at once. Nowadays, it's just less convenient, as home cooks can lay their toast out on larger cooling racks to save time and space in their kitchens.

1. Glacier National Park, Montana

The mecca of all national parks, Glacier National Park is a must-visit park for those who love to work for a jaw-dropping view of the Rocky Mountains. Plus you get built-in hiking buddies, AKA the mountain goats that delightfully graze beside hikers. If you’re not into hiking, Glacier’s renowned Going-to-the-Sun road is a 50-mile stretch that requires no physical feat; the drive crosses the Continental Divide with incredible views you’ll get nowhere else.

My key advice for this high-altitude drive – vote someone in who is not afraid of heights to tackle it. I was in fact white knuckling it while we serpentined our way up the windy road. Fun fact: Glacier’s Going-to-the-Sun road is featured in the opening scene of The Shining.

2. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Wyoming may be most known for Yellowstone National Park, but I think Grand Teton takes the cake. It is seriously underrated, and therefore, seriously not crowded. I’ll venture and say it even has better views than Yellowstone. Much like Glacier National Park, it’s one of the few parks in the United States that still has glaciers. Also, the Teton mountain range is one of the youngest in North America. Have I enticed you yet?

3. Arches National Park, Utah

If you want to feel as though you’re being abducted by aliens, or one amongst aliens, I think Arches National Park is the closest you’ll get to chasing that very niche feeling we’ll call otherworldly for now. Described as “alien terrain,” Arches is like a natural art gallery, its towering rock arches and a reddish-orange landscape unlike anything I'd seen before.

The vast desert stretches out as far as the eye can see, and at the heart of it all stands Landscape Arch, the world’s longest natural arch. We drove in at sunset and because of that, ventured around for free, though I’m not sure the national park service would want me advertising that.

4. ​Zion National Park, Utah

If dangerous, potentially near-death experiences are your thing, then I have just the park for you! In all honesty, Zion is breathtaking, but it does have Angels Landing – one of the most dangerous hikes in the United States. I opted out, because (see the Glacier National Park excerpt), I'm afraid of heights and didn’t trust my hand-eye coordination. Zion’s backdrop is the desert, but its red mountains and crystal clear rivers make you think otherwise once you’re enveloped by the park.

Oddly enough, the stand out feature of the park was the town outside of it. I grabbed a delicious coffee and bagel to fuel myself for a day of hiking. My one recommendation would be to not go on Memorial Day weekend as the park seemingly morphed into a madhouse as the day progressed. Please give me grace, I was but a young lass with nothing but a coffee in hand and a dream to see Zion.

5. ​Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

My common theme seems to be referencing movie genres, and only movie genres, to describe national parks, so I’ll keep that trend going by telling you Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park made me feel like I was in Star Wars. I mean, the park is known for its hoodoos, what’s more Star Wars sounding than that? This is another park you won’t believe until you see it.

The hoodoos, which I can only describe as super cool, thin rocks that stand straight up – you’re welcome for the scientific explanation – were formed from erosion as the park was once underwater. We hiked down into the vast land of hoodoos on a 90-degree day, and all I can say is: unlike me, please make sure to bring enough water.

6. ​Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Rocky Mountain is one of the highest national parks in the country, and as a result, offers beautiful panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains. But that also means if elevation is not kind to you, you may want to scratch Rocky Mountain National Park off your list. If you’re an animal lover like me, this park is an essential. I saw my first ever moose and gorgeous elk not even 30 feet from me. Also, I swore I was done with movie references, but isn’t it fun?

While it’s not in the park, you won’t want to miss The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, just 5 miles from the Rocky Mountain entrance. It’s the very hotel that inspired Stephen King's The Shining. I immediately recognized the remarkable neoclassical building in its entirety with its dramatic mountainous backdrop – am I revealing that I watch too much TV?

7. ​Acadia National Park, Maine

I don’t think I’m alone in stating that Acadia National Park is a true New England gem. Yes, the park itself is mesmerizing, but it’s the entire experience Acadia and its surrounding town has to offer that makes it a must-visit park. We hiked the park’s iconic Cadillac Mountain at 2 a.m., but don’t worry, you don’t have to be as adventurous (or dumb) as we were; you can simply drive up the mountain instead.

But really, what’s better than hiking in the pitch of night only to emerge and witness a stunning sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean? Afterward, we explored Bar Harbor, the charming, oceanside town rich with New England history and charm, then got a bite to eat at a small diner that served up to-die-for hash browns and pancakes.

8. ​Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Blasting Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” in our tiny Subaru Impreza, my friends and I rolled up to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This was the last national park we visited on the road trip, and it was the perfect ending to a perfect trip – barring the crippling debt the trip put us all in.

Nonetheless, the Great Smoky Mountains are wonderfully serene and peaceful. It’s the perfect park for those that enjoy lush green forests, the hum of cicadas, and the twinkling light emitted from fireflies. And who doesn’t love that?

Is Reminders of Him going to be a movie?

Yes, a Reminders of Him movie is coming soon! Deadlineannounced in October 2024 that Universal Pictures was adapting Colleen Hoover's book of the same name, and Vanessa Caswill (who directed Love at First Sight) was announced as director in December 2024.

When is Reminders of Him coming out?

Universal has scheduled Reminders of Him to release on February 13, 2026 so we'll see it next year! Considering Verity is currently filming, I expected that movie to hit theaters in 2026 and Reminders of Him to come in 2027 but Universal is giving us this new movie earlier than I could have hoped for!

What is Reminders of Him about?

Kenna Rowan made a tragic mistake — and has just served five years in prison for it. When she finally returns home to her now four-year-old daughter, Kenna realizes just how much her mistake cost her, and wonders if she'll ever be able to redeem herself.

Bar owner Ledger is one of the only people who hasn't cut Kenna out, and as they form a connection, they realize their blossoming romance could risk everything.

Fans of the book are thrilled that this book is being adapted for the big screen. "I loved it. Cried a lot and I’m happy it’s also getting an adaptation!" one user wrote on Reddit, while another added, "I was captivated from the very beginning. It was a great book for me."

A third says, "Overall I loved the book, the ending was perfect, I wouldn’t change anything. But it was very predictable." Hey, sometimes we need a predictable happy ending!

Who's in the Reminders of Him cast?

Actress Maika Monroe (Longlegs) will star in Reminders of Him, and it looks like she's be playing the lead role of Kenna Rowan.

Who are the characters in Reminders of Him?

We're still waiting to hear the full Reminders of Him cast, but here's a rundown of the book characters:

• Kenna Rowan: our lead character who spent five years in prison and longs to reconnect with her daughter Diem.
• Ledger Ward: the local bar owner and a very important link between Kenna and Diem.
• Scotty Landry: Diem's father and Kenna's first love.
• Diem Landry: Kenna's daughter, who's four years old when Kenna gets out of prison.
• Grace Landry: Diem's paternal grandmother and guardian.
• Patrick Landry: Diem's paternal grandfather and guardian.
• Benji Ward: Ledger's father.
• Robin Ward: Ledger's mother.

Is Reminders of Him steamy?

Yes, just like Colleen Hoover's other romance books, there are a couple of steamy scenes in Reminders of Him.