The Household COO

Why I love online shopping

Every year, there are two days in the year where online shopping has never failed to save my relationship with my mother. My mother is the sort of person who would never admit that she adores getting presents. She’ll tell you not to buy her anything when in truth, deep down inside her heart of hearts, she’s hoping and praying she’ll get something.

My Dad, my brother and I are the sort of insensitive characters that usually take a person’s word at face value and never dwelve deeper than the surface for the underlying meanings. We don’t care that no one remembers our birthdays and we wouldn’t blink if our birthdays went by without anyone the wiser. Because of that, we often forget that my mother is not at all like us.

It has taken me a while, but I think I’m slowly getting there. I now send flowers to my mother every year for her birthday and mother’s day regardless of whether I think she wants them or not. The unfortunate thing is that I usually only get around to ordering her flowers the night before the actual date. For that reason alone, I LOVE online flowers like Interflora - they are a Godsend for someone like me.

This year, my SIL reminded me that mother’s day was just around the corner when she started asking me for ideas on what to make her Mom (my MIL) for dinner on mother’s day (more on this topic to come). Not wanting to be searching for flowers the night before Sunday, I immediately jumped online and started searching for flowers when my SIL suggested I do something different this year. She recommended I try a chocolate gift from Definitely Chocolate after she received a delicious box of chocolates from them as a gift.

Definitely Chocolate offers luxury chocolates handcrafted using Belgian chocolate and the finest ingredients from Australia and Worldwide. Indulge in a beautifully boxed selection of their most popular flavors - Hazelnut Praline, Honey Ganache, Coffee Cognac, Pistachio Nougat and more. Or you can choose your own selection and they will pack them for you. Definitely Chocolate guarantees the true chocolate lover a moment of unforgettable pleasure. These handmade chocolates and Single Origin pure chocolate bars can be given as gifts or consumed for personal indulgence! They offer next day delivery, Australia wide.

So this is what I’m sending my mother this year:

It was Mum’s birthday yesterday. Yup, Mum’s a Christmas baby. Despite her birthday falling on a public holiday, we often almost forget her birthday. So came Saturday night (bearing in mind that we are at three hours behind Melbourne time), I jumped online frantically looking for a florist that would deliver some flowers and chocolates to my mother on her birthday.

Even though it often gets left to the last minute, I usually always manage to get something in time for her birthday and to make the call on Christmas day to wish her “Happy Birthday” and not “Merry Christmas”. I only ever made that mistake once and it sent my usually aloof and nonchalant mother into tears for the whole day. My Mum’s like that. She often acts like these things don’t matter to her at all, but deep down inside, they mean a lot. She’ll pretend that she’s not moved by the gesture, but you can see how happy she is to get flowers.

Ordinarily, I would have done this a day or two earlier, but scatterbrained me (which I’m going to blame on the pregnancy - yet again!) only remembered while the hubby and I were in the car on the way home from dinner with the in laws. Luckily, I managed to find a local Melbourne florist that operated online called, “Floral Art“. I was especially delighted to read that they delivered “7-days a week” and prayed fervently that this included a public holiday like Christmas.

I selected the following box of orchids and chocolates and requested delivery on Christmas Day with a note wishing her “Happy Birthday” from the hubby, my brother and me. I figured my brother wouldn’t have remembered so I added his name in. The last time it was my birthday and I received a pot of flowers and a teddy bear signed by my brother and girlfriend, I was extremely surprised. When I dropped my brother a text message to say, “Thanks for the flowers,” I received a reply asking, “What flowers?” That’s when I realised the flowers and teddy were his gf’s handiwork…

Last night, I spoke to Mum on the phone and found out she received her flowers on Christmas Day. I could hear she was all smiles on the phone and about as bubbly as a bottle of champagne that had just been popped. After speaking to her, I texted a reminder message to my brother in Taiwan to wish her “Happy Birthday”.

The hubby asked whether it was really necessary to remind my brother. Well, I think the reply message from my brother spoke volumes on the necessity of such a reminder: “Oh s***! Thanks!”

The hubby couldn’t believe that anyone could forget their mother’s birthday, especially when it’s on Christmas Day. Well, he obviously never met anyone like my brother before… Although I feel a need to clarify that my brother’s not inconsiderate. He’s just absentminded.

So thanks Floral Art! You made my mother’s day!