18 Mama-Approved Gifts for Mom in 2022

You know what an electric kettle is, right? Well this retro electric kettle from Smeg flips the idea of an electric kettle on its head by being an electric kettle designed to look like it's from the 50s, before electric kettles even existed!

Uh, wait. Nevermind. According to Wikipedia, electric kettles in the basic form we know them today were developed by Russell Hobbs in 1955.

Never spill the tea again with these loose leaf tea discs. At least not literally, and not before you brew it, thanks to this pressed-and-packed, bag-free design. The tea discs also come packaged in an eco-friendly bamboo leaf tube, so anyone spilling the tea about you will at least have to acknowledge the environmental friendliness you show in your choice of caffeinated beverages.

A breath of fresh air meets a sight for sore eyes in the briiv Air Filter, a sustainable home air purifier made from 90% natural, renewable materials.

The lush green of a pile of dried moss is probably the briiv's most eye-catching feature, followed by the discs of earthy brown coconut husk beneath it. Both bring some life to a room, while simultaneously supporting the life (i.e., you and your family) in it. The moss draws in and captures large airborne particulates, such as dust and animal dander, while the coconut husk filters - all replaceable and biodegradable - trap smaller harmful substances.

briiv furthers its air purification efforts with a combination silk matrix, a bespoke filter consisting of activated charcoal and nanofibers.

Oh, Mama. Have I got a YouCopia of goodness coming your way! These FreezeUp Freezer Food Block Makers might be the best invention since the freezer itself. Do you realize you will now be able to make me, like, triple the food as before since we'll just dump it all into quart- or gallon-size Ziplocs, and do a FreezeUp to turn it into 2.5" thick blocks that will stack neatly in She-Ra: Princess of Power and my's small, crappy, pull-out drawer freezer.

And don't go thinking you can only make FreezeUp Freezer Food Blocks out of boring soups and stews. Don't think that for one minute, Mama! YouCopia says you can turn virtually anything into a frozen block of long-lasting leftover goodness, including pastas and rice dishes, mashed potatoes, smoothies, shrimp boils, Thai curries, chicken tikka masala...I can make you a whole list, if you like.

But probably not many. ... I joke, I joke. I'm not my Aunt Jan, ladies. When I say there are moms way worse than you, and definitely when author Glenn Boozan says There Are Moms Way Worse Than You, we mean it.

Of course, when Boozan says it, he backs it up with examples such as a mama giraffe (kicks newly born calf until he walks) and a mama sexton beetle (raises children inside a decomposing mouse) so not sure exactly how much better his reassurances will make you feel.

Not much of a green thumb? Well then, use this Seeding Square gardening template and make sure all the little plants you grow...die perfectly positioned within its square foot grid. Wamp, wamp. The Seeding Square will not solve all of your gardening problems, but it will help the spatially challenged and OCDers plant their seeds perfectly equidistant, as well as maximize plant growth in smaller spaces, such as planting beds.

I'm not gonna be a wet blanket and diss these Light Bulb & Fan Pull Chains for ceiling fans because it's really not that hard to look up and figure out which cord controls the light and which cord the fan. Nope. No wet blanketness here....

OK, fine. I don't think these things are necessary. At all. But, if you do feel compelled to label your ceiling fan strings, and clearly distinguish the one for the light from the one for the fan - say, for the kids...or the idiots...in your house - pull chains with light bulb and fan charms dangling from their ends is probably the most cute 'n' clever 'n' chuckleworthy way to do it.

Well, my mama thinks so, anyway.

For those who aren't familiar with it, diatomaceous earth is the crushed-up, broken-down, accumulated remains of fossilized aquatic organisms called diatoms. Diatom skeletons are made of silica, and when they mix with oxygen and water, they form silicon dioxide. Silicon dioxide has been proven to kill pests, so diatomaceous earth has been an ingredient in many pesticides since the 60s. It's registered for use in products made to fight cockroaches, fleas and ticks, spiders, and - shiver - bed bugs.

You can also buy diatomaceous earth as a food supplement and eat it. No joke, dude! You can use it to kill roaches, or put it in a smoothie to cleanse your digestive tract, lower your cholesterol, and promote hair growth. Apparently, it makes a great homemade deodorant or toothpaste too. And, of course, don't forget to buy yourself a Diatomaceous Earth Stone Bath Mat.

Many of us can't afford a house for ourselves right now, but thanks to Lite N' Fresh, we can afford the next best thing: a house for our vegetables. Oh boy, oh boy, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, and brussels are about to start livin' large in a 2-story Tudor! Call them The Fresh Vegetables of Bel-Air. OK, fine, The Fresh Vegetables of the Kitchen Countertop. But I'm serious about the "fresh" part.

The Lite N' Fresh Vegetable Storage House is a 10" x 10" x 9" countertop container that claims to keep your vegetables fresh at room temperature for up to 5 days. The transparent home consists of a 4-walled tray and roof lid that Lite N' Fresh says use "patented airflow technology" to maintain crispness without refrigeration or special treatment.

Yeah. SUBU Indoor / Outdoor Slippers are indoor / outdoor slippers until the first time you wear them outdoors on the snowy, wet, muddy, dead-leaf-and-grass-strewn surfaces of winter. Then they become, exclusively, SUBU Outdoor Slippers.

These cozy Japanese slides are lined with cushy faux fur, and described as "a warm down-jacket for your feet." So at least if you do end up getting them too dirty for indoor wear, SUBUs will keep your feet toasty as mail retrieval, dog walking, and grocery run slippers.

As we close out 2022, here's a bonsai tree to bring your mama good luck and harmony in 2023. Look, it's even made of wire, so there's no chance she will kill it and work up a Sensate's worth of anxiety over a sign of yet another shitty year to come.

Regardless of bonsai lore and symbolism, and my own cynicism, these Wire Bonsai Tree sculptures are a sight to behold. Each piece is handmade by Wire Bonsai Art, using a wooden base, and at least a football field's length of wire woven into various miniature tree styles. Bonsais come in standard silver, copper, and brass colors, each reflective of the type of wire used to bring them to life.

Daiwa says their Vitality Swing, a chi swing machine, provides "passive exercise," and I don't know if that's true or possible, but I sure do like the sound of it. When in use, the machine sways back and forth, creating a wave-like motion from your ankles to your spine, intended to replicate the way fish move in water.

For fish, this movement helps to circulate oxygen through their system, energizing their bodies. The Vitality Swing, Daiwa claims, will do the same for you. Plus stimulate your lymphatic system for fluid draining, reduce lower body swelling, and improve circulation, particularly for people who are older, injured, or otherwise sedentary.

Get sentimental, get organized, get your goods close at hand, and then get it out of sight with Savor's The Vault line of handsome, fabric-covered book boxes.

Vault interiors contain drawers and compartments, adjustable sections, and hand-illustrated labels designating their storage of a variety of keepsakes, including wedding, baby, travel, and pet mementos, as well as important documents and you want to consolidate into a single spot, such as licenses, certificates, IDs, and medical / vaccination records.

You can also get a simple desktop organizer Vault for storage and presentation of your WFH accessories, or to use as a more accessible - and attractive - "junk drawer."

Give your dirty dishes and unwashed produce the spa treatment with this Waterfall Kitchen Sink. The back of the stainless steel insert is fitted with a sweet twist on the sprayer, a row of tiny nozzles that eject water horizontally to help clean and wash in a way most pleasing to the eye.

And speaking of eyes, I'd imagine the waterfall function on the Waterfall Kitchen Sink also prevents streams of water from hitting the curved surfaces of spoons, ladles, and rotund fruits and vegetables, and shooting back up into yours.