Whoo hoo, another month to stay at home and finish/start all the grandiose projects you thought you would get to. And if you don’t do a thing – that’s ok too. Permission to pause has been granted (wanted or not) thanks to this pandemic. Looks like Mothers will be celebrated in place this year, so check out some local finds to send her while you keep small businesses afloat. There are many bay area businesses giving back to front line workers – hooray for them. Let’s do our part and support our locals. Meanwhile, as always, the new see you later is Stay Safe! And check out this week’s podcast with tips on dealing with sadness and grief.

Dealing with our Sadness and Grief During and after COVID19

Many of us are feeling an overwhelming sadness and stress with the pandemic and many of us are grieving for loved ones we’ve lost. Here to help us deal with some of these feelings of stress, anxiety, grief, and chronic pain, is Dr. Bob Wright, “the stress relief doctor” and wellness coach. Join in the “mini vacation” exercise at the end of the podcast plus a special offer. Listen in here.

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Let’s hear it for the Moms – those indomitable women who are home-schooling, home chefing, keeping the house clean, making the big bucks, sending cookies and love to their offspring near and far. Here are a few bay area companies with fun items that are sure to make moms day!

Shower her in coffee! San Francisco apothecary Etta + Billie teamed up with Eileen Rinaldi, founder of Ritual Coffee, to create a palm oil-free, coffee and cardamom-infused soap that will make mom’s busy mornings a little more pleasant.  $14, ettaandbillie.com

Featuring sustainably sourced ingredients from farms in China, Japan, Africa, and NorCal—think green shiso, licorice root, and California poppy—Leaves and Flowers’ loose leaf blends are far from your average tea. Gift a Bay Area mother the fresh and sweet Leaves of Grass blend (and Leaves and Flowers’ first concoction ever), entirely comprised of ingredients from Marin and Sonoma County, including lemon verbena, peppermint, and tarragon. // $17 for one ounce in a rice paper pouch, $24 for a jar @ Leaves and Flowers.

Add to mom’s coffee table book stack with SF author Michaela Heekin’sIcons: 50 Heroines Who Shaped Contemporary Culture, whichfeatures short biographies on iconic women including Michelle Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Dolly Parton, alongside portraits illustrated by Monica Ahanonu. // $25 Amazon.

While gifting perfume is no easy feat, even the pickiest of mothers will be pleased with Versailles-trained, San Francisco–based perfumer Ineke Rühland’s sleek set of seven 1.5 ml fragrances ranging from California sagebrush- and cypress-filled Idyllwild to Spicy Chai. If she finds a favorite in the Deluxe Discovery Collection, it even includes a $15 off coupon for a full-sized scent. // $30, ineke.com

Brands That Give Back

Along with masks, product giveaways, and dollar donations, Bay Area brands are supporting healthcare workers, restaurateurs and others in creative ways—many of which allow us regular tomatoes to get in on the act of helping, too. So take a cue from Allbirds, Peace Out Skincare, Jins Eyewear and ThirdLove and do some good. You’ll feel so much better, we promise.

ALLBIRDS, those fabulously cozy and comfy sneaks have already donated $500, 000 worth of wool runners to healthcare workers in the U.S., U.K. and Europe, and idea that took flight at the beginning of the year when a customer in China bought large quantities of the kicks to send to docs in Wuhan. Their buy one, donate one program has ratcheted up their numbers and more than $1 million dollars worth of shoes has been donated. We are all for giving and getting, however if your closet needs purging more than adding to, you can donate a pair of men’s or women’s shoes for $60.  www.allbirds.com

PEACE OUT SKINCARE is a small-but-fierce SF brand, known for innovative, one-step skincare products. They have been actively supporting COVID-19 relief from the beginning; founder Enrico Frezza is from Milan and his family lives in Italy. Understandably, Peace Out Skincare’s first donations went to two Italian hospitals. Then, Stateside, it donated 10 percent of the profits of product sales from March 18th through 25th to NYC Health + Hospitals fund and set up monthly donations to Feeding America. www.peaceoutskincare.com

Dealing with an uncomfortable bra is the last thing women battling coronavirus need to worry about—which is exactly why SF’s direct-to-consumer bra brand THIRDLOVE is working with University of California San Francisco and Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx to donate 1,000 sets of bras and underwear to healthcare workers—including medical professionals, administrators, and hospital staff. ThirdLove also donated 2,000 masks to UCSF and is providing high-quality elastics for more masks being made by a coalition of local stores including Rothy’s and Marine Layer. Thirdlove.com

Like all the other (non-essential) storefronts in Union Square, JINS Eyewear (151 Powell St.) is shuttered right now. Good news is the online store is open—and giving away free glasses to doctors, nurses, and other frontline workers in the Bay Area and beyond. Every day, the brand randomly chooses five people to receive a complimentary pair of Rx optical frames or sunglasses. But that’s not all: Recognizing that the rest of us are logging way too much screen time during #quarantinelife, Jins is offering free blue-light blocking lens upgrades (usually $60) with the purchase of any frame—with or without prescription. Very clever JINS! http://www.jins.com