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Here are some oddball Mother’s Day events in Vancouver to impress your mom

Because flowers and cards are so 2018, go watch boxing instead
mday
Stumped for what to do with mommy dearest on her special day? We’ve got some ideas.

Mom wants you at your creative best.

Of all the days on the calendar, this weekend is your time to shine.

She has enough flowers. Cards are too easy. High tea? Take a hike.

In that spirit of originality, the Courier has compiled a series of ideas to reinforce your boundless imagination: hit up the “Sacred Sexual Music Festival,” watch grownups beat each other up, or develop a disaster response plan for the inevitable earthquake that will soon envelop Richmond and much of South Vancouver.

And because moms rule, we’re listing events spanning the entire weekend, not just the big day on Sunday.

Take that, Dad!

The Sweet Science

Professional boxing returns to town this weekend for the first time since 2012, but we suspect mom already knew that.
Former B.C. Lion Adam Braidwood highlights the Saturday, May 11 card along with fellow heavyweight Kristian Prenga, undefeated super bantamweight Ross Mylet, Canadian national amateur champion Amanda Galle and B.C. amateur light heavyweight champion Buneet Bisla.
Love will fill the air at the Vogue beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets range in price between $30 and $110 and are available online at eventbrite.ca.

Good art, good heart

Vancouver visual artist and author Pnina Granirer is opening up her studio this weekend for a fire sale of her work that will benefit mental health support networks both in Vancouver and Victoria.
Granirer’s West Fourth Avenue studio sale runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 11 and 12 and all of her pieces are being sold for half price. Proceeds will be donated to Stand up for Mental Health, an organization that teaches stand-up comedy to people with mental illness as a way of building confidence and fighting stigma. 
“This is one of the few fundraisers where everybody wins: the collectors buy art they love at a great discount, the patients receive the opportunity to use laughter as a tool of empowerment and fighting stigma and I, the artist, have the pleasure of bringing happiness to so many,” Granirer said in an email to the Courier.
Granirer's studio is located at 4557 West Fourth Ave. and info is online at pninagranirer.com.

Bobs & LoLo … at a city works yard?  

It’s not often you associate family fun with a city works yard normally full of salt and trucks, but here we are.
Pack up the rug rats and head down to the Manitoba Works Yard on May 11 for an afternoon of games, face painting, pony rides, hay rides and the inevitable seasonal allergies that will accompany the whole deal.
Children’s musicians Bobs & Lolo perform at noon, and the day’s events run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
If all that’s not enough, the city will highlight its work through booths, equipment shows, and displays from city departments including engineering services, the Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver Fire and Rescue and Vancouver Public Library.
Food trucks will be on hand, and due to limited parking on site, the city suggests taking transit.
The works yard is located at 250 West 70th Ave.
Info: vancouver.ca.

Help the Mother of all Mothers  

Sure it’s Mother’s Day, and sure you’re thinking about your mom, but are you taking time to think about the mom of all moms, Mother Earth?
Better yet, did you know the province has proclaimed May as “Invasive Species Action Month”?
Clear your guilty conscious, achieve maximum chi and get to work by signing up for any number of invasive species removal initiatives over the month. Activities are planned across the province around ocean cleanups, weed removal and other feel-good tasks.
Take the first steps to unleashing your inner David Suzuki online at bcinvasivesmonth.com.

Sexual healing

Rare is the email that comes into a reporter’s inbox that elicits joy, confusion, laughter and some common sense all at once.
This is that email.
Organizers of Sacred Sexual Music Festival are inviting Courier readers to bring their moms to St. James Community Centre on May 12.
What will greet them?
A wheel of consent, a burlesque for beginners’ class, spanking for fun (we’re not making this up), a cuddle corner and enough sexual healing to make Sting recoil in jealousy.
All the dirty details are online at SacredSexualMusicFestival.com.

LOLS on Granville Island

Yes, you’ve made your mom laugh, but whether it was with you or at you is another matter.
Bring the cycle of laughter and humiliation full circle May 12 at Granville Island’s Improv Centre with a one-off performance of Vancouver TheatreSports’ MOM=WOW.
The show plays on the many hats moms wear, with vignettes including Movie Moms, Momvolution — from new Mom to Grand-mom, Mom Myths and Tiger Mommy.
The best part?
“VTS regrets that it is unable to accommodate families with children under the age of eight (including toddlers and infants),” show organizers said in press release.
Tickets cost $25 and are online at vtsl.com.

Don’t put your fork in the socket

It’s little wonder that Emergency Preparedness Week just so happens to fall at the same time as Mother’s Day.
The synergies at play between moms and preparing for the worst make the mind spin.
Start with building an emergency kit, move up to disaster evacuation planning and throw in some hazard assessment lessons.
Fun for the whole family.
Info: gov.bc.ca/PreparedBC.

Wash away the sorrow

Few things invite knowledge exchange, or horrific social awkwardness, like tipping a few back with your parents.
The folks at Odd Society Spirits are looking to capitalize on that age-old cultural phenomenon with a High Proof Tea on May 12.
Yes, there will be scones and sandwiches, but let’s get real — you’re going to a high tea with liquor.
To that end, suck back an assortment of vodka, gin, vermouth, elderflower liqueur and a bevy of other elixirs.
Seating times are 12:30 or 3 p.m. and tickets for $42 plus tax on Eventbrite.

Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, go directly to Ikea

Alright, so originality isn’t your strong suit.
You wear the same black T-shirt to work every day and cultural references continually escape you.
Fear not, there’s an Ikea for that.
For the first time ever, the Ikea in Richmond is offering a Mother’s Day high tea service “with a Swedish twist.”
Highlights (?) include a selection of sandwiches, pastries and a blend of Ikea’s teas.
A pair of seatings are scheduled at 1 and 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from the Ikea Richmond restaurant: $24.99 a pair for Ikea Family members or $29.99 for non-members.
May God have mercy on your soul.

@JohnKurucz