One day a year. That’s all they ask for in compensation for months of nausea and years of dirty diapers and prepubescent potty mouths. But how you surprise a mother, a woman who’s seen it all? Here are a few ways to catch her off guard and show her you care.

For all those times you hogged the radio

Seattle Rock Orchestra Performs the Beatles

May 11 & 12
Not only did she taxi you to and from every afterschool activity, but you commandeered her presets. Take her back to when she used to turn the radio up too loud. Seattle Rock Orchestra performs songs from the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour—including “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Penny Lane,” and “When I’m Sixty-Four”—with help from Seattle rockers John Roderick, Sean Nelson, and more. Moore Theatre, $20–$23.

For all those piano lessons that never worked

Ten Grands
May 11 at 7
Help her forget the years when you heroically smashed the piano keys and called it music. This Benaroya Hall performance boasts 10 concert pianists playing a mix of classical, jazz, and pop on 10 grand pianos. The show supports Seattle Symphony’s education program—and it may help restore her faith in piano playing. Benaroya Hall, $42–$100.

For all the times she couldn’t get out of the house

Mother’s Day 5k Fun Run/Walk
May 12 at 8:30am
Take advantage of the recent sunny twist in the weather by running (or walking) the Mother’s Day 5k around Seward Park. Adrenaline boosts the spirits—and the appetite; you both deserve a nice brunch afterward. Seward Park, register at womenssportsmedicine.org

For the science fair she won for you

Theo Chocolate Factory Tour 

Open daily, 10–6
This is adult science: a tour of the Fremont chocolate factory, including a lesson on beans to bar (the cocoa equivalent of farm to table) and a taste test of Theo’s fair-trade chocolates. The cocoa smells alone will lure Mom in a block away. Theo Chocolate Factory, Fremont, $6.

For all those art projects she pretended were "lovely"

Kirkland Artist Studio Tour

May 11 & 12, 10–6
Take Mom on a self-guided tour of artists’ home studios around Kirkland and Lake Washington. It’s a good reminder that there’s a great wide world beyond finger paint—and a sly way of house hunting around Kirkland. Kirkland Arts Center, free.