How to Buy a Mother's Day Gift

On this day set aside to acknowledge the hard work and loving care that goes into motherhood, honor all the special mothers in your life-- your sister, grandmother, spouse, friend, mother-in-law--in these unique and creative ways.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Offer Mom a chance to explore a new passion. If she's spoken of an unexplored interest--such as art, music, gourmet cooking, singing or golf--sign her up for lessons. Contact local community centers, teachers or clubs for references. If she's always wanted to play the drums, rent a set and locate a teacher.
2. Buy a flat of plants or flowers for her garden and plant them where she chooses; or put in a vegetable garden. (See "How to Start a Vegetable Garden")
3. Make her sigh with a fabulous spa day or a massage certificate, or book her a professional beauty treatment.
4. Get her computer hooked up to the Internet, or buy her a cell phone with a family plan if she says, "You never call! You never write!"
5. Plant a container with a lush mini herb garden that she can snip at will while cooking.
6. Have some favorite family photographs matted and framed for her to enjoy.
7. Take her to a local gym for a sample session of yoga, tai chi or personal training sessions. Better yet, you go too.
8. Take her sewing machine in to get serviced.
9. Gather your clan and book a professional photographer to take a portrait of the whole family. Costs range widely, but expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $500 depending on the studio, and the number and size of prints you end up ordering. (See "How to Hire a Photographer")
10. Buy a gift certificate from a favorite store where she usually wouldn't indulge herself.
11. Take a walk on the wild side and buy her a pair of snowshoes (available at stores such as REI.com).
12. Whet the appetite of a voyaging mom with a Topo! GPS software program from NationalGeographic.com. The CD-ROM works with a GPS receiver to plan her next ultimate adventure.

What to Look For:

• Gift that says love
• Gift that says thanks
• Gift that says you thought about it
• Unusual, not just traditional

Tips & Warnings

• Create a Mother's Day gift with the kids. Ask them to draw and sign portraits of Mom or Grandma, then buy simple frames and help them prepare and wrap their gifts.