Mother's Day Gift Ideas for Every Type of Mom - Guest Post

Celebrate those women who gave us life, raised us and helped us become the people we are today. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to moms, however, so here’s a handy list of Mother's Day gift ideas based on your particular maternal situation.

Spa Package

Single moms rarely get a second to themselves, let alone an entire hour or two for pampering and relaxation. Help them find the time they need with a spa package for a local day spa. Spaweek.com provides resources whether you’re looking to spend big on a trip for mom, or small on a massage or other service nearby. If traveling with her sounds like your cup of tea, you can even book a trip for two.

Photo of a day spa by ppacificvancouver via Flickr

Flowers

Since the dawn of time, flowers have spelled out affection, romance and love. Married moms often succumb to the demands of work, children and the household, with little time left over to — well, stop and smell the roses. If you are a child or husband of a busy family mother, flowers are the best way to let her know she is remembered and that all the magic hasn’t fled her life. Consider Mother's Day flowers at FTD.com, a responsive site with a wide variety of arrangement choices, then shop by color, price or flower to find the perfect match for your mom.

Photo of tulips by photosteve101 via Flickr

Guidebook

There’s no gift more powerful than a willingness to carry your baby if you cannot do so yourself. Surrogate moms provide a service that cannot be paid back, but at least you can do something wonderful for them on Mother’s Day. Since your surrogate has made your dreams come true, consider helping her with hers. The Lonely Planet has wonderful guide books to almost every country on Earth, complete with a range of places to stay, eat and tour based on the price of the traveler. If your surrogate mom needs a new experience after giving the baby back, this could be just the ticket — no pun intended.

Photo of a Lonely Planet Guidebook by Jaymis via Flickr

Gift Certificate to ModCloth

New moms have entered a whole new world, rife with sleeplessness, anxiety and changes in their relationship with their baby, partner and the people around them. More than anything, though, they are dealing with changes in their bodies. Give a new mom some pleasure with a gift card from a fun site like ModCloth.com, where she can choose something that fits her new size and makes her feel pretty.
If you’re feeling generous, accompany it with a gift certificate to a nice restaurant where she can sport her new dress.

Photo of a gift card stand by 401(K)2013 via Flickr

Netflix Subscription

Empty-nesters were once people too! Even though a mother’s life is largely devoted to her children while they are at-home, when the kids leave, she’ll finally have time to do a few things for herself. That could include taking up a hobby, attending a class at the university or catching up on a show she really loves. If the empty-nest mommy in your life is really into a new program or has a soft spot for one of the old classics (think “Bewitched” or “Gilligan’s Island”), get her a Netflix subscription so she can indulge her passion. If she has time between all the great new programming in her life, she’ll thank you for it.

Photo of a Netflix envelope by Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar via Flickr

Five Gifts You Need Not Get My Kids

Kids love presents. Be it their birthday, Christmas, or just as a nice surprise. Who wouldn't, right? And I've noticed a lot of people who aren't quite sure what the best kinds of gifts to get for three-four-and-five year olds might be. I'll tackle that another time, but for now, let me tell you what they are NOT.

1) Glitter

I'm not even sure that an explanation is necessary here, but I'll give one, just in case you think I'm so cruel I would never allow my kids to play with the messy, heartless, horrible stuff.

Glitter is something I need to save for when I can spring it on them, unsuspectingly. Like when we're outside or on the porch, and they look like they're going to be able to get along. Giving glitter as a gift means I've got two kids who are going to wrestle for the shiny until the shiny is all over my carpet and the two darlings are crying. Glitter is just better on mommy's terms, without the added excitement of it being a gift.


2) Silly Putty

You know you're staring at the gates of hell when you find a silly putty container...with no putty inside. And that's the kind of mess that doesn't steam out of carpets.


3) SING AS LOUD AS YOU CAN ELMO (or whatever else, you know what I mean).

First of all, he's way too expensive for the amount of use he's going to get. Tickle me, Rockin' out, Tellin' Jokes Elmo is basically a very red, very big paperweight. On the rare occasions the girls do take him out for a spin, I basically just want to gauge my eardrums out with a dull pencil. Nothing is more annoying than Elmo fake laughing. Oh wait, yes something is. It's Elmo fake laughing for 20 minutes straight.









4) Bath Crayons:

These don't work. They do not work. So, now we've got a tantrum in the bathroom. See those little clickies where you are supposed to be able to easily push the crayon up from its holder? LIES. The crayons melt in the warm water and fall out of there, only to melt some more, and the last thing I want to do while trying to get my kids clean is wrestle with this colorful, slippery stick of trouble. And honestly, even if they did work? I hate having to wash my tub afterward. It's not as easy off as one would think.




5) Books with CDs

They're just clunky and inefficient, to be honest, although they seem like a great idea. By the time I fiddle with my CD player, get the thing playing and everyone all set up, I may as well just read the girls the story myself. And why not? Why not just read to your own children? That way I can show them the words and they can start getting a grasp of how the sounds go together, too!


Basically, when trying to find a gift for a young kid, avoid messy, sticky, and loud! We thank you!




 

Questions to Ask Yourself when Buying Presents for Your Kids

Stop! Put that back on the shelf. Click it out of your Amazon cart.

Now, think. Gifts are great, but they soon turn from presents to pasts, so make sure that thing you are buying is going to last (and not drive you insane).

These are important questions. Ask them before you make that purchase.

1) Is it age appropriate?

Last year, I bought the girls a giant tub of Play Doh. The first time we used it, the situation became me making them things out of Play Doh. And they watched. And demanded. And watched. And tantrumed. They had me trying to make a carousel before I finally put it away for good. A carousel. Out of Play Doh. We didn't use the stuff for another six months, when they were older and better prepared for it.

2) Do they really want it, or do they just think they want it?

I bought them an Alfie for their birthday because every time we went to one of our friend's house, all they wanted to do was play with "the robot." Seemed like a shoe-in, right? Well, little Alfie has been on the bookshelf collecting dust since August. Sure, we break him out every once in a while (usually I or my husband have to make him interesting to the girls before they'll play), but what the twins were really into wasn't Alfie. It was going to their friend's house.

3) Where are you going to put it?

Buying a bicycle is a great idea. Until you're still seeing it against the wall of your living room months later because you've got nowhere to store it.

4) Does the gift-receiver have siblings close in age? If so, how many of those siblings are going to die over this present?

5) How likely is this present to drive you insane?

I have a drum set I am going to return. I prefer my hearing and both of my girls alive over being deaf from drum beats and terrified screams as one of them pulls the other one's hair out for her turn.

6) Is it a consolation gift?

Don't buy it. That's the drum set. The drum set is supposed to be a play kitchen. But they didn't have any. So I bought something impulsively that I thought they would also enjoy as their big gift. Don't do this. All or bust. A replacement is most likely going to feel like just that.

7) Is it within budget?

Remember, your kids don't really care about what they are getting. I mean, they do, but not as much as you do. If you can't afford the expensive iPadTouchThisWithGold this year, get them other things they'll enjoy that won't break you. The holidays aren't about going into debt, no matter what the stores would have you believe. They're about living, loving and being around family.

Don't forget in your mad rush to get the perfect gift that your perfect gift is already in your home with the bonds you're forging over carols and cookies.