Moms are sometimes hard to shop for. My mom is no exception. She has everything she needs - she's actually in purging mode.
So yesterday I called my mom to ask if she wanted anything at all. No. She said she doesn't need a thing, just a phone call is enough. I just want to note that I call my mom almost every day. We have the same cell provider, so it doesn't cost me a dime.
I tell her the little things going on with Alex and Julia. She tells me about adjusting to retirement with dad. I do this on my drive downtown or home. I have a handsfree bluetooth ear piece.
In my mind, a call to her isn't doing anything special. It's just what I do.
My mom is practical. She gets mad at me when I give her a gift card to go shopping at Dillards (which is where she gets most of her clothes). And she doesn't want trinkets anymore, even the Hummels she once collected.
Buying her flowers is a waste of money (my mom said this yesterday), she especially doesn't want us to pay more than flowers are worth during Valentine's or Mother's Day. (When we give her flowers, they better be from Sam's Club because then she knows we didn't pay too much.)
My husband has it so much easier. Flowers is what he does. So his mom gets a gift, and mine declines hers. It frustrates me!
So every year I feel like I short change my mom. I feel bad because she's the one who flies in if needed should I travel for work or need some bonding time with my husband. She regularly puts money in my kid's college fund. She cares for them a few weeks every summer so I don't have to spend so much on child care. Did I mention, she lives in another state, too.
Note to mother-in-law: If you see this, don't be offended. I've appreciated the times you've helped during your yearly visits. It's just that moms and daughters are close. You know that. You do the same things for your daughter and her daughter. :)
So ladies, if you can think of a way I can honor my mom without "wasting" my money - remember, practical - I'd appreciate the help.
I already gave my mom a John Lennon CD, which she accepted since she didn't have a CD, just the old cassettes. I'm planning to take her for lunch when we visit this summer, too.
Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.
I hear you and here are a
I hear you and here are a few suggestions...
-Make a donation to a charity that your mom would appreciate
-A nice family picture
-Something homemade like cookies, brownies, bread, and send it with a home made card.
-Buy tickets to a show or game that the both of you could attend when she visits
-A magazine subscription that she might enjoy since she is retired and would have the time to read
Good luck! I went with tickets to a murder mystery show that we can attend together. Something different.
My mother is the exact same
My mother is the exact same way. She always says she dosen't want anything but a card. A few ideas are:
homecard from your kids
a photo memory book, you can make really cute ones through walmart online photo or shutterfly etc. You can add captions and borders to the pictures and include pictures of you mom with different family members, your kids, yourself, other grandchildren.I am a horrible scrapbooker.
A book
Let us know what you decide to do!
Jennifer is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com and mommy to four beautiful girls who range from 9 to 4 years of age.
The best present you can get
The best present you can get me for mothers day???? JUST BE GOOD FOR ONE DAY!!! No arguing/fighting, etc!!
It has yet to happen, but a nice thought!!
Does she like movies? YOu
Does she like movies? YOu could buy movie tickets in bulk(I got a book of them from my mom for xmas and I loved it!) If she like manicures or pedicures, you could buy her a gift cert or package to a spa that she likes. Harry and David have some awesome food gifts. Their fruit is spectacular, especially the riviera pears.
We;ve hit the jackpot by
We;ve hit the jackpot by giving tickets to a play for her, but some for us too. It makes a special, fun night. Wedding singer is coming to Gammage soon, and next years lineup looks great.
Brooke Romney is an unbalanced mom of three young boys who constantly has too much to do, and too little time. She writes the Mom Beat column for The Gilbert Republic.
Another idea - put together
Another idea - put together a mix of song that your mom likes on a CD and give her that as a gift. She will really enjoy that you took the time to pick out all her favorite songs - or songs that you both share as mother/daughter. Hope this idea helps.
LisaMommy is a discussion leader in Paradise Valley/Scottsdale area for arizonamoms.com. Her two boys are ages 5 months and 3 years old.
Speaking of making cd's, we
Speaking of making cd's, we gave my dad a cd for fathers day with a whole bunch of songs we always remember him listening to when we were little. Between the 5 of us we were able to make a whole cd full of songs that gave us and our dad great memories. You could do something like that for your mom :)
Jennifer is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com and mommy to four beautiful girls who range from 9 to 4 years of age.
I agree with the idea about
I agree with the idea about buying tickets to a show that she would enjoy. My mom loves to see musicals as well as go to jazz concerts. The shows aren't always my thing but she loves for me to go with her. Perhaps you could get tickets to a show that will be performing while you're in town for a visit.
Lori Baker is mom to two daughters, 21 and 23 years old. She is
editor for the Valley and State section's Education and Environment pages in the Arizona Republic.
Our kids made a "What I love
Our kids made a "What I love about you" book that included pre-printed leading statements that I came up with, such as,
"I love you. I am happy when I think of you because..."
"I really liked it when we..."
"I would like for us to try ..."
and then they drew a picture or wrote about something they remembered doing that they really enjoyed. It made the gift totally personal and ALL about mom/grandma. (This works well for dad/grandpa, too.)
You can really have a lot of fun with it and help your kids with the printing or have them make their own book independently.
Mouse_tales is a discussion leader in the East Valley for arizonamoms.com. She is a business owner, community volunteer, and aspiring runner (whew!), who most enjoys her roles as wife & mom. Her children range in age from 4 to 13.
Your Mom sounds like mine.
Your Mom sounds like mine. Wants nothing, needs nothing, could buy anything she wants without her children, thank you very much.
So, I'm going to get her a pair of garden gloves, a big bottle of shampoo from the beauty parlor, and a box of dark chocolate-covered cherries.
She is tough in that way.
She is tough in that way. She's not into shows, manicures/pedis, etc. She's more about quality time than frills.
I love the idea of a memory book. I have some time to do that, since I'll see her after Mother's Day. I'm sending my card today.
I'm thinking of doing a mother-daughter(s) trip where I (and sister - if she agrees, I haven't mentioned yet) pay for hotel, airfare and food.
We did a mother-daughters trip to Vegas a few years back - caught a show, sipped on martinis as we listened to lounge music and ate good food. It was so much fun.
Maybe Cancun should be our destination. :)
Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.
Back when I was flying all
Back when I was flying all the time, I had enough frequent flyer miles to take my Mom along when I had a gig in HI -- first class. The customer was generous enough to make sure we had a nice hotel. Mom did the resort thing (hula classes, the beach, etc.) while I worked, and we had cocktails and dinner every night.
Since my Grandma, Aunt, and
Since my Grandma, Aunt, and Mother live side by side in Texas, I just send a box of goodies such as: Elizabeth Arden Powder, cactus jellies, several different pictures of my son in action, candies, etc.
They always say not to spend money on them, but I know how precious it is to receive and to feel thought of. My grandma is 87, so I know the importance of sending gifts and flowers now while she is living and can enjoy them.
My neighbor told me that her daughter sent her to Spain one year for Mother's Day. I feel every mom deserves to be pampered.
One Happy Mom in Arizona.
My mom always appreciates
My mom always appreciates presents that are home made. You can get your kids to help make her a mother's day card from scratch and maybe add a couple of drawings from your kids too. This will give you some quality time with your kids and make an excellent gift for your mom.
(if your kids are not "little" the memory book would be a great gift as well)
**Good Luck & I hope it helps**
**Mommy Lopez**
What about a giftcard for
What about a giftcard for the airlines that she uses to visit you? Or something from the kids to her for "Grandma's Day"? I think a framed family picture engraved would be ideal too.
There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one!
I should fly her in. Great
I should fly her in. Great idea! I did mention going to Cancun with her. She seemed interested in that. Just girls! Now the only thing is to make sure she doesn't pay a dime. :)
Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.
If you can swing it, I'd
If you can swing it, I'd really recommend doing it. There's no way we can ever "pay back" our Moms (i.e. "Dear Mom; thanks for holding my hair away from my face all those times I puked.") The cool thing is they either don't remember us being brats, or they're over it.
My grandparents were all in their 70's by the time I was born, and my aunts and uncles had 20 years on my parents. I've been to a lot of funerals. Your Mom isn't going to be around forever; you can't give yourself a better gift than making friends with her -- even if tequila is involved.