Mother's Day gift ideas?

[neenbean]

We live about 8 hours from my mom and even farther from stepMIL and my stepmother. We would like to send them each something special, but don't want to spend more than $50/per person. We always do flowers or a picture frame with a recent family photo, but would like to get them something different this year, unique.

What are you getting your mom? Or MIL?

[Tonysweetie]

I have this idea for my Mom/MIL but I don't think we'll actually do it. I had an idea to go get me, DH and my brother's picture taken professionally on the beach or something. Ya know like a "kids picture" Then get a cute frame and give it to my Mom with flowers. I would like to do this with SIL as well for MIL but were celebrating Mothers day with MIL this SUnday b/c she'll be out of town for real Mothers Day. We'll probably get her a cute card, soem flowers and maybe something else. Good Luck!

[Chimichanga]

I'm thinking of sending my mom some gourmet carmel apples. There are plenty of websites that do this, but a local store (which I LOVE) does this. Their carmel apples are to die for - and my mom and I love us some good carmel apples.

Because they are gourmet, they get some pretty funky stuff going on there. I'm going to probably send her three - one from me, one from our dog and one from the baby.

[Goodies]

This website sends yummy fruit baskets, I was thinking of sending this to my grandmother...

http://www.ediblearrangements.com/images/arrangements/berry_chocolate_buy.jpg

www.ediblearrangements.com

[tgr68]

We usually just get my mom and DH's grandma cards. For MIL, we usually buy a Willow Tree Angel, but this year DH and I are getting her the Creative Memories Power Sort box. She has hundreds of photos of late SIL just stuffed in old shoe boxes that she wants to get sorted and in an album of some kind.

Willow Tree Angel - last year's Mother's Day gift
http://www.spencersjewellers.co.uk/shopimages/guardianangel-lrg.jpg

Power Sort Box
http://www.creativememories.com/dcVault/WCM005288/7701-1.jpg

[lawyerlee]

I got my mom a personalized apron from Williams-Sonoma. It was supposed to be one of her Christmas gifts until they backordered it at the last minute, so I've been set for a loooong time now. ;) :)

http://s7diod-irorigin.scene7.com/WilliamsSonomaRender/s-972083-490?wid=490&obj=FLOW/MNGRM&decal&sharp=0&src={is/image/WilliamsSonoma/apron?fmt=png-alpha&$R=255&$G=255&$B=255&$font=CapsBlock&$text=MADDY}&pos=0,-.5&res=85&sharpen=1&fmt=jpg&qlt=95,1

[LeslieR]

I made calendars on shutterfly for the moms and grandmas. I used only pics of DS. They turned out so well. My mom got hers in the mail yesterday and loved it. $24.99 for an 18 month calendar and they had free shipping last week (not this week-figures because I ended up ordering two more calendars yesterday).

[LSUGirl]

You can also try www.MemoriesUnderGlass.net

[Foley42]

I got my mom a magazine subscription to House Beautiful :) She can enjoy it every month.

[Jenean]

I've ordered from Edible Arrangements before. They're yummy.

I can't stand my MIL, so I spend very little time and effort on her gift. Since she's sick of receiving candle holders and smellies from us, I'm just getting her a gift card to her nail salon. I know she'll like it and use it.

For my mom, I'm taking her to a Cooking Light event in NYC this summer. She lives far away also, so when she's here visiting we'll do that together as her belated gift.

[beakersmom]

Every year I get my mom the flowers for her garden. This year she's getting a hanging basket and a couple of rose bushes because her doggies dug up her old ones.

[neenbean]

Such great idea!!!

In the end, I took the easy way out and ordered stuff from www.shutterfly.com. :p

My mom will receive the photo coasters with a variety of recent pics of DD:
http://web1.shutterfly.com/img_/shop/pipshots/2005_m.jpg

My stepmother and step-MIL are getting these mugs with the picture from the card below "tiled" all over it:
http://web1.shutterfly.com/img_/shop/catshots/tiledmug_m.jpg

Everyone is getting this card as all the gifts will not arrive on time...
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv?si=00008349115320060429130825478.JPG&cb=16711677&ph=65535&cr=0.012798011,0.07238817,0.987202,0.9276118&r=1&p=1&pa=0.5&b=368&bw=0.2&po=1&sa=0&ps=7&g=2.2&rx=96&ry=96&co=1

I found a perfect gift for my mother on www.williams-sonoma.com but it was backordered for a while... Anyone else's mom use a salt container instead of a shaker? I will definitely be getting this salt box for her birthday:
http://a1412.g.akamai.net/7/1412/243/0080/image1.styleinamerica.com/wsecimgs/images/products/200617/0006/img20m.jpg

[vwinkel]

My mom asks for the same thing each year - a new nightgown and her perfume.

I got MIL some silky pj's but since this is the fourth set I've given her - I need to add something more. I will probably just include some lotion and shower gel.

[ignutzz]

My mom has been in remission from breast cancer for about a year now. I was thinking about making a donation in her name to one of the foundations. Is that too morbid? Do you only do that as a rememberance thing?

[MeTheGirlie]

I actually just received one of these from my SIL, thought it was unique. Pajama Gram (http://www.pajamagram.com)

[neenbean]

My mom has been in remission from breast cancer for about a year now. I was thinking about making a donation in her name to one of the foundations. Is that too morbid? Do you only do that as a rememberance thing?
What would your mom think? If she would think it is morbid, then maybe just do it in your name. Otherwise, if she would be honored, I say go for it!!! She is a survivor and should be celebrated. :) Announcing her remission that way is so cool!

DH's mom passed away 6 years ago after a 5 year battle. Before she died and ever since we have always donated in her honor and memory.

[Littlelamb11]

i THINK DH is getting me:

http://shop.lladro.com/shoplladro/imgCat/imagennor/01018218.jpg

he knows how much i love Lladro. and when in doubt, it's the perfect gift for my MIL too. heck, for any gift...i just bought a first communion one for my niece. :)

my real dilemma is what to get my mom this year, as this is very unfortunately, her last mother's day. :( I'm starting to make her a short video/pic montage for her to Jim Brickman's song Mother Day. I also wanted to get either these necklaces...
http://www.hallmark.com/wcsstore/HallmarkStore/images/products/gifts/mdn2510_xl.jpg
or some other set of necklaces and get an additional one for my sister and then when my mom passes, she can be burried in hers but my sister thinks that's too morbid.

[Asha]

i got this for my mom from www.peggyli.com

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-40261249021697_1897_2808408

[Phen]

Now that I'm a mama, I really try to go all out for Mother's Day for my mother and grandmother! No more macaroni artwork here. ;)

I'd love to hear y'all's ideas for treating the moms in your life.

~ phen

[Phen]

Duh, maybe it would help if I posted some of the gifts I've given (or are planning to give) for Mother's Day? (not to mention ones that I'd LOVE to get myself!)


gift certificates for a month's worth of mani/pedis
subscription to Mom's favorite guilty pleasure magazine (e.g., People, US Weekly, or similar)
movie theatre gift certificates
photos of the grandchildren


One thing I am really wanting this year for myself is more sparkly stuff. One of my absolute all-time favorite jewelry designers, Carrie D. Mader (www.carriedmader.com), is having a major inventory sale on eBay right now (http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZcdm929QQhtZ-1), and I'm stalking the auctions and sending my husband daily (occasionally hourly) emails helpfully pointing out my particular favorites. Hope he can get the hint this year. ;)

~ phen

[May27JnJ]

I'm thinking about getting my mom a ring with all of the kids birthstones in it.

[nettreefrog]

I am always touched by donations to charities that I like... And, I would love a homemade gift as well... If my family bought me a token gift, I would not be comfortable because I would inevitably think of a 1,001 better ways to spend the money.

[laura]

I am at a loss for this year. In past years I have gotten my mom/MIL:

* GCs for spa treatments (mani/pedi or facial mostly, or massage)
* Flowers & something decadent delivered to them, like a cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory or Fat Witch Brownies
* Sparklies, mostly CDM
* Designer (usually Coach) bag or wallet or accessory
* a 'theme' gift to indulge something they like; ie. last year we got my MIL an ice cream maker, ice cream recipe book, ice cream scoop & sprinkles b/c she *loves* ice cream
* for my mom I am able to get more personal things like shoes or clothes that I know she would like but wouldn't buy for herself (like Ugg boots)

Hrm, not sure what else. I'm also at a complete loss for this year. =/

ETA: Not for my mom, but for my MOH, I got her a necklace from kathy lo rocks (http://www.kathylo.com) w/ a picture of her 2 y/o on it. It's really cute and Kathy is fantastic to work with.

[twinnyme]

I haven't decided yet what to do this year for my mother and MIL but last year we gave them a photo/handprint of DD and a gift certificate to their favorite store.

I've also gotten jewelry for them in the past. RedEnvelope has some nice stuff.

I have requested from DH a g.c. for a manicure/pedicure at a local spa.

ETA: Ash313 reminded me of the Shutterfly calendars. Though we don't do that for Mother's Day, we do always give my mom a calendar with all her grandchildren for Christmas. We were late this year (one of my sisters let the ball drop a bit) and my mother was asking for it. We've done it for a few years now and she loves it!

[ash313]

In the past years we have done:
Shutterfly brag books and calendars - big hit!
Photo jewelry
Spa gift cards
I am thinking of getting some nice smelling reed diffuser thingies this year.
I sometimes buy my mom a new tennis bag or gc to the tennis shop
Coach gc for MIL

I am looking for ideas for this year too!

[Daisy]

Bought my mom's gift yesterday - a box of goodies from L'Occitane. And I'm going home for the weekend to visit her.

My mom is tough to buy for since she has everything!

[mrselle]

I'm probably going to get this for my mom and include pictures of my daughter and step-daughter.

http://www.hallmark.com/wcsstore/HallmarkStore/images/products/gifts/dmemorytray_xxl.jpg

[laura]

Oh, thanks for the reminder about L'Occitane. My MIL loves their soaps, so I will need to check out the gift packs for her.

[kwsu44]

I usually take my mom out for brunch and give her the perfume she likes to wear. THis year, I got her a charm from Helen Ficalora. My mom already has charms of her initials, but I thought the "mom" one was cute

http://www.helenficalora.com/pg_Charm_Mom.asp

[KrissyCat7]

My mom always hates when we spend money on her, so we will most likely just get some wildflowers from a roadside stand.

[c'est la vie]

My mom and MIL are getting small arrangements from Edible Arrangements (http://www.ediblearrangements.com/)

[vwinkel]

I got MIL some silky pj's but since this is the fourth set I've given her - I need to add something more. I will probably just include some lotion and shower gel.
LOL! I find this funny because this year she told DH that she wanted silky PJs and she knew I could find them. However, I could not!!

My mom mentioned that she wanted a Buttercup yellow waffle weave shower curtain a few months ago. Sounds simple, but do you know how hard it was to find?? I hope the one I finally found is the right color.

For MIL I bought her a top that she can wear to work and a book (similar to Chicken Soup for the soul).

[1_mommy]

bumping this up for ideas for this year.

I was thinking of having the kids each make stepping stones. But don't know how practical that would be to ship to hawaii for my mil.

last year i went to Michaels and got canvas's and had the kids paint a picture for them

[permanentvacay]

my mom is deceased... however, i get my aunts something every year...

this year i'm getting my Godmother (and my mom's sister):
a pair of red crocs
(due to her diabetes, her feet sometimes swell and she cant wear flats and she hates flipflops, so she's been buying crocs like madwoman - she's got like 10 pairs of different styles)
some foot lotion made for diabetics
sugar-free candy
nail polish and peidcure stuff


for my other aunts:
cookies sent to their homes from mrs. fields

[jeepgirl]

I am thinking of getting my mom a subscription to a "food" magazine - specifically vegetarian times. I recently ordered it for myself and LOVE it. My mom is vegetarian too, and loves to cook.

I really would love to get her something else too. Our budget is really, really tight this year, and we live far apart, but, I do have a pic of the two of us from my wedding last fall. I'm thinking of framing it and adding it as part of the gift.

[ManteoChik]

I'm at a loss too, since we're adhering to a strict budget the next few months.

I need something for my mom, grandmother (mom's mom), and aunt.

Last summer I had beach portraits done of my brother and I, since its been at least 12 years since we've had a picture taken together. For Christmas I designed a coffee table book of the pictures for each of them, along with some prints.

Ugh, I hate gift giving.

[Chimichanga]

We took DD to a paint your own pottery place and had her paint items for my mom and MIL. MIL got a coffee mug, and my mom got a painted fish (DD loves fish and my mom always gets her stuff with fish on it).

I was planning to get my mom a spa gift certificate since I know she loves them and can never get enough. DH has to decide what to get MIL - I refused to do so.

[Rosebud]

I'm giving my mom a membership at Netflix. She loves to watch movies and I think this'll make it easier for her.

[laura]

Crap! I forgot about my husband's grandmother! I think we'll send her some flowers. My MIL is getting a gift basket of items from L'Occitane, I think, and my mom is getting a GC to Ann Taylor Loft and a GC to Starbucks.

[psusna]

My mom is getting a new set of personalized stationary.
My MIL is getting three sewing books that she's been eyeing.

[MrsTazlvr]

We got all the grandmothers a tote bag with our girls' picture on it. I figure they's all love to be able to carry it around and show off their (great) granddaughters. :)

[Medako]

I'm framing this for my mom.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/mom2jackryan/mamaw-web.jpg

And since MIL hasn't bothered to talk to us in over 6 months, she'll be receiving nothing from us this year.

[Kanga]

We did potted herbs (basil, chives, parsley and oregano) and painted the rim of the pot in chalkboard paint then wrote the name of the herb in chalk. Overall cost was about $25-$30 for 8 plants.