More Mother’s Day Gift Tips

The clock’s ticking, so let’s get right to it. Regardless of how cool an item you purchase for your wife, if signing the credit card slip at the mall or clicking the mouse on your computer represents your complete involvement in the Mother’s Day gift, you haven’t done enough. Oh, it might work the first year or two, but quickly you’ll learn that, at least for Mother’s Day: More Thought + More Effort = Better Gift.

It’s all about the kids. Make sure you add a kid angle to whatever you give your wife. Let’s take some of the items from Reviewdad’s gift list to see how this works. For the lunch tote, have your kids write a bunch of different messages on colored papers. Put them aside and slip one into the tote every once in a while when mom’s not looking. Think about how finding a simple note with the word “smile” written in your kid’s scrawl could turn her day around. For the yoga mat, if your kids are old enough, check out a book or video from the library and teach the kids some yoga poses so they can lead mom in an impromptu Mother’s Day yoga class.

For the iKaraoke for iPod, before Mother’s Day, commandeer your wife’s iPod and download some songs the kids know, too. Special bonus: record your kids’ Mother’s Day messages and get them onto the iPod so mom can hear an “I love you” from them any time with a spin of the thumb wheel. It can be as simple as having the kids make a card whose messages plays off the gift. Pair the GT Jane Shoes with a card that reads “I’d walk a 1,000 miles for a mom like you.” You get the idea.

Don’t just buy. Do. There are plenty of relatively simple tasteful project ideas out there, and you’ll score extra points for making an effort. Anything similar to the Deluxe Baby Keepsake Kit will work nicely. Here are a couple of real world examples:

{mosnooad}Photo/Quote Combo. Last year I took my boys and my digital camera to this lake in my town. I snapped some photos, downloaded them, converted them from color to black and white, and had them printed at Walgreens for pickup an hour later. At a craft store, I bought a black picture frame with five photo slots, some acid-free card stock paper, and a black washable ink pad. I inked up the boys’ hands and stamped handprints, and penciled in their ages below the handprints. Lastly, I searched quote databases online and found a mother-themed one: “It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher. Then suddenly they disappear.” I pasted the quote into Word and printed it on card stock. The quote went into the middle slot, a picture of each kid on either side of the quote, and finally the handprints. Voila! An instant Mother’s Day classic.

Tree/Stepping Stone Combo. Buy a small tree (growth metaphor) and plant it in your yard. Put mulch around the base. Go to a craft store like A.C. Moore and buy a cement stepping stone kit that incorporates your kids’ handprints or one that includes plastic letter stamps so you can add the date and “Happy Mother’s Day”. These kits are virtually idiot proof, so don’t use any lame I’m-not-too-handy excuses. Place the stepping stone beneath the tree and you’re done. A Mother’s Day gift she’ll cherish for years to come.

Cut out the middle man. With a little bit of thought and effort, you can make a run-of-the-mill gift extraordinary.

Now you’re cookin’. Let’s say you and your wife had a particularly fantastic meal at a restaurant. Instead of taking her to the restaurant (or if it is too far away, make the meal for her at home. Contact the restaurant, explain the situation, and most likely they’ll help you out. Buy the ingredients and let the kids help cook if they’re old enough. If possible, wait until after you eat to reveal the surprise.

Home spa. A spa gift certificate allows your wife to choose whatever treatments she wants when she finally gets a chance to use it, but you might as well just give her cash. Instead, tap into your inner Elizabeth Grady and bring the spa experience to her at home. Google up some all natural facial mask recipes with household grocery items like honey, oatmeal and fresh fruits and vegetables. The kids will have fun smearing the concoction on mom’s face. While the goop is doing its work, get the bath ready (offer her a choice of bath salts or bubbles). Create a relaxing environment in the bathroom with music and candles, and rig something to act as a small table next to the tub. Put tea or a glass of wine on the table, and maybe some fresh fruit. While she soaks for a while, take the kids out of the house and turn off the phone ringers before you leave. The home spa would be a great way to kick off the day, or a nice way to end it.

Spread it out. While Sunday, May 13 is officially Mother’s Day, it’s okay to celebrate your wife for more than one day. Instead of her being one of a hundred other corsage-wearing mothers at the local inn’s Mother’s Day brunch, take her out on Friday, Saturday or Monday instead. This doesn’t exempt you from marking the official observance by any means. Just let her know that you couldn’t fit all the things she deserves into one day.

Some of these ideas will take some time and effort on your part, but your wife is worth it. She’ll give you the time you need to prepare if you tell her you’re working on Mother’s Day stuff, and it’ll build anticipation for her big day. Also, things might not go as planned during the execution of some of these ideas. She might get a rash from the homemade spa mask, or you might accidentally add cayenne pepper instead of paprika to her favorite dish. Even if there are some hiccups in your plans, the memories will last a lot longer than if you hand her a gift certificate tucked into a Hallmark card or if you pay the check at a restaurant.

Now, get to work, noodads! The clock’s ticking…