Finding The Right Mother's Day Flowers

Flowers are an easy mom-pleasing gift for Mother’s Day. You can usually find them at a local grocery store or have them express delivered via the internet. You don’t have to go way overboard on pricing unless you want to. On the other hand, since most guys don’t buy flowers very often, you need to know a few things before you make the wrong decision on Mother’s Day flowers. First, how do you choose the right flower. If your mom or partner has a favorite flower, now is the time to remember it. If you’re starting from scratch, here are a few of the common meanings for popular flowers:

• Roses come in different colors and connotations, but red roses always mean true love and romance. That’s not to say you can’t give them to your mom, but you should know the meaning. Pink means grace, coral or orange for passion, red and white together, unity.


• Sunflowers mean loyalty and longevity, not a bad sentiment for moms


• Red tulips are for declarations of love, yellow for hopeless love


• Lilies are for purity, but red lilies for aspirations


• Lotus is for eloquence


• White lilac stands for innocence


• Iris means faith, hope and wisdom

Once you pick your flower, you should look for the freshest bouquet, so it will last the longest once you get it home. Here are a few tips on how to choose flowers for freshness:

• Look for strong petals, full of water


• Look for some color on the petals, but not full color. Don’t buy flowers that are fully open. While they might look good in the store, they won’t last as long at home.


• Look for healthy leaves, which also shows freshness.

If all these choices make you uneasy, spend a little more at a local florist, where the experts there can help guide you through the meanings of the freshest flowers.

Top Five Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Finding the right gift for Mother's Day doesn’t have to take a long time or even break the bank. Here are some unique ideas for this mother’s day. All you have to do is NOT wait until the last minute:

1. A completely different gift idea is the “message in a bottle.” For the sentimental and romantic mom, this is a fun idea. TimelessMessage.com will write your sentiments on parchment and place them in a bottle that is shipped directly to your mom. The Oprah Show calls this the “most romantic gift to give.” Many moms love this idea that harkens back to time when people threw bottles with mysterious messages inside, into the sea, hoping for a response. Starting at around $35 plus shipping, TimelessMessage.com will also help you write out your feelings or you can choose from their selection of poetry and prose for different occasions and recipients.


2. You know your mom better than we do, and some moms like wacky gifts that make them smile. If your mom is like this, take a gander at Baron Bob’s website filled with novelty gifts, all sorted for common holidays. While not all of his stuff appeals, there certainly are a lot of twists on common presents to keep things interesting.


3. In that same vein, we like the unique, more stylish choices at uncommongifts.com. Take a look at their Fruit and Vegetable Parchment Cuffs, a new take on the hot vases made of that material a few years ago.


4. Instead of a material gift, give her an “experience.” It’s amazing the kind of wild adventures there are available for sale these days. Hire a jet fighter, fly in a dirigible, take flying lessons. There’s even a place in San Francisco that gives indoor parachuting lessons, where you can give her the sensation of jumping and flying without risking his life in the process. Other ideas are rock climbing, glider rides, and race car driving. Click here to brainstorm other experience gifts.


5. If you’ve tired of photo gifts but the mom in your life still likes to fill the house with happy family pictures, consider PhotoFiddle.com. Not just an ordinary photo site, PhotoFiddle prints out your photo on canvas in a variety of styles from oil painting to watercolor. Even if you don’t buy, it’s fun to upload some favorite photos and see them rendered as if a real artist had painted them. Unfortunately, the styles don’t get too strange, so don’t expect Picasso or Matisse. You might have to settle for the Warhol treatment.

Mother's day gifts

Finding the right gift for mother’s day doesn’t have to take a long time or even break the bank. Here are some old and new mothers day gift ideas. All you have to do is NOT wait until the last minute:

1. A clutch of printed baby photos: If you’re like most people, you now have literally thousands of digital photos hogging disk space on your computer. What you likely don’t have are many prints of these photos. A very thoughtful and very inexpensive gift is to take 25-50 favorite photos of your bambino and get them printed out.
   
   At the cost of maybe ten bucks, you have a very thoughtful present. For a little bit more ($168), here’s a fun photo charm bracelet from Teaccups and Tadpoles that will likely have her crying if you find the best photos of you and the kids to put in it.
   
   (There’s a special offer for GreatDad users: 15% off on orders of $50 or more. Enter code GREATDAD15 in the comments box at checkout and your credit card will be refunded 15% after the sale.)


2. Photo mug: Yes, it is corny, but moms can’t resist the picture of a little baby grinning from the side of a coffee mug. You can only hope you get so lucky that someone gets one for you. And, not at all expensive – it just takes time. With this one, just make sure to order early, and get one for both grandmas (and maybe grandpas!) at the same time. We like online photo gifts. Other good options are Photoworks and Shutterfly.


3. Spa certificate: All this takes is the forethought to stop by a local spa or gym and buy a gift certificate. Of course, the catch is that you will watch the little rascals for a few hours.


4. iPod: Maybe by now, everyone in America already has one, but if your wife doesn’t, this is always a hit. She can load it up with kids’ songs to play in the car, lectures if she’s the studious type, or top 40 for the gym.


5. Her own digital camera – hottest little point and shoot.


6. A special craft project. Okay, it’s another time-intensive gift, but this one comes with plenty of time off for mom while you take the kids down to the basement to work on the special project. Here is a site with plenty of projects and stuff you can easily make with the kids for mom. We especially liked the House Keys wood, glue and paint idea.


7. Flowers – sure, it’s an old standby, but they are always appreciated. Guys never understand why and maybe that’s why moms appreciate it when we think of them; because they know it’s a big stretch for us. Whether you buy them at the grocery store on Sunday morning or order ahead from one of these online stores, they never disappoint.


8. If you have a lot of digital pictures and are always frustrated that there are never any printouts, make a picture book. If you have a Mac, it’s very simple right out of iPhoto. Photoworks and Shutterfly also help you make them as well.

Good luck and have fun!

Mother's Day Cards - Gift Guide for Dads

You can always run down to the drugstore and buy a $3 Mother’s Day card. Few of us are poets and the cards often say in words what we can only feel in our hearts about the special moms in our lives. On the other hand, it’s sometimes hard for moms to feel those sentiments written in someone else’s hand. For this reason, you may want to create your own card. It doesn’t have to look like it came off a printing press. This is truly a case where your effort and imagination will make the strongest impression. Here are a few ideas to get started.

1. In the simplest version, stop at a stationery store and buy a nice off-white card and envelope. You can simply write “I love you Mom” and sign your name. If it’s for your partner, say something like, “I love you. Thank you for our beautiful children.”
   


2. If the above idea sounds too simple, write or copy of few verses of poetry. While poetry takes a bit more effort, it will evoke a smile for your hard effort. Simple poetry schemes like ABAB are easy to do and can finish in four lines.
   Consider:
   

   Roses are red, Violets are blue,
   You’re the best mom in the world,
   What would I do without you?
   Simple and sweet and from the heart.
   

3. Take that nice and simple off-white card and paste a family photo on the front and on the inside, write something simple like “I love you and our family.” I guarantee this card will go into a memory box.
   


4. Search “how to make a Mother’s Day card” on the internet for plenty of Martha Stewart style ideas for cards. I don’t recommend this, but you’ll find thousands of ideas.

Mother’s Day Gifts for All Types of Moms

Here are some great gift ideas divided into categories of moms:

• For the new mom, think of stuff that’s all about comfort: robes, slippers, candles, soaps and lotions are all good ideas for the mom-to be or new mom.


• Working moms need to be super-organized, so find gifts like planners and agendas that add an extra touch of fine leather or theme tied to her personality. Quality items that are meant for work but also show her good eye and taste are always a hit. Think of items like laptop bags, a fancy pen, or a business card case that says she’s all about business, when she’s not at home with you, that is.


• If the mom in your life is eco-conscious, buy her eco-friendly bath goods, or a gift certificate to an organic market. Or go to an organic market and make a custom gift basket for her.


• For the stylin’ mom, don’t even try to pick out the right thing. Here’s where a gift certificate might come in handy.


• If your mom loves music and entertainment, buy concert DVDs. They are an often-overlooked alternative to simple music listening. Instead of listening to a concert, why not let her watch it instead.


• For grandma, think of personalized gifts that include her grand kids. Try the photo sites or consider a Pandora bracelet featuring birthstones of all her grand kids.

The best thing about a lot of these gifts is that you can order them online and have them delivered straight to your mom.