Five Marvelous Mother's Day Gifts
by Susie Cortright http://www.momscape.com

What do moms really want?

For starters, you'll want to avoid the Vacuum Cleaner Effect. You don't want to give a mother anything that has to do with cooking or cleaning.

It's also important to give a mom something that will help her enjoy herself in her daily life--something that she can't turn around and use for someone else.

With those two rules in mind, here are five great gift ideas for the moms on your list.

1. A Spa Gift Certificate
A gift certificate to a local day spa ensures that she'll take a little time out for herself. (Make sure to throw in a personal offer to take care of her kids while she indulges). Here's a website that will get you the best rates on the day spas in her neighborhood. http://www.momscape.com/a/spafinder/dayspasbystate.htm

2. Something to Help Her Sleep
Quality sleep can be a problem for mamas. Consider giving her a natural sleep aid or two. One idea is the Serenity Set ($50), silk aromatherapy neck and eye pillows containing soothing lavender with complementary herbs packaged with a 60-minute CD, "Adagio Music for Relaxation."

For $99 more, you can pair it with the Dreamate Sleep Aid, which will normalize her biological clock to reduce insomnia. The band works by delivering a micro-massage to specific pulse points--known as the Sleeping Golden Triangle in traditional Chinese medicine. These sleep aids are both available at Gaiam.com. For more ideas, search for "sleep" here: http://www.gaiam.com

3. Scrapbooking Supplies
Lots of moms love to scrapbook. It's a great way to express ourselves, plus it shows our families how much they mean to us. But it's hard to find the time. Give the gift of creative inspiration with some good scrapbooking materials that she won't want to wait one minute to use. A few rolls of film (or some good photo paper if she's got a digital camera), an album or two, and a three-month subscription to an auto-delivery program that brings new themed scrapbooking materials to her door every month is a great gift idea. Here's one such program that comes highly recommended: http://www.momscape.com/monthly or check under "what's new" here for Mother's Day gift sets filled with elegant papers and accessories, even a special album: http://susiecortright.leavingprints.com

4. Flowers, Flowers, Flowers
Treat her to a pretty centerpiece or wreath of dried flowers. The web has all kinds of flower stores, but 1800flowers.com gets my vote for the most talented floral designers. Here's the direct link to Mother's Day specials: http://www.1800flowers.com/flowers/gift/mothersday_gc2004.asp

5. Something Eternal
Give mom a star of her very own this year. You choose the constellation (what's her sign?). Packages start at $39, and come with a certificate, constellation map, a mythological explanation of her star, and a map for locating her star in the sky, from the Universal Star Council. Here's the link to special package prices for Mother's Day: http://www.adreporting.com/dir.php?p=379&a=160569

Need more ideas?
Surprise.com is a well-kept secret. Here, you'll find categories of perfect gifts for a wide variety of tastes, characteristics, and quirks. (The site even has a category of gift ideas for "people who are always cold" and "people who want a little peace and quiet," which, come to think of it, describes more than a couple of moms we know. http://www.surprise.com

Of course, you mothers should feel free to share this article with anyone who is in the position to buy these things for you.

Happy Mother's Day!

About the Author: Susie Michelle Cortright is the author of several books for women and founder of Momscape.com, a website designed to help busy women find balance. Visit http://www.momscape.com today and get Susie's *free* course-by-email "6 Days to Less Stress."