Sunday, May 13, 2012 is Mother’s Day in the United States and children (and adult children) are looking to find the perfect gift for Mom that expresses how much they love and appreciate everything Mom has done for them over the years.  If you are looking for some last minute gifts or ideas for Mother’s Day, check out the following suggestions below.

Suggestions from, Andrea Woroch, a nationally-recognized consumer and money-saving expert who helps consumers live on less without radically changing their lifestyles. She has been featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more.  You can follow her on Twitter for daily savings advice and tips. Maisie Knowles is a working mother of two with three-year’s experience writing on parenting and partner issues. She received a B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado and co-founded FreeShipping.org with her husband.

1. Magazine Subscription
There are magazines for every interest, from river rafting to cooking. Check out the tens of thousands of discount magazine subscriptions offered by Amazon.com and find something that will make Mom smile every month.

2. Online Gift Cards
Don’t have time to run to the store, or perhaps Mom’s favorite place to shop is online? Just about every major merchant offers online gift cards that you can have emailed to her within 24 hours, and sometimes instantly. Save by purchasing a discounted online gift card from GiftCardGranny.com, where you can find deals like 20-percent off a Dress Barn gift card.

3. A Phone Call
If Mom lives at a distance, a long phone call is one of the best gifts you can give. Set aside a chunk of time, think about the stuff going on in your life and questions you’d like to ask her, then dial away. If it’s an option, make the call even more special by using Skype video chat or iPhone FaceTime.

4. Club Memberships
You can order special monthly club subscriptions for everything from fruit and wine to movies and massages. Check out SpaFinder.com to get her pampered or set her up with monthly DVDs from Netflix. Birchbox.com is great resource for discovering new beauty products with tips on how to use them.

5. Flowers
It’s never too late to send flowers for Mother’s Day. Search online for last-minute deals from merchants like FTD or 1-800-Flowers. Otherwise, call a few local florists to see what they can offer for under $30. If Mom’s local, hit up your supermarket’s floral department for a nice bouquet or find a garden plant for the mom with a green thumb.

6. Financial Advice
This one definitely falls within the “unique” category, but the gift of financial advice is invaluable for most people. This is especially true for anyone nearing retirement age, and the savvy ladies at LearnVest understand this. Through May 30, you can purchase a Core Financial plan for yourself and gift another plan to your mom for free. If you already have a plan, LearnVest will offer the Core Financial package for half off as a gift to Mom. Visit LearnVest.com for details.

7. Brunch
Mother’s Day brunch deals abound in cities across the country. Call Mom’s favorite restaurants to find the best specials. If reservations are booked up, consider preparing an at-home brunch. Present your mother with a menu of her preferred breakfast dishes like banana pancakes, veggie omelette or french toast. Don’t forget to buy a bottle of inexpensive champagne and orange juice for a special toast.

8. Her Own Domain
This may not work if your mother’s name is Mary Smith or Susan Jones, but otherwise you might just have a chance of securing an Internet domain in her own name. If you’re handy with the computer, you might whip up a silly website focusing on something she loves. You can often purchase your desired url from GoDaddy.com for as little as $12.

9. Slideshow
Every mother loves to relive family moments and photos are sure to bring a smile to her face. Put together a slideshow of Mom’s favorite pictures with captions that spark each memory and sit around the computer while you watch it together. If Mom is miles away, share the slideshow via email so she can access it on the computer or from her smartphone.

10. A Day Off
If you’re single, married with no kids, or a full-time working husband, you may be blissfully unaware that being a mom is a 24/7 job. There are no such things as sick days and, even in the middle of the night, a mom is “on-call.” We’re summoned by our children regardless of time of day, or whether we’re trying to use the toilet in peace. A 24-hour period where we’re allowed to sleep in, recharge our batteries, and generally not have to be a mom would be absolute heaven!

What about Grandma? Grandmothers are ranging from 40 years + to the traditional set of grandmothers 60 years + and many are helping to raise their grandchildren along side their children.

Suggestions Kate Forgach is a Baby Boomer consumer specialist for Kinoli Inc. She has written about senior issues for 11 years as a Cooperative Extension specialist and for a wide variety of newspapers and magazines. She has been featured in USA Today, Detroit News, New Orleans Times-Picayune, New Yorker magazine, “ABC World News,” NBC’s “TODAY” show and many other media outlets.

1. House Cleaning Party
Grandmothers with physical limitations might greatly appreciate a thorough housecleaning. You needn’t tackle this venture on your own, however. Put together a posse of those who willing to help out, equip them with the proper tools, and have at it. After all, misery loves company.

2. Old Fashioned Tea Party
Brits from the Victorian era had it right; A tea party is just the thing to cure what ails you. Besides, it makes everyone feel so ladylike that the conversational tone might just get lifted up a peg or two. Get creative with lacy invitations, ladyfingers and cucumber sandwiches.  Ditch the coffee mugs, however, in favor of some fine china. If you don’t have your own, check Google for a list of places that provide rentals or hit the dollar store for inexpensive teacups.

3. Shopping Spree
Giving money to your mother can feel so tacky, which is where gift cards come into play. Ask friends and family to toss a bit of cash into the pot, then pick up a Macy’s gift card — or another favorite retailer — at a discount from sites like GiftCardGranny. You can save up to 10-percent off the face value and get more bang for everybody’s buck. Then take her out for some good old fashioned retail therapy. My grandmother would have particularly loved this one as she was a hound for new makeup.

4. Record Her Memories
This is a present that will keep on giving for generations to come. Make a recording of Grandma detailing the family history and reminiscing about times past. Check out this article from CascadePatch for some guidelines, but remember one of the most important things is to just share the experience.

5. Organize a Party for Her Friends
Who says Mother’s Day has to be spent just with family. Perhaps Grandma would appreciate someone organizing her friends for a gals’ get-together…or perhaps just a gathering of family from all generations.

6. Technology Lessons
If your family is far flung, give Grandma a lesson or two in using Skype and other technology that will keep her up to date on everyone’s lives. Of course, not all seniors have difficulties in this area but, at the very least, she may appreciate a good computer debugging.

Kohl’s is having a Mother’s Day sale at specials at Kohl’s stores across the county. See the Mother’s Day specials at http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/landingpages/mothersday.jsp

• From May 9th – 13th, all shoppers get $10 Kohl’s Cash back for every $50 spent (in store or online), with no earn limit, that can be used toward futurepurchases in store or on Kohls.com – good on all brands and sale prices. It’s like getting paid to shop!
•  Save 15%, 20% or 30% when you use your Kohl’s Charge.
• Looking for additional ways to save? Visit us at Kohls.com and find us on Facebook and Twitter @Kohls to stay in the know.

Looking for some Mother’s Day freebies to share with the special ladies in your life? Check out the following list of free deals for Mother’s Day from MrFreeStuff.com.

1. Redbox Rental
Treat Mom to a free movie on Mother’s Day. Whether she prefers “Bridesmaids” or “Batman,” any one-day rental is free on Sunday. Just send a free Mother’s Day e-card through the Redbox Facebook page.

2. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
All Fleming’s locations will open early at 11:30 a.m. for brunch. Treat Mom and she’ll receive a $25 dining card towards a future visit.

3. IKEA
Get a free breakfast from opening until 11 a.m. on Sunday. There’s a limit of one per family.

4. Ruby Tuesday
Bring Mom in on Mother’s Day and she’ll receive a free voucher for a “Ruby Tuesday Simply Fresh Cookbook.” Reservations are recommended.

5. TCBY
Mom gets a free frozen yogurt of her choice on Mother’s Day. Call to make sure your local store is participating.

6. Mother’s Day Cards
Print out your choice of home-brewed cards.

7. Photo Card Templates
IHeartFaces has several templates you can use to create a personalized photo card for Mom.

8. Coloring Book Fun
Print out coloring pages and share the fun with Mom.

Need some recipe ideas to give Mom breakfast-in-bed or lunch or dinner at home? Try these healthy and tasty options.

Raspberry-Banana Yogurt Salad
Tropical Banana Nut Parfaits
Stuffed French Toast

Raspberry Chicken Salad
Edamame-Black Bean Salad
Lemon Meringue Pie Bowl

Honey-glazed Chicken Breasts
Stuffed Pasta Shells
Herbed Fish
Bulgur Pilaf with Pea Pods

Other Mother’s Day recipes and desserts

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Joscelyn, Owner of Mami of Multiples & Mami Innovative Media

Joscelyn Ramos Campbell has more than a decade of experience as an award-winning former federal government public relations executive under the Bush and Obama administrations. The “super-connected power mom“ was recently named by Latina Magazine as one of “The 10 Best Latina Mommy Bloggers on the Web“; by CBS News as one of the “Top Bloggers in the Business“; by NBC Latino Work-Life Balance series as a “Top Latina Mom Blogger“; an Empowering Latina in the Marketing Field; by CNBC.com as a Top Latino Social Media Stars and Leading Hispanic Bloggers. She is the owner of Mami Innovative Media and founder of Mami of Multiples, one of the nation’s leading Latina American parenting and lifestyle sites offering resources and helpful tips for families. She is a nationally syndicated Parenting Columnist and co-hosts a Talk Radio Show. Joscelyn is a public speaker, military wife and mother to a teen son and identical twin boys. Connect with Joscelyn at @JoscelynRC & @InnovativeTalk.

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