Mother’s Day Gifts Worth A Millions Buck That Cost Very Little

Mother’s Day is about 10 days away. Do you know what you’re giving your mom this year? Do you know what you want from your kids?

I used to send flowers to my mother and mother-in-law every year. That can be costly, so I would start weeks ahead of time, scouring the Internet for the best deal possible. After I had my own child, I realized that Mother’s Day gifts didn’t have to be fancy or expensive. They just had to mean something. My mom and mother-in-law don’t get flowers anymore. They get gifts that cost a little bit of time and almost no money, yet mean the world to them. I hope you mother will enjoy one or more of these ideas this year, too.

Videos from Home

If your mother/mother-in-law or grandmother lives far away, making a video is priceless and easy. For my mother-in-law’s birthday in January, I recorded my son singing happy birthday to her with my Flip camera. I uploaded it to my computer and burned it to a DVD with some recent photos of him. You would have thought I sent her a box of gold. That gift cost me about 30 minutes of time and a few dollars for postage. You can also have your child read a poem or book, or just talk to Grandma on the video.

Mother’s Day Photo Shoot

Every year since my son was born, I have my husband take photos of me and my son together. I  pick my favorite photo, blow it up and frame it. Does your mom live close? Perhaps you can have someone take photos of you and her together. Maybe she would like a photo shoot with her grandchildren, too.

Draw a picture

One of the sweetest Mother’s Day gifts I’ve ever received is a picture my son drew of he and I playing the Wii together. He said playing the Wii with me was one of his favorite things to do.  At the top of the page he wrote, “Your Pretty Mom.” That’s a gift that comes from the heart, and nobody asked him to do it. He did it all by himself. I still have that picture hanging on the wall in my bedroom, and it warms my heart every time I look at it.

Photo Calendar or Book

I actually make photo calendars for my mom and mother-in-law every year for Christmas, but I got the idea from a friend who gets one from her kids for Mother’s Day every year. You can start the calendar with any month. Websites like Snapfish, Mixbook, Artscow, My Publisher and Shutterfly have online templates for calendars and photo books. Simply insert the photos and pay to have them printed. This week, you can get 20 percent off everything at Mixbook, a free mini photo book from My Publisher and photobooks starting at $3.99 with shipping at Artscow.

Have a Happy Mother’s Day!