Last Minute Mother's Day Gift Ideas

[Vero Totem]

Honestly, I never know what to get for my mother.  She doesn't want jewelry, she doesn't care for knickknacks, she complains she gets too much chocolate and it's making her fat, she reads mostly off of her tablet, and whenever I ask her, she always says something like "clean your room" or "clean the bathroom" or something else to that effect.  I'm turning 39 the day after Mother's Day and I don't know what my mother wants any more than I did when I was a child.  At least she's consistent.  At any rate, she's getting a small edible arrangement whether she likes it or not.  I'm just curious to see what others do for their picky mothers.

[fizzbuzz]

My mom is the same this year Under different circumstances, we would've liked to have gone to a lavender farm nearby and had a picnic there, but this time we're just meeting at the lake shore with the rest of the family + BIL to have it. The weather is expected to be pleasant for the day as well!

[LeChat]

Hi!

 

 Would your mother enjoy doing something or going somewhere with you, instead of gifts (e.g. having a picnic at a park, going to the movies or a museum, browsing a bookstore, baking a new recipe)?

[Squirrel Combat]

Money! Send her money and flowers! Everybody likes those two things, especially when together.

[daveb]

I already gave my mother a Mother's Day gift this year. One of the few things I could give her that she would want. That was a couple of visits. She doesn't want "stuff". She also only reads on devices, so no physical books. She doesn't like to go anywhere (because of various health issues). I think about the only other thing she could use and might appreciate would be some money.

[Luftschlosseule]

Do you know what companies she gets her ebooks from? A lot of them offer vouchers.

 

We're not really doing the whole mother's day thing anymore. When I was in the Asian supermarket I picked up coffe bonbons because she likes coffee, and it's kinda a novelty gift. Just a little something. More about the gesture, really.

[1012345678]

I’ve been toying with the idea of digital picture frame. She claims to be pretty useless at tech stuff but I could set it up for her. 

[Vero Totem]

16 hours ago, LeChat said:

Hi!

 

 Would your mother enjoy doing something or going somewhere with you, instead of gifts (e.g. having a picnic at a park, going to the movies or a museum, browsing a bookstore, baking a new recipe)?

My mom doesn't bake or really cook at all.  My dad is usually the one in the kitchen (except when it comes to the InstaPot for making rice.  He hates that thing but my mom and I love it).  She does enjoy the opera, but there are so few she actually wants to see and none of them are showing or have tickets on sale right now.  She doesn't really like to go anywhere, otherwise; she's as introverted as I am and her job physically and mentally exhausts her.  When she's home, she wants to stay home.  She doesn't like going out, especially to places where her allergies can act up; she's basically allergic to everything that grows; it's why we live in the desert.  My sister has tried giving her coupons and vouchers to massage parlors, but has all but given up because our mom just complains that they don't do it right.

15 hours ago, Squirrel Combat said:

Money! Send her money and flowers! Everybody likes those two things, especially when together.

To my mother, a gift of money would be an insult.  A gift card, however, might be something I can give her in the future.  My dad gives her flowers all the time, so it would be tacky if I did that, too.

7 hours ago, Luftschlosseule said:

Do you know what companies she gets her ebooks from? A lot of them offer vouchers.

 

We're not really doing the whole mother's day thing anymore. When I was in the Asian supermarket I picked up coffe bonbons because she likes coffee, and it's kinda a novelty gift. Just a little something. More about the gesture, really.

That's something I'll have to look into; I think she uses a couple of different sources.  As far as the foodstuffs that she'll still accept go, they have to be organic or fair trade if not both.  My mother is very conscientious about that kind of thing.  It's the only reason she liked her Easter chocolates this year.

[daveb]

@Vero Totem, sounds like your mom is as hard to buy or do stuff for as my mom. Maybe one idea would be finding out what her "love language" might be? I do think some people really don't seem to want much, but we still want to do something for them, so how can we show our love?

Good luck! 

[LeChat]

7 minutes ago, Vero Totem said:

My mom doesn't bake or really cook at all.  My dad is usually the one in the kitchen (except when it comes to the InstaPot for making rice.  He hates that thing but my mom and I love it).  She does enjoy the opera, but there are so few she actually wants to see and none of them are showing or have tickets on sale right now.  She doesn't really like to go anywhere, otherwise; she's as introverted as I am and her job physically and mentally exhausts her.  When she's home, she wants to stay home.  She doesn't like going out, especially to places where her allergies can act up; she's basically allergic to everything that grows; it's why we live in the desert.  My sister has tried giving her coupons and vouchers to massage parlors, but has all but given up because our mom just complains that they don't do it right...

 

 Hi! Thanks, for sharing that.

 

Hmm...what about board games?

[Vero Totem]

Thanks, @daveb.  I wish you luck with your mom as well.  My mom's love language is definitely quality time, but because of her introverted nature, it's a little difficult to spend time with her doing stuff.  Usually, our quality time together would be watching TV or a movie.  When my sister visits, we might have a game night or a chat.  I know she enjoys those.  One year, as a Christmas present, my sister and I gave our mother a private concert of traditional hymns. We're both sopranos, so we managed to pull it off.

1 minute ago, LeChat said:

 

 Hi! Thanks, for sharing that.

 

Hmm...what about board games?

It depends on the board game.  She isn't really good at trivia games; she claims they're frivolous.  We've played Monopoly (we have a Hometown Monopoly of San Antonio, Texas, as well as regular Monopoly), we've played card games, Apples to Apples, Cards Against Humanity, and whatever else my sister and I think might be a good time.

[daveb]

I just remembered, one year one of my sisters and I wanted to take my mom out for lunch for Mother's Day or her birthday. My mom told us, "oh, you two go ahead without me".  

[Vero Totem]

1 minute ago, daveb said:

I just remembered, one year one of my sisters and I wanted to take my mom out for lunch for Mother's Day or her birthday. My mom told us, "oh, you two go ahead without me".  

Yeah, my mom hates dealing with traffic and people if she can avoid them.  Otherwise, we'd take her out more often.  We used to do that all the time when I was a kid.  We'd go out to Red Lobster, La Cucina, or Ruby Tuesday whenever my birthday landed on Mother's Day.  It was my dad's way of killing two birds with one stone.  My mom and I would pick the restaurant, order whatever we wanted, and my dad paid.  Simple.

[LeChat]

10 hours ago, Vero Totem said:

...It depends on the board game.  She isn't really good at trivia games; she claims they're frivolous.  We've played Monopoly (we have a Hometown Monopoly of San Antonio, Texas, as well as regular Monopoly), we've played card games, Apples to Apples, Cards Against Humanity, and whatever else my sister and I think might be a good time.

Interesting! Thank you, for sharing that.

 I hope this thread helped, in time for Mother's Day.

[fuzzipueo]

My mom always appreciated getting plants for the yard or in the house.

[Vero Totem]

3 hours ago, fuzzipueo said:

My mom always appreciated getting plants for the yard or in the house.

Unfortunately, we live with four cats and one of them likes to eat plants.  All of the ones we had indoors have died because of her.

[Luftschlosseule]

Don't know when you guys have mother's day, ours was yesterday and she liked the coffee bonbons.

[daveb]

1 hour ago, Luftschlosseule said:

Don't know when you guys have mother's day, ours was yesterday and she liked the coffee bonbons.

In the US yesterday was Mother's Day, too.  

That's good that your mother liked the bonbons.