Check it out: What do moms want for Mother’s Day?

 No comments  
 E-mail Story
 Print Story
  Share

 digg it!
 Facebook
 del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit

Text Size: 

Tools Sponsor

Lots of surveys tell us what moms want for  Mother’s Day.

Of course, they probably haven’t surveyed your mother — or the mother living under your roof.

So we offer a myriad of suggestions.

[+]Enlarge

First for new moms, Beech-Nut brand of baby food says new moms don’t necessarily want a break from motherhood.

Eighty-three percent of new moms said Mother’s Day reminds them of how happy they are to be a mom. And 62 percent said they appreciate their own mother more after becoming a new mom.

Thirty percent of new moms said all they want to do on Mother’s Day is spend the day with their babies. However, 28 percent admitted they wouldn’t mind a little pampering with spa treatments.

And a Harris Interactive Survey for CSN Stores of 2,920 moms, dads and kids, found flowers, cards and candy may be dandy, but most think mom would enjoy some therapeutic relaxation from massage chairs to mood-improving lamps and more.

Looking for some other ideas? Here are some books and such that caught our interest:

What mom taught us

* Cathy Hamilton’s “Momisms” ($5.99 paperback) is a pocket-sized guide for moms and anyone else who has every wondered: What did mom mean by that?

* “Mom I’m a Lucky Duck” by Bob Elsdale and Patrick Regan ($9.99 hardcover) celebrates the importance of mothers with a giant “awwww” factor.

* “Flipping Brilliant: A Penguin’s Guide to a Happy Life” ($9.99 hardcover) offers beautiful photographs and lots of wisdom from our tuxedoed friends.

* And because Mother Nature often yields wisdom beyond our imaginations, “Swimming Lessons: Nature’s Mothers” ($12.95 hardcover) relishes motherhood through the eyes and lifestyles of sea lions.

* Every mom needs a good laugh. And if the mom on your list is a breast-feeder, you’ll want to surprise her with the hilarious book by Shannon Sayette Seip and Adrienne Hedger,  “If These Boobs Could Talk” ($12.99 hardcover).

* “Mother Nurture: Life Lessons from Mothers of America’s Best and Brightest” ($24.95 hardcover) goes straight to the heart by letting moms of famous people talk about real life. Among the contributors are mothers of Uma Thurman, Lance Armstrong, Steven Spielberg, Matt Lauer, Tim McGraw, Justin Timberlake and Beyonce.

* “Have I Got a Guy for You: What Really Happens When Mom Fixes You Up” ($14.95 paperback) is a collection of 26 stories by female writers who revisit nightmarish blind dates they’d sooner forget — although their mothers won’t let them. This funny book draws attention to a mother’s special ability to turn Mr. Oh-SO-Wrong into Mr. Why-Can’t-He-Be-Right. 

Sound advice

* “Mothers Need Time-Outs, Too” by Susan Callahan, Anne Nolen and Katrin Schumann ($16.99 paperback) provides moms with inspiring tips and practical advice for every mom in need of a little mom time.

* “Questions to Bring You Closer to Mom:  100+ Conversation Starters for Mothers and Children of Any Age” ($9.95 paperback) by Stuart Gustafson and Robyn Freedman Spizman is a compelling book that offers suggestions for helping mom open up about her life, her dreams and her relationships with open ended questions sure to spark much needed dialogue between mothers and their kids.

* “It’s Okay to Take a Nap: and Other Reassuring Truths for Mothers Everywhere” ($14.99 hardcover) by Debra Sansing Woods illustrates the joys, struggles and triumphs of being a mother. With reminders to moms of simple reassuring truths — like how you are a queen, not a maid and how your love matters more than you know— this book will strengthen and empower women while at the same time assuring them that their sacrifices to be a mother have not gone unnoticed. 

* “Opting In: Having a Child Without Losing Yourself,” ($15 paperback). Author Amy Richards addresses the many anxieties  and messages today’s moms receive, while giving them the freedom to follow their dreams.

Moms with attitude

* “Rock Star Mommy,” ($12.95 paperback) by Judy Davids shares the story of this mom turned rocker and her mommy band, The Mydols.

* “Rockabye: From Wild to Child” ( $15.95 paperback) is the funny true-life story of Rebecca Woolfe and what happens when an impressionable young city girl gets pregnant by accident and decides to keep the baby and marry the boyfriend.

* Laura Zigma’s novel “Piece of Work” ($13.99 paperback) shows how motherhood gives women the skills they need to handle everything the world of work and beyond throws at them.

Help mom win

* Sunday, Whirlpool kicks off the fourth annual Mother of Invention Grant Program designed to help moms turn their inventions into reality through a seed grant and training. Grand prize is a $20,000 grant, and each of the four runners-up receives  a $6,000 grant. New this year is a environmentally friendly grant category. For information and entry forms visit www.whirlpool.com/moms. Entries are accepted through July 31.

* Is your mom a real-life care hero? If so, enter her name into the www.CareHero.com through May 31 and say why she deserves to be a Care Hero. Two grand prize winners will be featured in Care.com national TV commercials, in addition to receiving cash prizes.