Five Last Minute Mother's Day Ideas

So, you're sitting there, thinking to yourself..."Mother's Day is tomorrow, and the stores close in 4 hours!" (Give or take, depending on your time zone.) You haven't bought a gift yet, and you're in need of some ideas...now! As a mom, I've come up with five simple, quick, and inexpensive ideas that you can easily accomplish tonight and have ready to give to mom in the morning. (These last minute Mother's Day ideas will be geared toward husbands, but could really be used by anyone!)

1. Letters to mom
Depending on the child's age, either have the child write down what they love most about mom. If it's a baby, an adult can write the letter to mom for the baby. Put it in an envelope and give it to mom first thing in the morning. This would be a keepsake that, as a mom, I would treasure forever. (Especially since this is my first Mother's Day!)

2. Flowers
This seems like a given, but let me explain my reason for including this on the list. In my opinion, there is absolutely no reason why someone needs to order flowers and have them delivered -- so if this is what's stopping you from getting flowers -- either it's too expensive or the florist won't deliver by tomorrow -- don't let it.  Stop at your neighborhood grocery store and pick up a bouquet. (In my experience, flowers from the grocery store last longer anyway!)

3. Photo frame
Who doesn't have eight million pictures of their kids laying around? Even if you already have photo frames all over the place, pick up a special one just for mom. Find that picture laying around of mom and baby (or mom and teenager, as the case may be) and put it in the frame. 

4. Online gift cards
So, maybe you got off of work late and couldn't get to the mall in time to pick up a gift card for your favorite mom. It happens. Fortunately, a lot of online retailers sell e-gift certificates in many denominations. For example, Sephora.com sells e-gift certificates as low as $10. Makeup not her thing? Try Amazon.com, which sells e-gift certificates as low as $5. These can be sent right to Mom's email box to use whenever she wants! Amazon's even have special Mother's Day graphics that can be included. 

5. Hit the gift card rack
Here's another good alternative if you didn't get a chance to hit the mall. Many grocery stores are open 24 hours, and many of them have racks of gift cards for other businesses. When you stop to pick up flowers (refer to #2), why not grab a gift card to your favorite mom's favorite store? 

BONUS IDEA:
This one is the most important, and best of all -- it's FREE! While much hype is given to gift giving, ultimately, Mother's Day is all about celebrating being MOM, and the best gift of all is your thanks. Tell the top mom in your life that you love her, and thanks for doing all that she does.