Mother's Day Gift Ideas A Twist on Gift Baskets

Of course you can run down to the shopping mall and find it stuffed with pre made gift baskets for Mother''s Day Or you could take the time to help your child put together a fun basket especially for their mother

Of course you can run down to the shopping mall and find it stuffed with pre made gift baskets for Mother''s Day. Or you could take the time to help your child put together a fun basket especially for their mother.

Most mothers do the shopping in the family. If you have a close friend who has children, think about setting a budget for the Mother''s Day present and then switching children. You take your friend''s child out shopping with the pre set budget and she takes yours.

Think about the hobbies, activities, and interests of the mother. Does she like gardening? Then a gardening basket is a lovely choice. Does she like to cook? Watch movies? Or perhaps she would appreciate a basket of beauty products she''d never buy for herself.

The first step is selecting the basket - and it doesn''t even have to be a basket. It can be any appropriate container. For example: If she loves to cook select a big bowl, baking pan, or pot, as the "basket." If she''s a gardener select a bucket or a terracotta planter.

Fill the "basket" with items that go with the theme you''ve chosen. We''ll stick with the themes of cooking, gardening, and movies.

Cooking -Gourmet Italian Pasta Dinner with a note that the child and father will do all the clean up.

Package of high quality pasta
extra virgin olive oil
chunk of parmesan cheese
sun dried tomatoes
pancetta, salami, and/or prosciutto
bottled artichoke hearts
gourmet olives
garlic heads
basil

Select cooking tools such as garlic press, pasta cooker, pasta maker, Italian themed serving dishes or linens or food processor to compliment the food.

Gardening - Herb Planter with a note from the child that he or she will help with the gardening, provide 30 minutes of weed pulling, digging, etc.,

Large rectangular planter (or any other shape)
gardening hand tools
pair of gardening gloves, waterproof gardening clogs, or gardening mat to kneel on
4 inch pots of various herbs such as parsley, basil, thyme, marjoram, lemon grass, lemon balm or packages of seeds of each
Potting soil to fill planter
Gardening magazines or books

Dinner and a Movie

Have the child select a gift bag that has a "Hollywood" feel. The colors can be neon bright for example. Or choose a moon and stars theme. Find a new release movie that would appeal to the Mom. Or you can buy a DVD of one of her classic favorites she doesn''t have yet.

Other ideas include:

microwave popcorn
movie size box of candy
gift certificate to a nearby movie theater
gift certificate for pizza delivery
sunglasses (Hollywood theme)
movie poster (find on ebay)
movie magazines
gift items that fit the theme of the movie.

Now that you have the idea I''m sure you can come up with lots of fabulous gift basket ideas for that special mother in your life or your child''s life.

Find more ideas for Mother''s Day gifts, menus, and activities. Read Dee''s blog on weight loss and her new website Easy Garden Care