Working Mom Looking for a Good Gift Idea for My Mom (My Babysitter)

Every year for christmas I get my mom a gift card to her favorite store & a gift certificate to a spa. Then I ask my s/o to watch the kids and we go out shopping and to the spa for the day. She says it is the greatest gift. She has helped me with my kids so much.

How about 2 tickets to a show she has wanted to see where she can bring a friend of her choice. Or an evening out with you,(no children) playing basket bingo, or dinner and a movie...does she have any hobbies? A magazine subscription to her fav hobby or fav magazine and a large basket filled with supplies to do a project. OR how about redoing her room, paint, new bed linens, move stuff around so she can have her own oasis to retreat to when she needs time to herself...hope this helps!

What about an afternoon at a spa or something like that? A massage, new haircut and a makeover. Maybe take her to lunch before an afternoon of pampering.

How about a nice photo album filled with lots of pictures, maybe ones she hasn't seen before. You could get the photo album engraved with your daughter's name or what your daughter calls her. I got my mom a nice silver album engraved and it had a spot for a picture on the cover too. She loved it!! Just an idea.. Good luck!

Maybe a "day of beauty" at a local salon. She could get a facial, massage and her hair and nails done. A day of pampering for her instead of her doing all the pampering!!

L.

K.,

Hey there I think I can help you with a gift. I am an Independant Beauty Consultant for Mary Kay. All women love Mary Kay. Feel free to check out my website at www.marykay.com/B..A. I create anything you want. You purchase the product and I can make it pretty. I do NOT charge for shipping or delivering. Let me know this is the perfect time for gifts.

Hope I can help,
B. sue A.

buy finger paints and let your daughter help you make a portrait for her, take a pic of ur daughter put it in the center put her hand prints one on each side and maybe thank you to the greatest g mom in the world. frame it and wrap it, This idea was always a tear jerker in family, they also usually put a small poem to describle grandmom, something sincere that you made up. Good Luck!!!!

How about a day at a spa or maybe even a nice night or weekend at a bed and Breakfast.. Both are so very relaxing and a nice way to say thank you for all you do.. I have given gifts like that to people that have really helped me out and they didn't know what to say.. They thought it was to much but what they do for me is to much.. Hope this helps..

Hello K..

I agree that a day of beauty would be the best gift. I suggest Motives makeup b/c it is fully 100% customizable. They customize your foundation to your skin tone so you don't have the demarkation line. There are a lot of different salons in the York/Dallastown area that have hair/nails/massaging all in one.

Taylored Looks by Terri is in Dallastown. ###-###-####.
If you are interested in the customizable foundation, please send me a message.

Best of luck,
~A. B

HI!!! I DON'T THINK THIS QUALIFIES AS "EXTRAVAGANT" BUT FOR MY STEP-MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY I GOT HER A LOVELY HANGING PICTURE FRAME FROM THINGS REMEMBERED. IT IS A "FAMILY TREE" AND EACH BRANCH HOLDS A DIFFERENT FRAME (THEY ARE OVAL AND SMALL) I PUT IN PICTURES OF THE KIDS AND OF MY LITTLE GIRL AND SHE LOVED IT. IT BROUGHT HER TO TEARS. IF THIS IS SOMETHING YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MAYBE YOU COULD PUT PICTURES OF YOU AND HER ON ONE SIDE AND YOUR LITTLE GIRL AND HER ON THE OTHER (EACH FRAME IS DOUBLE SIDED AND I THINK IT HELD SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 20 AND 30 LITTLE PICTURES. IT IS VERY VERY REASONABLE ($35) AND MAYBE IT IS SOMETHING YOU COULD GIVE IN ADDITON TO ONE OF THE GIFT IDEAS THE OTHER GIRLS MENTIONED. GOOD LUCK!!! HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

My mother in law watches our 1 year old every Monday for us & my mom watches him every Tuesday. It's important to me as well to make sure the gifts we gave them were special.

My mother in law loves to cook, so we bought her a spot in a cooking class at an upscale restaurant in NJ, which she absolutely loved!
As for my mother, she loved the "day for Nan" basket of gift certificates that included hair salon, nails & movie gift passes. She loved it!

Why don't you make her a scrapbook of pictures of her & your daughter--or just of special moments in your daughters life in the past 3 years. Personal things like this always make the best gifts and mean the most :)

How about a mother daughter spa experiance. Like a massage for 2 in the same room, manicure/ pedicure. It can get expensive, but if you go to the vo-techs or local beauty/massage school you can save $$$. Just a thought. Hope it helps and good luck!

Hi K.,
My name is Chris Malkus, and I am a demonstrator for Vantel Pearls. What I do is bring real oysters into your home, and you get the real pearl inside. We also have a fine selection of jewelry to choose from. We actually have even have a necklace called Mother's Love. I am able to do parties or place an individual order. You can check out the catalog online at www.vantelpearls.com. I'd be glad to help you if this is something that you like. You can call me at ###-###-#### or email me at ____@____.com.

I got my parents tickets to the American Music Theater in Lancaster as a thank-you for all they do to help us with the kids. They picked the show/entertainer of their choice and loved it! The prices are pretty reasonable too. Good luck!

Why don't you give her either a necklace or a ring with your daughters birthstone in it?

If you have some extra time maybe you could gather old pix of her and more recent ones too and you make a scrapbook for her. You don't have to spend alot of money either. You use magazines and other things you have laying around the house and A.C. Moore and Michael's have a ton of crafting/scraping supplies. It would just melt her heart! I've had it done for me and it is one of my most valued treasures.

What about a day or weekend at a spa where she gets pampered?

www.princesshouse.com I fell in love with these items. They are very useful and gorgeous at the same time. You can find items that are nto pricey if you look. It is usually sold through parties (like tupperware parties) but you can see if you can just order online. If not, contact me, I have a friend that is a rep. and we can set something up with no problems. If you host a party you get tons of great deals. Let me know if you need anything!! :)

Hi K.~ I dont know how much you have to spend, but I did this for my mother who watches my little one also....
I went on Telecharge.com and got her two tickets for the broadway show "The Color Purple"...In New York City....I got two tickets for like 145$ for both, that way she could take a friend with her, and then she took a bus for $90, and went for the entire day....She NEVER expected it...You could get REALLY GOOD DEALS....Just an idea....

How about an afternoon at a local spa where they can pamper her; massage, nails, hair cut.

What about a new purse from Coach??? They are wonderful bags that last FOREVER. Get her an everyday leather bag so she will always be reminded of your family. There are Coach outlets in Leesburg,Maryland, and Lancaster depending on where you live. Many of the outlets have today's styles at discount prices.
Or a watch from Raymond Weil. They aren't too pricey. You can get a nice one for about $700.00

What about a day (or part of a day) at a spa? I don't know if that's something she would like. Or maybe just surprise her with a special day out (just the two of you - mom and daughter).....lunch, etc.??

maybe get har a gift certificate to an all day spa for a massage or a manicure or pedicure etc. Us woman always enjoy that!

Hi K.,
My mother-in-law watches my two babies 7 and 2. I was in the same situation. Pending on the money you can spend go to hotwire.com, priceline.com, or another travel site that is inexpensive and look at there weekend get aways. They have packages starting around 350.00, there are some great deals. If mom loves to take the baby everywhere, Disney and Hershey park have great weekend packages that are reasonable and they are both decorated and celebrating Halloween already. Good luck, I am sure whatever you do she will love.

A gift certificate to a nice SPA! That is my mom's gift of choice, and mine is well. You can get her a massage, facial, manicure, pedciure, etc. Pamper her! (I don't know if you're in my direct area or not, but Rizzieri spa in Marlton is fabulous!!)

Dear K.,
I'm not sure if you found the right gift for your mom yet but, I thought of a gift you can give her. If you go on homeinteriors.com you can find this item. It's item #12780 Angel Wings Keepsake Box-Roma Downey Collection. I thought it would be a sweet jewelry box or a nice gesture. If you have trouble finding a consultant let me know. I can place an order for you. I don't know where you live but I'm in Catasauqua. Give me a call if you see something that you can give her. I'll be glad to help. Call me at ###-###-#### or at ###-###-####.
I hope I didn't offend you with this. I know about the strict no spam policy. I was just trying to help. Let me know.
Good luck,
K..

Check out my website: www.marykay.com/JenniferHaines. There are some great gift ideas, and you can shop with me right online!! I would love to offer you (and your mom) a girls night out~ to receive some extra-special pampering and a complementary makeover! Having "girl time" is always such a special treat!! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help, your mom sounds like such a phenomenal and hardworking woman! You are so lucky!!

Does your mom like to go to the casinos or maybe to the theater? If she does enjoy the theater; you could take her to New York to see a show and have dinner. If she likes to be pampered, you could take her to a spa with you. (It's always nicer when you go with someone.) Arbonne products are always nice too because they are natural and good for your skin. Good luck!

I noticed a lot of others have suggested a trip to the spa. While I think that sounds great, it would also depend on the type of things your mother likes. I think it depends on your budget also. My first thought was to buy her either a mother's ring or necklace with your birthstone and your daughters on it as well. I was also thinking about the commercials you see on television for those rings with the three stones. They say they are for your past, present and future. One thought is to have a ring specially made with your mother's birthstone, yours and your daughters. Kind of your own special past, present and future ring.

Good luck with your gift. I hope this helps.

If you don't want the average gift certificate you could do something like I did for my mom a while back and make your own "gift certificates" for her. I made it on the computer where I printed off different certificates for diferent things, such as dinner on me, I make her a fancy dinner, girls night out just the 2 of us, trip to the movies, ect. It could be anything you want that would make her happy and she can use them whenever she wants. She just gives you one of the certificates and you set up a time to make it happen. Its more personal and from the heart. My mom cried when I gave her her set of certificates and she refuses to use them because they are so special to her. I hope this helps and good luck. :-)
~A.~

hi,
i don't know much about ur mom of course, but i know in my own family my mom would never pay for herself to go & get a massage & or pedicure. my husband gave me a half day spa package & it was the best!!! u can break it down to what u can afford. around me u can buy a 20, 30 45 or 60 minute massage. they're usually $30.00 for half an hour Plus tip. a pedicure is really relaxing too. usually 20-30 min. most salons/day spas have a brochure with prices you can look through so you don't feel cheap asking for every price. don't forget to arrange to include the tip so ur mom is worry free when she goes. She deserves some pampering!! & once it's paid for she can't refuse!! ur only problem might be that then she'll be hooked, & then hit u up for more... ha ha

D.

hi i did the same for my mom i found her a grandmothers necklace witch has her grandchildrens birthstones on it and she loved it. ill tell you i think everyone she ever meets she shows it to and proudly announces that is from me and her grandkids and they are not very expensive.

What about a gift certificate for a massage, or a massage and a manicure...something along those lines?
Just a thought :)

My mom watches my 2 year old daily since I work full time. She's been doing this since Nicole was 8 weeks old. She even quit work to do it. May I suggest just spending quality time with your mom. She would probably enjoy the adult company as well. Go out of your way for your mom, do little things for her without her asking you to. Have her over for dinner a few times a month. She's a fantastic person for doing this for you. (As is my mom!) And let her know how much you appreciate her in your life and what she's doing for your daughter.

My Father doesnt like getting the "norm" either. Do you have any good pics of just the 2 of them? You could do a craft with your daughter and frame it using card stock or pop sticks. and have your daughter (with your help) write a letter to her telling her how much she loves her and spending time with her-thanking her that she is a special grandmom. Mabeye frame thew letter and then box them together. It seems they enjoy that kind of stuff.
Take care and good luck. When you get your idea, please post, I might need one around xmas.
K.

Hi K.!
it really depends on what kind of money you're looking to spend and if you want to get her something personal, like a photo gift or if you want to do something for her, like spa, or that trip to NY sounded good! If you want to get her a unique picture gift, there are a few websites to check out: lightaffection.com, futurememories.com, and expressionspb.com. These all have different ideas and are reasonably priced. But if you wanted to pamper her, (even yourself) a nice trip to the spa or a shopping spree in NYC together would be nice! Hope this helps! Goodluck!
N.

hi i am the mother of a beautiful little girl who will be 2 this nov. when my daughter was born i gave my mom a metal which was silver and oval shape the oval shape added a little bit of elegance. on this oval shape metal i got samantha's birth picture scanned onto it. underneath the metal i got her name "SAMI" put on it . i actually saved the present for mothers day for her and it brought her to tears. even if your mom is not into jewelery it is a priceless memory. i got this done a year ago at century 3 mall a little booth inside the mall and i believe there is one at monroeville mall now. the price was 25.00 but to my mom it was priceless. good luck i am sure if you go with that idea she will love it

K. -
My mother-in-law watches my son 2 days a week, we are always trying to think of something. Our best gifts have been - painting a room at her house, organizing her basement, spring weeding on gardens - then we have also done a gift certificate for dinner or her favorite store - currently we are keeping our eyes and ears open for problematic appliances in her home (extravagant, but she won't let us pay her a cent and she drives an hour each way to take care of our son)

Good Luck - L.