2006 Mothers’ Day Gift Guide

Not sure what to get your mom this mother's day? There are more options than you think!

Ah yes, Mother’s Day is drawing near once again. That beloved day that shows your mother how much you really love her. For those of you who don’t have it circled on the calendar, let this be yourfirst (and hopefully last) notice. Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 14^th. So what do you have planned? Nothing yet? You know, you could send her the same old flowers or take her to a crowdedbrunch, but how about making her day with something totally unexpected and (totally easy on you) this year? If you’re with us on this one, read on to check out our favorite picks for some unusuallyhandy gifts that will easily win over your mom’s heart and leave the other moms on the block wishing you were their kid too.   Overscheduled Mom

If your mom’s into making lists on scraps of paper, running here and there, coming back and rifling through drawers for phone numbers, do her a favor and upgrade her to the affordable and easy-to-usePalm Z22. This handy little PDA will keep her to-do lists, phone numbers and daily schedule all in one location that she can pop right in her purse and carry with her on her busiest days. $99.00,http://www.palm.com/
Palm Z22       Chatty Mom

The next best thing to being there with your mom is the ability to talk as long as you want without worrying about annoying per-minute charges. Hook your mom up with VoIP service for Mother’s Day andtalk forever for one flat rate. Many plans are out there, but here are a few suggestions:   Vonage – unlimited calls within the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico for $24.99/month. http://www.vonage.com/ Broadvoice – $9.99/month for unlimited calling within a state of your choice, or $19.99/month for unlimited calls to 21 countries includingthe U.S. http://www.broadvoice.com/ Sunrocket – Sunrocket offers an All-Inclusive Annual Edition, allowing you to pay up front for 12 full months ofunlimited calling throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. You’ll also receive a $3.00 monthly credit towards international minutes. Cancel anytime and get a refund for your unused service.$199, http://www.sunrocket.com/ Packet8 – unlimited calls within the U.S. and Canada for $19.99/month. http://www.packet8.net/
Broadvoice and SunRocket       Gadget Mom

If your mom loves gadgets as much as you do, pick her up a Nokia 6265 multimedia phone with a 2 megapixel camera with flash, video recorder, FM radio and an MP3 player. While you’re at it, hook herup with Vizrea Snap. Vizrea Snap is a free service for Nokia cell phones that allows you to share photos online instantly. $250, http://www.shopping.com/
Nokia 6265
If by chance your mom just happens to be a computer lover, and if by another small chance she happens to like building her own systems, check out Newegg.com. They have just about any PC partand related products that you can think of. http://www.newegg.com/
Shopping.com and Newegg.com     Gourmet Mom

Does your mom have a stack of recipes the size of a small Shetland pony? If so, treat her to BigOven InspiredCooking Deluxe, award-winning software that will keep the recipes for her tasty treats andfrothy concoctions organized and easily accessible. In addition to BigOven’s massive online archive of more than 150,000 recipes, the software also has an easy interface for Mom to store her (andyour) favorites. Nutrition information, meal planning and handy grocery shopping lists are sure to make your mom’s life so much easier. Works with Windows Me / XP / 2000 / NT / 98 / 95. Free 30-daytrial, $29.95 to keep. http://www.bigoven.com/
Big Oven and Family Roast   Or, if your mom would love nothing more than to brew up some freshly roasted coffee and sit down to chat for hours, give her the ultimate in home espresso machines,the Ascaso Dream Versatile Espresso Machine, distributed by Nossa Familia Coffee. The Asaco Dream has retro styling with the convenience of modern technology that’s easy to operate. The heavy-dutymachine can be filled with either ground coffee or Nossa Familia’s perfectly proportioned single-serving espresso pods, and is available in 10 dreamy colors, including Love Red, Tangerine Orange andMediterranean Blue. Additional espresso machines are available on the site, as well as five varieties of fine, Brazilian gourmet coffee for $10/pound. $1 from the sale of each bag will go directly toyour choice of 7 charities. $749.99 (free shipping), http://www.familyroast.com/ Entertainment-Loving Mom

For your TV-loving mom who wants to watch “Survivor” on her schedule, rather than the CBS programmer’s schedule, order her up some TiVo. It’s not only incredibly easy to set up, but it also makessitting through commercials a thing of the past. Gift subscriptions come in 3-month or 12-month packages. $38.85 – $155.40, http://www.tivo.com/ Is she stillusing that same old top-loading VCR she got back in 1984? If so, bring her into the digital video age with a new DVD player. They’re not only incredibly affordable, but most are easier to set up thantrying to teach your mom how to program the clock for daylight savings (again). For a simple DVD player that takes picture quality seriously, grab a Samsung DVD-HD850. This affordable player offersconversion to all high definition formats and allows for simple cable connection via HDMI outputs. $69-$144, http://www.shopping.com/ Every Mom Monthlyservices are a big hit with moms because they’re a continuing reminder of what a thoughtful, generous child she raised.   Movies: Netflix delivers and picks up movies from the convenience ofmom’s mailbox. $215.88 buys her a one-year subscription (smaller denominations are available), http://www.netflix.com/
Netflix   Wine: American Cellars Wine Club allows you to order 2 or 4 bottles every four weeks, with red wines only, whites only or a mix, along with notes and ratings, as well as the monthlynewsletter, for an average of $12 per bottle plus shipping. 6 monthly shipments $479, 12 monthly shipments $957, http://www.vinesse.com/
Vinesse.com     Dinner: Dinner of the Month Club offers gourmet delivery of a meal to feed from 2-4 people, depending on how hungry they are. Subscriptions are available in 3 month, 6 monthand 12 month plans, ranging from $71.85 to $263.40, as well as Dinner of the Season Club (4 months) for $95.80. http://www.flyingnoodle.com/clubs_dinner.html
Flying Noodle   Flowers: Every month, send her some exotic, fresh cut flowers arranged in a beautiful bouquet. 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions are available from $116.85-$443.40, as well as aFlower-of-the-Season Club (4 month) subscription for $155.80. http://www.amazingflowerclub.com/
FlowerClub