Mother's Day started nearly 150 years ago, when in 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother's Day as a national holiday. Since then Sons and Daughters everwhere have been racking their brains to come up with suitable presents every May. Luckily for us, Moms are usually easy to please. Not only do they adore homemade gifts that anyone else would shudder at, they actually cherish them and store them away for years. My closet has two boxes of hand made drawings, clay finger prints, homemade cards, and the like. I have a two headed clay dinosaur that I dearly love; it is over thirty years old and carefully wrapped in tissue paper. Memories are what makes a Mother smile long after the children have moved out and she's babysitting for her Grandchildren.

Of course if you're a husband who's trying to get your wife a present, I suggest you skip the homade cardboard pencil holder and at least spring for some flowers and a store-bought card. Then again, if she's the romantic type, a handmade card might really do the trick.

If you're able to, the first thing to plan for Mother's Day would, of course, be a visit with your Mother in person. If you've already bought a card to give to her, make sure you add a personal touch to it by writing a heartfelt letter to her. (If you're having problems with your relationsip with your Mother, try to settle your differences before it's too late. If necessary, see if she'll agree to sign up to take a conflict resolution course with you. It's worth it to have peace in your family again.)

All Moms love getting flowers, but this year, instead of giving her a cut arangement, get her plants, which last longer. Even better, your Mom would really love it if you offered to do some gardening for her. Plant some of her favorite flowers or a tree where they'll bring beauty and pleasure to her whenever she sees them. That's a memory that will last for the rest of her life. Not only will she enjoy her garden, but she'll be able to think of you while she does.

A very worthwhile thing to do is to send a contribution in your Mother's name to support a cause that she cares a great deal about and believes in strongly. You may want to consider something personal for both of you. Perhaps the two of you and your family might try spending the day with a child who doesn't have a mother. Maybe you could help a friend who's a Mom by offering to take care of her children for a day or an evening, so that she can have some time to do whatever she wants.

Instead of taking her out to eat, you can invite your Mother to your house for the day and make plans to cook her favorite dishes for her. This way she'll get out of her house and she won't have to do the dishes. If your Mom lives with you, it can still be a special occasion. I used to love it when my son still lived at home and would make me breakfast in bed. He would also make up a dinner menu and then decorate the kitchen with candles and play music on the CD player. It was always something of a mess the next day, but I loved it and I still have those menus from "Chez Sean".

A really cool gift idea that takes a bit of time and planning is to make a family tree with some genealogy history in it. You can purchase a Family tree making kit at most book stores or card shops. If you don't have the time to work on it, perhaps it could be a project for the whole family. It's great to get involved in creating a family tree and it's so personal. Wait until the whole family gets together and start by asking questions about your family history. One memory triggers another, and before you know it, you've got not only a great family tree going but a wonderful new Mother's Day memory that will last for years to come.