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Radi0logy
May 6, 2009 5:27 PM
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I will be taking your scientific advice and using my mother's day gift fund to buy a PSP for myself. Thank you Consumerist!

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pecan 3.14159265
May 6, 2009 5:27 PM
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I think the problem becomes when you have a mother and a mother in law, and both want brunch, and don't live near each other. So what do you do? One gets a gift and the other one gets brunch?

I really feel sorry for the people who are having a lot of financial difficulty, and holidays seem to remind them of when things were better. Christmas this year might be the worst of all.

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7 replies
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eelmonger
May 6, 2009 6:53 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Or you could take one to breakfast and one to lunch.

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pecan 3.14159265
May 7, 2009 5:28 PM
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@eelmonger: I don't think I could drive the 4 hour distance in the same day to make it to lunch :(

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unobservant
May 6, 2009 5:43 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: You send the hubby to his mom's, and you go to yours. And don't forget the potted plant! It's never been a problem for me.

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rorschachex
May 6, 2009 7:30 PM
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@unobservant: I stopped giving my mom potted plants years ago. Between me, my dad, and pretty much every other relative, we have a room that you can't see out the window from (not joking) filled with cacti (she loves them) and other plants. It takes her 45 minutes to water them...

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edwardso
May 6, 2009 6:19 PM
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@unobservant: I think my mother would prefer to have my husband and my mother in law would prefer me

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
May 6, 2009 5:32 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Or if you have one normal and one psycho and you have to keep rewarding the psycho because it's easier than putting up with the resulting upset.

Lucky for me, ours both live far away and get cards. :)

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edwardso
May 6, 2009 5:42 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle): My mom and mom in law both got the exact same gift, right down the the wrapping. I figure if I have one good idea I might as well use it twice and being that they are 1500 miles apart I think we'll get away with it

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yagisencho
May 6, 2009 5:29 PM
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My wife doesn't want time with the family as much as she wants time AWAY from it. Relaxing in a spa, away from the constant demands of a preschooler and infant.

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3 replies
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bohemian
May 6, 2009 9:34 PM
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@yagisencho: All I want for Mother's Day is for hubby and kids to help me clean the house for a day. They helped create the mess. Not having to clean it all myself..priceless.

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mythago
May 6, 2009 6:49 PM
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@yagisencho: A really big margarita probably wouldn't hurt either ;)

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me and the sysop
May 6, 2009 6:25 PM
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@yagisencho: My mother's the same way about flowers since she's a florist. This week is one of a few out of the year that are very stressful, and the last thing she wants to look at when she gets home is more flowers. :)

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u2acro
May 6, 2009 5:29 PM
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My mom started cutting back on her magazine subscriptions because money was getting tight. Seriously, her 10 subscriptions (no, she doesn't read for free on the intertubes) is the only vice she has, and it really serves as her \"me time\" to sit in her living room chair and pore through Redbook. When she told me she was cutting back, I could hear the pain in her voice, so I did what any daughter would do -- I told her I'd subscribe her to at least one favorite magazine for Mother's Day. Of course, I wish I could be there more often to just hang out with her (I live six states away), but good lord. With both of her parents dying within a year of each other, the woman deserves some relaxation. If that comes via Cosmo quizzes and articles about planning the perfect party, so be it. :)

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5 replies
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ElizabethD
May 6, 2009 8:36 PM
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@u2acro:

You are awesome. I wish someone would buy me some of my cancelled subscriptions. But my kids are all students = poor ATM!

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squinko
May 6, 2009 5:44 PM
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@u2acro: That's pretty funny. We do the same thing with my father-in-law, except it's Guns & Ammo instead of Redbok. :)

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pecan 3.14159265
May 6, 2009 5:43 PM
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@u2acro: I don't understand some magazines myself, but if it makes her happy, you're doing your due diligence as a daughter. The only one I subscribe to is a cooking magazine, and the content never gets old.

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VeryFancyBunny
May 6, 2009 5:37 PM
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@u2acro: My sister-in-law is nuts about her magazines, too. Gossip rags, specifically. I don't see the point in reading about the gossip a week after it's happened, but it's her way to relax at the end of a week of teaching (she collects all her magazines over the course of the week and reads them all on Friday night), so I don't question it.

Husband and I renew two of her subscriptions for Christmas every year, and from the way she reacts to this, you'd think we saved the world!

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sponica
May 6, 2009 5:31 PM
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@u2acro: Reading for free on the interwebs is overrated. Those National Geographic pictures look better when you're sharing the magazine with a hyper 4 yr old on a subway...can't do that with the interwebs.

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Applekid
May 6, 2009 5:32 PM
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My mother doesn't want anything for Mother's Day. She really does want the ability to lord over me the fact that I didn't get her anything for the next 5 Thanksgivings.

I call shenanigans on this poll.

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5 replies
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TheWillow
May 6, 2009 6:15 PM
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@Applekid: This. I ordered flowers, emailed my brother to tell him I ordered flowers (from both of us, which is totally his birthday present this year) and then 3 hours later my dad called to remind me to order flowers.

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edwardso
May 6, 2009 6:20 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Applekid was saying that by not getting a gift for mother's day mom can bring it up at thanksgiving for years

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edwardso
May 6, 2009 6:55 PM
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@Trai_Dep: Believe me, I see the humor, my mom is the same way

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HFC
May 6, 2009 5:32 PM
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My wife told me she didn't want anything for Mother's Day. I told her that was fine with me.

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4 replies
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MarleneMops
May 6, 2009 7:24 PM
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@HFC: If she says she doesn't want anything, it really means she does.

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LegoMan322
May 6, 2009 7:55 PM
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@MarleneMops: LOL...then she should of said something!

My wife and mother are good. Thank god no presents this year.

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unobservant
May 6, 2009 6:00 PM
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@HFC: Are you looking for a medal or the smack upside the head you so richly deserve? ;)

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squinko
May 6, 2009 5:45 PM
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@HFC: A wise admiral once said, \"It's a trap!\"

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Andrew Heitz
May 6, 2009 5:37 PM
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I'm still waiting for Hallmark to create a holiday for the recession, which morbidly lands on a Tuesday every year.


Their biggest selling card will be the kitten on the clothes line saying \"Hang in There\".

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Kitteridge
May 6, 2009 5:39 PM
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Probably quite true.

That said, if you forget the card, you're toast.

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Outrun1986
May 6, 2009 5:40 PM
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My mom doesn't want anything for mothers day, so I have to respect that. She really doesn't want anything. Considering all the frivolous stuff that is out there as the \"typical\" mother's day gifts I can see why. People spend hundreds on flowers and they just die anyways. She just doesn't like those things. If she wants something its usually something practical like an inexpensive shirt or another piece of clothing she will actually use.

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1 replies
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squinko
May 6, 2009 5:47 PM
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@Outrun1986: My mom's the same way, so I usually get her gift cards to restaurants that she visits regularly with my step-dad. They don't take up space, she'll use them up before any expiration dates or fees gets charged and I know she'll like it.

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Spaceman Bill Leah
May 6, 2009 5:52 PM
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I want a goddamn circus sideshow production for Mother's Day with elephants and streamers and funnel cake.

But I'd totally settle for being allowed to sleep until 8:30.

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1 replies
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mythago
May 6, 2009 6:50 PM
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@Spaceman Bill Leah: Don't sell yourself short! Hold out until 10:00, with nobody stomping around and yelling \"Is Mom up yet?\" until 9:30.

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ryohazuki222
May 6, 2009 5:57 PM
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Funny. My mom usually says she doesn't want anything.... just well behaved kids that are nice to each other.

This year? She says she doesn't care about that, she wants a gift. Something material :)

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mythago
May 6, 2009 6:30 PM
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@ryohazuki222: Also, something she has a chance in hell of actually getting!

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LightningUsagi
May 6, 2009 6:08 PM
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My husband has a bad habit of buying me expensive electronics for holidays, so to head him off at the pass this year, I cashed in Mother's Day, my birthday, and Christmas a few weeks ago to order a little something that I've been wanting. Not so much a recession-issue, but an issue of not needing another gaming system in the house collecting dust...or the bill that goes along with it.

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mythago
May 6, 2009 6:11 PM
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Hi, actual mom here. Who do you think wants to be quoted in the national media as saying \"Jesus, I get plenty of time with my family, what I really want is five minutes in the bathroom without somebody pounding on the door and yelling 'MOOOOOOOMMMMM'. Oh, and an iPod would be nice\"? The last person who could say that without getting death threats was Erma Bombeck.

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1 replies
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littlebird802619
May 6, 2009 6:18 PM
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@mythago: amen!!!! My son is 22 and still can't understand that if the bathroom door is closed that means wait quietly till it opens. All i want for mother's day is a long bubblebath without anyone trying to hold a conversation from a floor and a closed door away

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CowboyRob
May 6, 2009 6:28 PM
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Wait. You have to buy a gift for your mother-in-law as well? Crap.

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2 replies
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pecan 3.14159265
May 6, 2009 6:34 PM
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@CowboyRob: Well no, but if your spouse is buying a gift for his/her mom, then money is spent for two gifts.

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CowboyRob
May 6, 2009 6:39 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265:


Okay, that'll work with me. She can get something for her mom, I'll get something for mine.


(I just got married last year so I'm only learning the rules of gift-buying this year.)

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LegoMan322
May 6, 2009 7:58 PM
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@CowboyRob: The best rules I have found for gift buying are....buy it if you want to buy it. Dont buy something cuz \"you have to\". That completely defeats the purpose of buying a gift.

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pecan 3.14159265
May 7, 2009 5:29 PM
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@LegoMan322: But be prepare to face some kind of wrath.

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sockrockinbeats
May 6, 2009 6:34 PM
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my mom likes \"services\" more than flowers, clothes, jewelry, etc. last year i painted some chairs for her and did some gardening, this year i'm painting a table and doing more gardening. she hates doing that stuff but is obsessed with the house looking nice, and she really appreciates it.

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aftercancer
May 6, 2009 6:36 PM
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Another actual Mom here and here's my vote. A day without spending time with my family. It's not much of a holiday if as mythago said \"you can't get five minutes in the bathroom\"

Wanna win superdad points? Tell the wife you're taking the kids somewhere for the day and that she has the house to herself. She'll figure out what to do from there, I promise :)

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kaceetheconsumer
May 7, 2009 10:14 PM
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@aftercancer: Yup. Ever since I had my baby, all I've wanted for birthdays etc was quiet time to myself.

We've usually ignored mother's day, though, because my mom always turned it into a horrific guilt-nightmare and I swore I wouldn't do that to my kids.

This year I'll be recovering from foot surgery. I think I'm going to be getting the quiet time just fine. And pain meds. WOOT! ;)

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Jevia
May 7, 2009 1:59 PM
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@aftercancer: Oh yeah, that would totally make my Mother's Day.

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ElizabethD
May 6, 2009 8:38 PM
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@aftercancer:

I *so* agree with this! Time of one's own = priceless.

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EdnaLegume
May 6, 2009 6:42 PM
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uh yeah... NO. Mom here. I would love time OFF of my \"job\". Mothers day is just another day. I still have to wait on everybody and take care of the kids.

I'd like a day to myself. A new vacuum would be nice too.

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2 replies
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Xay
May 6, 2009 8:35 PM
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@EdnaLegume: THIS. I would love for everyone else to go to brunch and the park and the movies and just let me sleep until noon.


A delicious baked good would be a plus.

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mythago
May 6, 2009 6:49 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Are you serious? There are moms who actually want to go to brunch for Mother's Day?

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mistifi
May 6, 2009 7:09 PM
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My mom and I are going up to NH in June for a reunion, so I'm taking her to an indoor sky-diving place in Nashua as a belated Mom's Day gift. It's perfect because she loves to think of herself as a thrill-seeker but she would never ever go jumping out a plane. Plus, indoor skydiving is way less expensive.

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twonewfs
May 6, 2009 8:44 PM
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I used to ask for one hour, to browse in a Harvard Square bookstre, without anyone whining: \"Are you THROUGH yet?\" The record was 20 minutes, but they were golden!

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ajlei
May 6, 2009 8:44 PM
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My family bought my mom a new laptop... but I know she's been pining for one for about a year, and she's the last person in our family to get one. But normally, she never wants anything except a card and for someone else to do the dishes.

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CFinWV
May 6, 2009 9:39 PM
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A lot of the message boards I frequent of full of \"What are you getting for Mother's Day?\" threads. I call BS, they want something. Don't be fooled.

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HogwartsAlum
May 6, 2009 9:45 PM
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Oops, I better get a card in the mail.

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MBEmom
May 6, 2009 11:16 PM
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I am a mom, obviously. I rarely ask my husband for anything purchased. What I really want is to be able to sleep in and have breakfast prepared for me. I hate going to a fancy brunch because I always have to get up and get all the kids ready in their nice clothes, not to mention me. I prefer laziness, thanks, at least on the day that is supposed to be about what I want.

This year I did ask for something, a purse from Macy's. I did give him a code for 25 percent off online, though. I wonder what that says about the recession?

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chiieddy
May 7, 2009 1:24 AM
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We're taking my Mother in Law out on Mom's Day and my mother is visiting the next weekend so we'll take her out then.

Although, one year I went to Paris with Mom and took her out to dinner there on what happened to be Mother's Day. I'll never beat that one.

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anduin
May 7, 2009 2:57 AM
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ha thats funny cause my mom just told me that she has no time to spend with me and my brother (shes a busy realtor) and that we should just get her a spa gift or something which we have no intention of doing since that defeats what I believe to be the purpose of mothers day

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TechnoDestructo
May 7, 2009 7:22 AM
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My mom's a hoarder...the best thing I could possibly get her is nothing.

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2 replies
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DeeKey
May 7, 2009 10:55 AM
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@TechnoDestructo: Ditto on the hoarding, in fact, I have a long-standing offer to have a dumpster placed in her side-yard in order for her to purge, she never has taken me up on it. I told everyone when she dies I am just gonna burn it all because it would take years to sift thru that mess for photos and keepsakes. This knowledge got me off the hook when my sibling blabbed to her and now I don't have to be executor. Brilliant!

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Front_Towards_Enemy
May 7, 2009 3:53 PM
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@DeeKey: \"in fact, I have a long-standing offer to have a dumpster placed in her side-yard in order for her to purge, she never has taken me up on it. I told everyone when she dies I am just gonna burn it all because it would take years to sift thru that mess for photos and keepsakes.\"

If you actually plan to do this, be sure to wait until she passes. Otherwise, you will continuously end-up in the \"Don't throw it away! someone could possibly use it\" argument.

We are going through this right now. Her mom is from the depression-era when *nothing* was tossed. Every piece of junk we toss is questioned and fretted upon until we hear the satisfying *clang* as it hits the dumpster wall. On some items, her mom actually tried to retrieve a broken old lamp from the dumpster but could not reach far enough in to claim it.

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Front_Towards_Enemy
May 7, 2009 3:56 PM
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Oh for you lucky readers who jsu read my previous message, we are up to 9 tons of junk from the basement alone. We still need to tackle the attic which is chock full of crap like 40 years of National Geographics and at least 8 broken vacuum cleaners. I will rejoice the day we conquer the 1972 layer.

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JanetCarol
May 7, 2009 6:39 PM
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I weeded and fixed up my mother's flower beds for mothers day. She loved it. It was like 6 hours worth of work, but didn't cost me much other than gas.

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