Top Last-Minute Gift Picks for Mother's Day

It's Mother's Day, and for whatever reason, you are finding yourself waking up today having forgotten to grab a gift for your mom. As a daughter, I know it happens, and as a mother, I think your mom is unlikely to hold it against you! She understands that your life gets busy, that you get swamped at work, and that sometimes these special holidays and events creep up on us before we even realize it.

Though a nice phone call or visit is enough for most moms, why not surprise your mother this Mother's Day with a gift? She'll never know that it was a last minute pick with my fabulous suggestions and ideas!

The Tried-And-True: A Beautiful Flower Bouquet

A bouquet is an old standard for celebrations of every kind, but some lovely spring blooms are particularly appreciated on Mother's Day. You may think that an elaborate arrangement is something that you have to order well in advance, but most grocery stores, including Walmart, carry beautiful arrangements that you can pick up before a Mother's Day Brunch.

Some stores prearrange flowers in lovely vases that look similar in size and quality to what you will find in a professional florist's shop. I am lucky to have both a Whole Foods and a Kroger near me, and these are two groceries I know of that always carry beautiful, fresh arrangements that are already in vases. Many areas even offer pick-up or delivery for ultimate convenience!

Of course, you can always pick up a vase-less arrangement, or create your own with loose grocery store stems, and purchase a vase at the store.

Another great option is potted plants, especially for mothers with green thumbs! Plenty of beautiful spring and summer blooms are in season, including roses and azaleas, but you don't have to limit yourself to flowers! Succulents are hardy and thoughtful gifts, and even hanging ferns can make a beautiful addition to Mom's porch or patio. Potted plants are often carried in the floral sections of the grocery stores listed above, but you can also check in the greenhouses of home improvement stores open Sunday such as Home Depot and Lowe's for a wider selection.

The Long-Distance Mother: A Meaningful Subscription

Maybe you've woken up on Mother's Day as a child or grandchild who lives hundreds or even thousands of miles away. It's too late for you to order flowers or to ship something through Amazon Prime, and you're sweating wondering how you can let your mother-figure know that you're thinking of her.

A perfect gift that can be sent instantly to her e-mail is a StoryWorth subscription. StoryWorth is a subscription service that allows your parent or grandparent to answer one question a week in words and or photos. The questions address her memories from different times in her life, and once her year's subscription is up, the subscription includes one beautifully bound book of her all her stories.

I got my grandmother a subscription to this service the Christmas before last, and she used it almost weekly and wrote down many things I never knew about her life! The online service is easy for anyone to learn how to use, even if your gift recipient is not incredibly computer-savvy.

Rest & Relaxation: Favorite Spa Products

Anyone who read about my top picks for Teacher Appreciation Week knows I love a good spa product! Even if you haven't had time to order your mom a fancy spa gift basket or to run to the mall for some high-ticket products, I have some absolute favorite products you can find on the shelves of your local Walmart and many other chain and grocery stores to encourage the mothers in your life to get all the rest and relaxation the deserves for Mother's Day! Combine your favorites in a pretty gift bag or basket for the ultimate spa retreat at home.

• Dr. Teal's Restore & Replenish Pure Epsom Salt & Essential Oils are a great addition to a soothing bath. They smell great and are infused with pink Himalayan and Epsom salts to ease sore muscles, relieve tired feet, and calm the mind.
• Tree Hut Shea Sugar Exfoliating Body Scrub in Tropical Mango is one of several scents in the Tree Hut line, but this one smells divine and is my absolute favorite. Made with sugar, shea butter, and mango puree, this product is super hydrating and super exfoliating.
• Jergens Wet Skin Refreshing Coconut Oil Moisturizer is a fantastic and long-lasting product that absorbs quickly for instantly hydrated and luminous skin. With hydrating coconut oil from a trusted brand, Mom is sure to appreciate the benefits of this product.
• Burt's Bees Tips and Toes Kit Gift Set is one of my favorite purchases for myself and others. This set includes trial sizes of Almond and Milk Hand Cream, Honey and Grapeseed Hand Cream, Hand Salve, Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, Coconut Foot Cream, and Pomegranate Lip Balm. Using all of the products in this set makes me feel pampered, and the mothers in your life will love it, too!
• WoodWick Large Hourglass Candle in Lavender Spa is a high-quality and highly rated candle that any mom will love to burn in her bathroom or bedroom. Not only is lavender a naturally soothing scent that promotes decreased stress, but these candles also feature a crackling wood wick that sounds almost like sitting next to a fire for ultimate relaxation.
• Secret Treasures Luxe Faux Fur Two Band Slide Slipper is the ultimate luxury slipper to complete your mom's home spa experience. Pillow-soft and available in five colors, these make a great standalone gift or finishing touch to other spa products.

Of course, if you are long distance from a mom or grandmother in your life, an easy option for bath & body product loving people would be subscription box - it's the gift that gives all year! Pick out an awesome box for your mother, and send her a sweet text message alerting her to your gift. It will be much appreciated, guaranteed.

Book-Loving Mothers: A Sentimental Read

If your family is anything like mine, almost everybody loves to read. And luckily for those of us who put off gifting until the last minute (hey, it happens!) most chain bookstores are open on Mother's Day, including Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. A book that matches some of the themes of Mother's Day is a great choice, and your mother is sure to think of you with gratitude as she buries her nose in a brand new book.

Here are some of my absolute favorite reads about mothers and their children of all time for you to look for!

• The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton is available at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million. A generational tale of mothers and daughters, one daughter searches for answers in her 90-year-old mother's past.
• Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns is available at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million. In this coming of age story, a youthful grandson explores the family ties that bind and learns to accept a new step-grandmother after the death of his beloved Granny.
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is available at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million. Set in Afghan history, the novel traces the interactions between two mothers, separated generationally, united by a series of difficult circumstances.
• A Long Time Gone by Karen White is available at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million. Set in the Mississippi Delta, it traces several generations of women and a granddaughter's quest to uncover the secrets of her family.
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is available at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million. Now a Hulu original series, this novel is all about the interactions between two ferocious mothers and their families who find themselves on opposite sides of mutual friends' custody battle.
• Dark Witch by Nora Roberts is available at Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million. This quick and enjoyable read highlights two magical siblings and their American cousin fighting a generational curse from which their foremothers' love has protected them for generations. \

The Universal Gift: A Heartfelt Message

Whether you live near or far, one of the best gifts you can give your mother or other mother figures in your life is sitting down and penning some heartfelt words about what they've taught your or what they mean to you. One of my mom's favorite Mother's Days to date was when one of my childhood poems, which she has held onto all these years.

Even though it might be a little late for the grand gesture of writing about your mom in the newspaper, you could surprise your mom with a poem or story about your relationship here on Vocal, which is a free platform for publishing writing. If you need some inspiration, this narrative essay I penned about some mother figures in my life might be a good starting point. Imagine your mom's surprise when you send her a link to a sentimental story or poem about your love for her.

But here's the thing about mothers...whether you make your feelings known to the world, or pen them privately for her eyes only, there is no gift more special than thanking your mother and telling her how much she means in words. Raising children is hard work, but whether they are three of fifty-three, we always love feeling that we are appreciated and loved by our children. Expressing yourself through writing is a lovely gift that your mother will forever treasure.

Here's to hoping that you feel inspired to make the mothers in your life feel special this Mother's Day!