Any Idea for Birthday Present for Hard to Buy for Mom...

My mom loves her gardening. About 6 yrs ago I sent a rose bush to her thru the local florist and to this day she tells me how pretty it is and how much she lives it year to year.

One year I sent a towel warmer. She and my stepdad have enjoyed this perk. A nice hit towel as they got out of shower or bath.

They like cooking and I send steaks, desserts, etc for them as well.

Postage stamps and cards are good.

I called the local gas company and had my dad's tank filled up for winter.

Anything made by my daughter is a hit.

Hope that helps a bit!!

I totally agree with SH, when parents get that age, they don't need anything really. I mean the extra stuff. They already have it!! I was going to suggest actually going and buying her groceries and bringing them home and unloading them for her. Go over to her house and make a grocery list for her. Can she use stamps? I used to give those to my grandma in her cards. When my dad got older, I used to buy him trees and we'd plant them in the yard. He is gone now, and I love going over to moms and seeing that one tree that I gave him for fathers day, right before he died. It is a nice reminder of him.

Okay, my Mom is in her 70's.
And being her age, what I do for her per gifts is, get her things she needs.
Like:
- getting her car detailed
- pedicure
- getting necessities she needs.
- photo gifts from my kids from www.kodakgallery.com (they have GREAT things).
- her favorite high end tea
- her favorite food
- gift cert from Whole Foods
- getting the windows washed
- paying for something that she needs fixed or replaced.

Things she needs and likes. And being her age, they OFTEN just need things that they normally would not be able to do... due to physical labor etc. and their lessened energy levels.

Clothes & things of that sort. My Mom has lots. And who wants to be dragged around to shop? Sometimes, even shopping, for clothes, is a not fun thing for them.

Or get a maid to clean her home one weekend.

Does she like tasty food? Try Omaha Steaks. My dad is 86 and really enjoys that as a gift. He doesn't go out much and doesn't need anything new so it worked out really well.

Some people don't want stuff, just experiences.

My parents loved when their five-year-old grdaughter brought her party hats and a birthday cake with candles, and proceeded to jump up and down the entire time "Happy Birthday" was sung.

Take her to a play or museum?

Plant a tree? Plant perennials? Do it together? My dad doesn't see the point in cut flowers, but sees value in a plant that blooms annually. If not at home, perhaps do it at a neighborhood park?

Arranging for repairs to be done is a good idea from below. Clean out the gutters? Paint a room?

Host a party for her friends at her house? Act as hostess and server during the party?

Get a newspaper subscription? Or is she on the internet? Pay for a month or two?

I totally understand.. My mom is the same way she is 72 and I am an only child.. I gave her lottery tickets and sees candy.. That was the gift she loved.

grocery store gift card, fruit basket, or dessert of the month or something,

Do something with some meaningful family photographs. Like make a photobook of this is your life. or blow up huge a nice one of mom and dad's wedding pict.

good luck!

Both my parents and my husbands love their birds in their yard, so birdhouses, feeders with seed or accessories (water heater for the bird bath) is always safe to go with.
Also for food, if they like ham, how bout a ham from the Honey Baked Ham compamy. Mine like the one that's pre sliced in spiral.
honeybakedham.com or your local HBH store.

You've already received some great ideas, just wanted to add that you could make a charitable donation in her name.

My dad drinks coffee. For his birthday, I made a collage mug with memories of the year from my daughter, a sono pic of my son, my nephew, my brother and myself. Things we had all done this year for him to look at each morning.

Photo book from Shutterfly.com. Memories throughout the years of the family.

My mom and dad love it when i write poems. If you're not a writer, try this (I've written two just tonight.) Take a song and put your own words in it. ie: "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". I wrote one tonight "Take me out trick-or-treating, take me door to door......" (my son's point of view). I wrote one for Gammie to the tune of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean. I got the idea from a kid's book I checked out from the libary by author Katz. His books were "Take me out of the Bathtub" and "I'm Still Here in the Bathtub."

Another idea - if it were my mom and I couldn't think of a poem or had some extra money (which we don't), I'd get her new kitchen utensils. When I got married and registered for items, she talked about how fun it was and how she wishes it were 'okay' to register for anniversary gifts. I've since bought her one of those choppers where you put the food on the cutting board, the chopper over the food, and press down on the top of it. They used to be on infomercials, but I got her one at Bed Bath Beyond. My mom's got arthritis at age 62, so she LOVES this gadget. She says she uses it ALL the time for chopping onion and garlic and carrots for soup.

i sell scentsy....it makes a great gift for anyone who is hard to buy for. my mom is 76 and has a warmer going 24/7 and loves the way it makes her house smell. go to the scentsy website and check out what they have.....pm me if you need some more help with scentsy!!

Go to www.coliryan.com and get her an egift. These are really cool. You can select several gifts and add them to the egift. She will get an email and it brings her to the egift. She then can pick the gift she wants and it will be billed to you. Very cool.

It's also same day delivery for you last minute Lucy's out there like me.
:)

She sounds like a wonderful mother who is truly happy and doesn't need more "stuff" to make the day a special one. If you know of a type of food or restaurant that she would like, go and get take-out on the way to her house. They can package up a full meal right down to salad and bread. Her home is her comfort zone and I bet she will enjoy the meal a ton and not have to get dressed up or go out. Still no cooking involved for any of you and just toss the containers away when finished.

How about taking her out to get her hair done?

Write a nice letter to her with thanks for all she did. I guarantee she will love it
.
and/or

Make a donation to a cause she cares about in her name.

Making her something baked or homemade is the best gift anyone can give

I think that you should make her a scrap book - with pictures of y'all when you were young, of different times in her life and yours - if you have children, of course put them in there!! It could have certificates or awards that you won - there are so many thing that you could do with this. Good luck! Let us know what you end up doing!!