There are plenty of great online resources for Father’s day. Here’s a short collection of websites that Mashable listed as great places to find gift ideas for dear old dad:

FamilyCorner.com - A lengthy list of crafty gifts you can make for the upcoming holiday.

FamilyFun.com - Lots of gifts you can make at home, fun certificates kids can print out for their dads and more.

Gifts.com - A seemingly endless list of suggestions for just about every type of dad you can think of.

Kaboose.com - Has several home craft gift ideas Gift-Giving-Guide-for-Executives with instructions, a history of the holiday, recipes for meals and more.

MarthaStewart.com - If it’s a holiday celebrated by more than two people, then Martha Stewart http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Stewart probably has some suggestions for you. Has a mixture of homemade gifts and recipe suggestions.

Shopping.AOL.com - Has lots of great resources for gift ideas, but this article in particular has a great list of 10 do’s and don’ts for picking out a gift for dad.

Dad’s can be world’s harder to buy gifts for then moms, but luckily there are lots of suggestions out there to help ease some of the pain.

I of course just told my wife that I wanted a massage for Father’s day. Simple enough a Father’s day gift if I do say so myself. I guess we’ll see what gift her and my children get me for Father’s day.

If you are looking for a different Mother’s Day present this year, give the gift of convenience. For many mothers thinking of nutritious, great tasting and simple to create meals can be extremely time consuming. Many moms can spend hours each week just deciding on what to make and putting together dinner for their family. If you are looking for a gift that will not only save her some time, but also make the entire family happy and satisfied with a delicious meal, look into a menu planning service.

Menu Planning Services are an extremely convenient and effective way to help mom plan the family dinner each evening of the week. But planning what to cook for each dinner is just the beginning. Such services generally also include easy to follow grocery lists that show all the ingredients for the meals of the week, so mom can easily shop one time and pick up all the ingredients she needs to prepare each week’s meals. No more running to the store each day after work and wasting precious time that should be spent with you.

Menu Planning is also especially helpful for those that are on a budget or who would like to save more. You can save hundreds of dollars each month by not taking the family out to eat, and instead providing a tasty and nutritious meal right at home.

With a menu planning service you generally get recipes for each night along with side dishes and desserts that can be cooked any time. Additionally, you also get a tailored shopping list for each week of food that goes along with your meals. No more scouring all the recipes for the ingredients you need. It’s already done for you. Plus, you will receive lots of extras each month that can help you save on your grocery bill and ensure your family is eating delicious and nutritious meals. Something mom is sure to love!

If you are searching for the perfect Mother’s Day gift, give her the enjoyment of Meal Planning. Visit Dine Without Whine - A Family Friendly Weekly Menu Planner to sign up today!

I am crazy for Give Simple, the website with beautiful gifts for any occasion.  They are offering Mother’s Day Express Delivery, order by this Friday at 3pm CDT for Saturday delivery.  I own a tote bag from Give Simple that I absolutely love, and I get comments on it every time I go somewhere with it. Some of the items they carry that would be especially nice for Mother’s Day include Pine Cone Hill pajamas and robes, the PeaceLoveMom charm necklaces, Elite Handbags, or choose a gift set in the Spa or Chocolate collection.  Can’t decide?  Give Simple has Live Chat support from 8:30-5:30 CDT.

Whatever gift you choose, your special lady is sure to feel loved and yes, spoiled by any of the beautiful items from Give Simple. Make her Mother’s Day extra special and order something today!

I asked my husband this morning what would make him feel spoiled. I was somewhat surprised that he had a difficult time with the question, but then, he explained that “spoiled” is something he thinks is an ongoing state, not something that happens on occasion.

So, to him, being spoiled is something that would happen all the time. Okay, I get it. I then asked what would be a daily activity that would make him feel spoiled and he said, “breakfast”. You see, if you know my husband, you know that he loves a good breakfast. Unfortunately, he rarely gets a good breakfast. I gets up an hour before I do during the week and so I’m usually still in bed when he leaves.

To make him feel spoiled, I would be getting up every morning and making him breakfast. Breakfast would consist of omelets, eggs benedict, pancakes, bacon, sausage. I think you get the picture. I do make breakfasts like this for him once in a while, but I probably should do it more often. After all, I would like him to feel spoiled!

What do you do to make your spouse feel spoiled?

Young lovers do silly things sometimes. When my husband and I were courting, we frequently left silly little poems on small slips of paper for each other. We then hid the papers in hidden places for each other to discover later, such as in a book or in a coat pocket. After 19 years of marriage, we still giggle when we recall those silly– and sentimental– moments of our early years.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue;
I’ll meet you at the park
Where sweet kisses are due!

Roses are red,
Violets are turquoise;
When we are together
I want to make lots of noise!

I think I made a poem for every color in the Crayola crayon box! But my husband loved finding these little notes in unsuspected places. He fondly chuckles when he remembers them.

If you’ve been together with your spouse for a long time, those silly little moments are easily swallowed up with other things. Building careers, raising children, buying a home, etc., come to the forefront and the sentimentality of romance and relationship are shifted to the back burner. We marrieds don’t intentionally neglect those times of sweet romance; it just kind of happens. So, it takes effort to stir up those sparks. Doing so can really revitalize your relationship and prevent entropy.

But how does one go about it? Sometimes finances are tight. Sometimes they are not! But whether you buy your love a new kitchen or sports car or a chocolate bar, what really matters is that you keep it personal. Your goal is to stoke those fires that burned during those early years. Sometimes all we have to do is shut out everything– the bills, the TV, the kids, the pets, the clamor of the day– turn off the lights, light the candles, and enjoy each other’s presence. Remember together why you chose each other to have and to hold, for better or for worse, til death do you part. Every relationship needs this kind of attention, but it seems the longer you are together, the more you need to do it.

Take some alone time with your spouse. You’ll probably have to schedule it in! That may make it seem “less romantic” but it needn’t be. Remember those early love notes or sweet things you did together. Stir up the embers of those first days, and before long you’ll have a steady flame going.

The entire idea behind Mother’s Day is for the family to spend that one day of the year to show mother how much she is appreciated. If you’re like me, ideas are sometimes hard to come by. What on earth can you get for the woman who has given up so much to be a mother? Flowers, cards, and chocolate are very nice, but they are… common. If you have an unique kind of mother, you need a unique kind of gift! Sometimes it helps to pen a little list down. Here’s mine, from the perspective of a mother. Perhaps some of these ideas will help you if you’re in need of some creative juices.

1. Time out of the kitchen and away from the dirty dishes.
This is probably number one, in my opinion. I have four children and wash a TON of dishes. Eating out or having a sumptuous dinner home-delivered is a big occasion and we mothers never seem to tire of it! It’s something that doesn’t have to break the bank, either. Coupons and discounts are available online and in local newspapers, and many restaurants offer special deals for mother.

2. A foot spa machine.
I don’t have one. (yet). My sister has one and she absolutely adores it. Judging by her rave reviews and fantastic-looking feet, I think any mother would love this!

3. A gift certificate and an afternoon at the stores.
I can see mother’s eyes now– first, the glassy eyes of unbelief; then, brightening eyes of elation; finally, a wild-eyed glassy look that tells you she’s already out the door. Just make sure it’s a generous gift certificate at a woman’s department store, not a $10 WalMart card (otherwise, she’ll spend it on groceries or vacuum cleaner bags).

4. No arguments at the dinner table!
I think this applies for mothers of young children and grown children. Nothing tears apart our tender little hearts than to see the siblings at each other’s throats. Give mom a break and bicker in someone else’s house, lol!

5. A gadget. Mothers are getting very high-tech these days. Something like a digital photo frame to display her darling babies one by one is nice. A new digital camera or video camcorder is better. Mothers put their hearts into their families, so a social type of electronic gadget is best.

Those are just a smidgen of things you can do for Mother’s Day. Remember, it’s really the thought that counts for Mother’s Day. Be thoughtful and get your mother what she would really like, and make it different. But don’t go over your budget! Mother wouldn’t like that!

Is life hectic? Running around in circles and forgetting about your love? Here’s a quick and easy fix: read together. It works WONDERS!

My husband and I rarely watch television together (we have no reception) but we do watch DVDs. For a while, we were watching DVDs every night. At least we were doing something, but it wasn’t very interactive, and it definitely was not relationship-building (my husband almost always falls asleep before the end of the movie).

When we were young and poor, we had no TV, no DVDs, nothing. We had his stereo and my books. So we played classical music and read together. It was wonderful. Over the years, we lost the habit, but are beginning to pick it up again.

Reading together can bring you together in ways you never dreamed. When you read together, you are sharing a story or event at the time, but reading spawns deeper thought throughout the day. You discover that you and your spouse are discussing things more, opening up each other’s thoughts and feelings. This deepens the relationship beyond the half-hour or so spent reading.

Reading a book can be very relaxing. There’s no hurry, because you can go at your own pace. If you’ve had a particularly busy day, read only a paragraph or a page, or even skip reading that day. There’s no rush like there is with a rented DVD, where you have to watch it so you can get it back to the rental store before tomorrow!

My husband and I like history and non-fiction books. We find that these kinds of books encourage discussion. Our discussions bring us closer together as we “hash” issues out. Of course, if one spouse is a Democrat and another a Republican, you probably want to avoid such polarizing books as Hillary Clinton’s autobiography or Ann Coulter’s latest best seller! Remember– the intent is for reading to bring you together!

Reading together can be a wonderfully simple and satisfying way to enrich your relationship. Books can be purchased or borrowed. And there is no limit to the subjects available!

Do you ever feel like the world is spinning by so fast that you just want to get off? I’ve been feeling that way myself lately and its times like these that we need to take time to slow down. Typically it’s not just one family member that needs to slow down, but sometimes, it’s the entire family.

Slowing down our pace can be a temporary thing, a time to catch our breath. Slowing down can also help you live a healthier and happier life. Here are a few suggestions for slowing down.

1. Choose one morning a week to take yourself and your family out to breakfast. This is a way to share your time together, maybe review the week together, talk with each other and catch up on what is going on in each of your lives.
2. Gather your family together and go for a walk. This can be a weekly or even a nightly event. Strap the leash on the dog and take him along too. Not only is it good exercise, but it’s a chance to be together, enjoy each other’s company.
3. Meet your spouse or significant other for lunch during the work week. (I just did this today with my husband and it was really nice!) This is a great opportunity to spend some time together while the kids are in school. Use this time to reconnect.
4. Invite your spouse for a nice long soak in a nice hot bath. Light some candles and break open a bottle of wine after the kids have all gone to bed.
5. Treat yourself to a manicure, pedicure, facial or the works! This can be time to yourself or maybe you’d like to enjoy a couples massage. Come on, spoil yourselves, you deserve it!

Remember, when you take the opportunity to slow down, you’ll have a chance to pay attention to areas of your life that maybe get put on hold or even ignored. Slowing down gives you a chance to rediscover yourself and your relationships. Spoil each other, but don’t forget, sometimes we need to spoil ourselves.

After doing some fun research I found the following bits of trivia concerning Mother’s Day.

· In the United States, there are about 82.5 million mothers. (source: US Census Bureau)

· about 96% of American consumers take part in some way in Mother’s Day (source: Hallmark)

· Mother’s Day is widely reported as the peak day of the year for long distance telephone calls

· Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year for many restaurants

· Retailers report that Mother’s Day is the second highest gift-giving holiday in the United States (Christmas is the highest).

· Most popular month for having babies in the US is August, and most popular weekday is Tuesday.

Can you find more facts about Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day is May 11th, so now would be a great time to start planning to send Mom a gift. What Mom wouldn’t love to receive this:

Made with Bright and fluffy pink carnations, lavender and yellow daisy pompons, with white and purple accents these beautiful flowers are arranged in a handled basket. It’s the perfect gift for any occasion.
Your purchase includes a FREE personalized gift message.

Unless Mom is allergic to flowers, I bet she would love getting this amazing Mother’s Day Basket Of Cheer® Bouquet! Visit FTD.com to order one today.