Chances are you know a teacher who deserves a special thank-you gift, a new neighbor who would love a housewarming gesture, a momma-to-be in need of a shower something or other or maybe a pal who needs a little cheer while recovering from an illness. And chances are you’re completely stuck on what to get these people.

Meet Out of the Blue Delivered — a clever and crafty little company offering gifts for every occasion and life event. Shop around, pick your favorites, and then have them delivered. It’s that easy. And if you want some direction while you peruse this site, here are some of my faves:

• Blackboard coasters — I love, love, love these. First, they’re coasters and blackboards, which means you can write on them with chalk and then wipe them clean. Perfect for nifty little notes and to-do reminders. Second, they’re magnets, so when you’re not using your coasters, just store them on the fridge. Third, you can use them for nameplates at your dinner parties, and they can double as, yep, coasters. Love these.
• An adorable plaque that reads, “Heal” — perfect for a heartfelt get-well wish.
• Hand-made guest book — wouldn’t every bride and groom love this pretty prize?
• Spa warming pillow — throw this cozy number in the microwave for 3 minutes, and then warm all your tired and achy parts.

Your turn — take a tour of this super store, and tell us what you like best.

I love to give baskets full of goodies for gifts. I love a good theme too. So I’m recommending you get yourself a basket (or a mini storage bin, tote bag, anything that hold goods — just don’t make it a laundry basket, OK?). Then get yourself a theme, and put together a little something special for mom on Mother’s Day.

Pick a healthy eating theme, and fill your basket with an assortment of fruit. Choose a summer reading theme, and stock your basket with a few books (try this one), a bookmark, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat. How about summer movies? Gather some movie tickets or a Blockbuster gift card, some microwave popcorn and some not-so-treacherous movie candy (Milk Duds are better than peanut M&Ms). And my favorite: The R&R basket, complete with candle, bubble bath, body lotions and gift certificate for a pedicure. Your basket can be a hodge-podge of all mom’s favorite things, too. You get to decide — just get out there and decide, because Mother’s Day is on Sunday, and it’s Friday, and, well, you’re running out of time.

Are these not the cutest flip flops ever? They’d make a pretty nifty Mother’s Day gift, wouldn’t they? I’m thinking so. In fact, I know how comfy these Havaianas Fit cuties are — my sister won a silver pair in a giveaway recently, and she passed them on to me (she’d just bought herself some silver sandals and was feeling generous) — and so I can promise mom will love them. Well, maybe not promise. But chances are, she’ll feel pretty sporty and summery in her very own pair. All you need to do is shell out $30 bucks (she’s worth it, right?) and order a pair for mommy dearest. Pick from pink, white, black, silver or gold. Hey, get a  pair for yourself while you’re at it.

I know moms and flowers go together pretty well, and you might be thinking of sending your momma a perfectly pretty bouquet of arranged flowers for Mother’s Day this year. But flowers are expensive, and they don’t last very long, and that’s why I suggest you head over to your nearest garden shop and buy a few plants your mom can plop right in her own yard. Hand deliver your favorite picks, and help mom bury them in the dirt. If you don’t live nearby, bundle up a few packets of seeds and some other garden goodies and mail them off to your special girl. Whether you live near or far, mom will get to watch your love grow.

Times are tough, and money is tight. But even though you might not have much to spend on mom this year, doesn’t mean you can’t treat her right. In fact, if you’ve got a TCBY nearby, you can get your mom something — for nothing.

TCBY is handing out a free cup or cone to all moms who stop by one of their stores on Sunday, May 10. I, for one, have this marked on my calendar, because I love frozen yogurt (try the non-fat, no-sugar-added flavor — it’s always yummy), and I don’t want to forget to get myself there for my very own freebie. Oh, and TCBY will be dishing out the same deal for Father’s Day, so mark your calendars for that too. But for now, plan to take mom for a frozen treat on Sunday. She’ll love you forever. Well, she’ll probably love you forever anyway, but just to seal the deal, get her something smooth and creamy, and maybe even sinful.

Here’s what TCBY says about their great gift to moms: “For the second year in a row, TCBY will open its doors to celebrate moms on Mother’s Day with a sweet tribute to the women we all love. And there is arguably no better gift than one that’s both delicious and healthy. TCBY’s yogurt is low in fat and calories, when compared to ice cream, and is loaded with plenty of live, active cultures (probiotics) to improve overall health and digestion.”

Thanks, TCBY!

Photo by TCBY

If you’re a mom, or you have a mom, or you love someone else’s mom, then you know how important Mother’s Day is. Sure, we should honor the moms in our lives every day, but I like that there’s one special day set aside for celebration. Kind of like a birthday, where balloons and candles and mounds of gifts are the norm, Mother’s Day should be treated like one big party.

Let’s talk gifts — do you know what you’re getting mom this year? Do you know what you want this year? Between now and the big day — Sunday, May 10, 2009 — I’ll be naming some ideas and sharing them here and over here, at my Breast Cancer blog.

Today, let’s start with something for the foodie mom, the mom who is interested in food but wants to be healthy and maintain her weight too. How about this nifty food scale, which comes in all sorts of colors and is perfect for measuring out that exact one-ounce serving of dark chocolate, which, you know, is actually a healthy daily indulgence — you did know that, right? Makes a good case for buying mom some of the dark stuff too.

If you have school-age children, you’ve probably heard rumblings of upcoming teacher appreciation events. At my kids’ school, a whole week is devoted to thanking our hard-working teachers, and May is the month chosen for the week-long outpouring of cards, gifts and luncheons. Well, tomorrow is May. Seems the right time to start thinking of gift ideas.

Teacher Appreciation Week can be a lot of fun. It can also be stressful. I mean, how exactly do you properly thank someone for teaching your youngsters to sit criss-cross applesauce, color in the lines, cut with scissors, spell, read, write and use good manners? In my opinion, you’ve got to find out a bit about the teacher who deserves the thanks, and then you’ve got to locate resources to help you take action on your findings.

Tip Junkie is just the place. Here, you’ll find amazingly creative ideas for making teacher survival kits, crafty clipboards and initial plaques made out of crayons. Here, you’ll stumble upon ideas for decorating teachers’ doors, putting together personalized journals and presenting plants with gift cards attached. Then there’s Skip to my Lou, where more ideas await you. No excuses for not appreciating your teachers after you shop these three sites.

Oh, and while you’re at it, you might as well get started on Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10 is the big day)  — perfectly pretty gift ideas right here.

Photo by: Jeff Kubina on flickr

I’m wondering: How do you feel about electronics for kids — TV, computer, Wii, video games and, yes, that Nintendo DS that everyone seems to have? Leave me a comment and share your opinion, please.

Recently, we shared some tips for raising your kids to be readers, and now, just in time for Easter, we’ve got a great idea for what you can stuff in your little ones’ festive baskets: Books.

I don’t know about you, but at our house, we love the Berenstain Bears books by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Here’s one that’s just right for Bunny Day: The Berenstain Bears and the Real Easter Eggs. We love us some good Max and Ruby stories too.

Now, we know you probably want to sneak some candy in those baskets, and that’s just fine, but why not stray from the typical sugary treats a bit and offer your kiddos something that will last a whole longer, and happens to be a whole lot healthier too.

Now tell us all about your favorite kid books. And tell us what non-candy goods your kids will find in their Easter baskets this year.

Photo by: ButterflySha on flickr