When I was little, I remember my dad buying my mom a bottle of perfume every Mother's Day. He'd show me and my brother the little bottle and we'd happily give it to her, along with whatever card or craft we made at school. I don't remember whether we did anything for her that day. I sure hope so, but it isn't something that sticks out in my memory. I hope she knows that we loved her and appreciated what she did for our family.

Now that I'm a mom, I don't want perfume - a sensitivity to smells will do that - but I do really enjoy the handmade cards and crafts from my kids. I keep them all in the drawer in my bedside table and pull them out every so often.

I was thinking about Mother's Day gifts. It might have had something to do with all the ads I was seeing anytime I went on the internet or used an app on my phone. Companies pushing personalized jewelry, products to pamper, and t-shirts with cute sayings. The only thing that I really want for Mother's Day is a picture of me with my kids. Maybe that's just me though so I asked a group of moms what they really want for Mother's Day. Many of them said that they wanted to spend time with their kids, maybe go for a walk or get ice cream.

The biggest theme in the answers was that no one wanted to have to plan anything or cook on Mother's Day. I think we can all agree that moms in general spend a lot of mental energy keeping their families happy. Moms don't necessarily need a day at the spa or expensive jewelry (though I'm sure they'd love either), they just want to relax. The greatest gift you can give a mom is some enjoyable time with her kids with food or snacks that she didn't have to plan or prepare. Maybe throw in a load of laundry for bonus points.

Obviously you know your mom best and if you think she'd appreciate a store-bought gift, by all means you should get that for her. But, from what I'm hearing, a homemade card from the kids and a simple family walk works well. Other than that, a meal at a restaurant (or take home), doing some chores around the house that she normally does, or a massage are popular ideas.

How do you celebrate Mother's Day? What do you think moms really want?