What do you normally do on Mother’s Day? Do you stay home and relax? Go out to eat?

This will be my 5th year celebrating Mother’s Day for myself; before that it was all about my mami. Of course, that means that I share the celebrations with my mom now. Usually, this means I do a little relaxing at home with my family and then visit my mother for the other half of the day. I think once we all went out to eat together. But, we’ve never really done a family day out for Mother’s Day. I think maybe next year I will plan a beach trip so we can all enjoy the wonderful May weather and both my mom and I can relax by the ocean.

To celebrate Mother’s Day, Nestle Family is currently holding a national giveaway on their site and also offering a giveaway for ModernMami.com readers.

Mother’s Day to Remember National Sweepstakes

You could win $8,000 toward a family dream vacation plus $2,000 for a spa day or night out on the town with your friends. See details and enter at Nestle Family by May 31, 2010.

ModernMami.com Reader Giveaway

One of you could win a prize pack full of the following coupons and products ($150 value):

• $29.99 Shutterfly gift card
• 30-day supply of Glowelle
• Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials
• Juicy Juice
• Dreyer’s ice cream
• Toll House
• Nesquik
• Cranberry Raisinets
• Stouffer’s
• Nestle Pure Life
• Wonka Exceptionals
• Wonka Sploshberries
• Recipe cards featuring recipes from meals.com

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this contest, simply leave a comment below and tell us how you normally celebrate Mother’s Day.

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on twitter.
2. Tweet the following: Enter to win $150 worth of Nestle products at @modernmami. Ends 5/13. http://bit.ly/dcoTFJ #giveaway #contest
3. Like ModernMami.com on Facebook and leave a comment on this post with your Facebook name.
4. Subscribe to this blog via email and leave a comment with the email you used to subscribe. (You can use the email field to do this instead of putting your email in the comment if you prefer.)
5. Subscribe on friendfeed and leave a comment with your friendfeed ID.
6. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing with your readers how you celebrate Mother’s Day and make sure to link back to this contest page in your post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Thursday, May 13 at 11:59 pm EST. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

Hope all you mamis have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Disclosure: In conjunction with hosting this giveaway, I will also receive a Nestle Family prize pack.

Looking for some last minute Mother’s Day gift ideas for that special lady in your life? Here are a few suggestions for those busy working moms you know.

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for the Working Mom

Workplace Flexibility: Realigning 20th-century Jobs for a 21st-century Workforce

Though I have not personally read this book, the woman who likes to read non-fiction and is interested in topics related to work-life balance may find it right up her alley. Workplace Flexibility brings together 16 essays authored by leading experts in economics, demography, political science, law, sociology, anthropology, and management. They examine existing business practices and public policy regarding flexibility in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan. The book presents a compelling argument for voluntary adoption of best flexibility practices that are a win-win for both the employer and the employee.

Slow Cooker

I know first-hand how hard it can be to put dinner on the table on busy weeknights, when you’ve had a long day at work and just want to relax yourself. I received a slow cooker for Christmas, and have found it useful on several occasions for cooking meals while away. Some women may not want a kitchen appliance as a gift, but there are those who will appreciate having a slow cooker in the house to help with the daily dinner rush.

Subscription to Working Mother Magazine

A good magazine subscription can make for a great gift. Many women enjoy browsing through magazines for new ideas, tips, and information. As the title indicates, this magazine is tailored for the working mother.

Smart Phone

Image from Volker on Mobile

Smart phones can be very useful for a working mother. She may find that she’s able to increase productivity using a smart phone and balance the home and work life better.

Wii Fit Plus

I love my Wii Fit Plus and use it to exercise, relax, and have fun. I like that I can use it in a variety of ways depending on my mood and that I can even play alongside my baby girl. This might actually become more of a family gift, but mom will appreciate it too.

Spa Gift Card

Photo by Thomas Wanhoff

Of course, you can never go wrong with a gift card so your special lady can get away for a bit and get some me time. Treat her to a massage, facial, or just some relax time with a spa gift card and she’ll definitely be happy!

What is your favorite Mother’s Day gift to give those special women in your life?

Disclosure: Links to products are Amazon.com affiliate links.

“Working fathers are struggling to juggle the competing demands of family and career, according to a report that shows that they are just as uneasy with their work-life balance as mothers.“

No surprise there. But, perhaps this isn’t obvious to everyone else.

The above quote is from the UK-based article titled Working fathers want more time with their children too. The article outlines some key points from the Fathers, Family and Work report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). A few interesting points in the article:

• 42% of fathers felt they were not able to spend enough time with their children
• About two in five men fear that asking for flexible working arrangements would result in their commitment to their job being questioned.
• “…employers think of women as a potential burden because they worry they will want flexible conditions. It will be helpful for women…once men are also seen as likely to demand flexible working.”

I guess it’s good for formal research to be completed and a report published on what I feel is something most men and women probably already knew. I know that my husband struggles with being a working dad just as much as I do with being a working mom. Of course he wants to spend more time with baby girl. And of course he has a hard time with balancing it all. He often works with me on planning our evening schedules and household calendar to try to manage all aspects of our daily lives.

Is this news to you or does this just confirm what you already knew? Let me know in the comments what you think of the article, the report, or just working dads in general.

A few months back, Sheena of the Mommy Daddy Blog posted some results of a study that examined moms by race. In the post, only results of Caucasian and African American moms were included. So, I mentioned to Sheena that it would have been nice to know how Latina moms would have fared in such a study.

It turns out that the original study did include Hispanic moms.

The folks at BSM Media shared the full results with Sheena so that she could forward to me.

Here are some major findings of the study:

• Education and health care were listed as the primary concern  for the majority of all African American, Caucasian and Hispanic mothers. Hispanic moms (67%) responded that employment was another top concern.
• The top three challenges as a mother included saving for the future and the rising cost of food for all respondents. However, Caucasian moms named managing the desires of their children for material things as a challenge (45%), African American moms are battling with affordable housing (35%) and Hispanic moms are feeling challenged by the need for steady income (56%).
• While online, African American mothers are more likely to read articles (68%) and experience music (45%). Caucasian mothers are likely to frequent social networks (45%) and message boards (43%). Blogs were the top choice among Hispanic Moms (55%) followed by social networks (42%).
• When an African American mom catches a rare free moment, she is most likely to read (77%), Caucasian moms are most likely to surf the Internet (77%) and Hispanic moms enjoy spending time with their spouses (78%).
• When asked about their ultimate indulgences, Caucasian moms listed a rich dessert (48%) and a fine bottle of wine (40%) among their top treats. African American moms would rather indulge by sleeping late (60%) or getting away for the weekend (35%). Hispanic moms choose to treat themselves with spa treatments (50%) or long, hot baths (50%).
• Although the majority of all moms have made household adjustments to cope with the family crisis, African American moms are more likely to delay major purchases (57%) and avoid stores to reduce shopping (54%). Caucasian moms are coping by using coupons and discount codes (73%) and driving fewer places to conserve gas (62%). The most popular coping strategy among Hispanic moms is also using coupons (80%) but delaying major purchases is also common (68%).
• Overall, Caucasian and Hispanic moms think marketers are doing a better job in speaking to them than African American moms.

More information on the study can be found at the Marketing to Moms Blog by BSM Media, though their post also doesn’t include the results of Hispanic moms.

Do the results surprise you? Do you find the differences from one race to the other interesting?

Photo by brandysnow