As a mom, I feel I can write with authority on the topic of what makes a perfect Mother’s Day gift. Of course, moms have as many things in common as they have differences, so there is not one perfect gift that will fit us all. But here are a few things that speak to my heart.

1) A handmade gift that was thought out by our child / children. This could be a drawing, a painting, a box turned into a birdhouse or a giraffe-shaped cookie for all we care. Although we generally have an eye for aesthetics, we aren’t particularly concerned about how beautiful it is, but rather that our child took the time and energy to make it with mom in mind. If your children are older, this can come in the form of an Mp3 mix just for mom, a story or poem written with her in mind, or a digitally made and printed photo album you took the time to lay out and order.

2) A meal made by our family. Most of the principles in gift idea one (made with us in mind) apply here with one exception; it must actually taste good.  If dad and accompanying offspring are terrible cooks, then taking mom out for brunch is much more appreciated.

3) A romance or other novel you know is to our liking, accompanied by a block of time to read. In the area of romance, I would of course love you to consider GREEN, my debut novel. But I also recommend any of Tracy Brogan’s books such as Crazy Little Thing . I’m personally looking forward to her latest novel The Best Medicine, that will be available on May 13th, 2014 and can be pre-ordered now. While I personally love reading romance, not all moms do. Thus consider a book in a genre you have seen her read, whether it’s contemporary fiction and literature, biography, or DIY manuals.

4) Fair Trade Chocolate. I know. Cliche. But seriously. Who doesn’t love chocolate?  We all talk about how we are slaves to chocolate, we love it so much. But true slavery is no laughing matter, and unfortunately, the cocoa industry is known to use child labor and slavery. What mom wants to support child labor on mother’s day? Thus choose Fair Trade chocolate, such as Tony’s Chocolonely, which is not only delicious, but doing it’s best to make “slavery free chocolate.” This is a very difficult feat in the way cocoa farms are currently set up. Another well-known conscientious chocolate company is Endangered Species chocolate. You can also see the Food Empowerment Project’s list of recommended vegan chocolates for an extended list of child-labor free chocolates.

5) And now, put it all together: Make us a delicious meal, topped off by fair trade chocolate and a hand made gift and then send us to our reading chair with a great book. Oh, Happy Mother’s Day!