My wife turns 30 on Thursday and I need to buy her a special gift...

[Squatch]

any ideas?

We had our first child last March and she's given up her career to devote to raising him. So, I s'pose a gift thanking her for that would be ideal.

[matcom]

1. a nice placenta-loaf?

:hide:

[Squatch]

3. I'm going to kick your ass for that...

...right after I get done :puke:

[khashka]

13. After you kick his ass

it's my turn!

But I guess matcom will always be matcom and we'll never rehabilitate him. Even with violence....


Khash.

[democracyindanger]

2. Day at a spa. nt

[Squatch]

4. I got that for her once and she was not a big fan of the whole spa thing

[Shell Beau]

5. Well, what does she like? Interests? Hobbies?

[Squatch]

6. Well, lately, her biggest hobby is raising the boy...

but she's been talking about getting back in to painting. I bought her a nice easel a couple of years ago, and she's only painted one or two things.

Hmmm...

[Shine]

7. I always like symbolic gifts, personally.

What's important to HER?
She's obviously in the time of her life where Mothering is THE most important thing in her life, so something acknowledging those sacred qualities of The Mother would be appropriate, ie. a beautiful statue of a Mother goddess, like Gaia, Earth Mother. Or, something like a gorgeous scarf/shawl that acknowledges her Beauty.

Like that.

Have fun and blessings to you both.
:hi:
Shine

[Lochloosa]

8. One of these. Always worked for me

[matcom]

9. get her out of the house

nice dinner and a downtown hotel to 'get away' for a night?

[fight4my3sons]

10. Happy birthday to your wife!

My husband got me this when we had our first son

http://secure.jamesavery.com/view_jewelry/search/viewProduct.jsp?itemCode=CM-1698

I really love James Avery jewlery and the baby looks like my son. I have long hair so he said that it reminded him of us. It is called "Mother's Bond charm" if the link doesn't work you can go to their site and look it up.

I also like the Mother's Love collection by James Avery.

[Deep13]

11. orthopedic shoes and pudding

sorry, I'm just no good at this kind of thing.

[khashka]

12. Jewelry - you need something symbolic

Something that will last and she will have all through her life to remind her.

fight4my3sons has good advice - James Avery has some beautiful and unusual stuff.

But whatever you decide, include a card explaining how you feel about her and how thankful you are for the sacrifices she has made to raise your son. Sometimes words are the most important gift of all.

Khash.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. Your response is perfect, my dear Khash.......

And I especially agree about writing something meaningful down.

That means so damned much! I'll bet you were a thoughtful husband......

[khashka]

18. Nah, she was the thoughtful one

I told you about the "Reasons I Love You" flash cards she made me? I love those! I still read them and they always make me feel wonderful. (Not a bad idea for sqatch, eh?)

Robert Heinlein said the most important thing in a marriage is simple common politeness. We decided we would follow that advice - remember to say "thank you" and "please". Common politeness. And to always always always remind each other of our appreciation for each other. It's so easy to just take it for granted after the initial rush wears off and you're dealing with jobs and a kid. One of the things we did was write poetry for each other - ya know, when someone writes poetry about you specifically for you, it's pretty damn amazing.

It might seem odd that a gay man and a lesbian were/are so passionate about each other - but love does know no bounds.

Khash.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

21. True love transcends relationships

I'm so happy you know this... :hug:

[radwriter0555]

16. A nice 18K gold bracelet isn't terribly pricey, but if you can spend more

that would be nice.

I love bracelets more than rings or necklaces. You can buy her one every year.... an armful of gold is very, very lovely. You can wear a pile of them, or just one... not like rings, or a necklace that you can only wear one of.

Earrings are okay if they're diamonds.... but the bracelet really rocks.

Go for italian gold.

NOT a charm bracelet.

[khashka]

19. How about slide bracelets?

Pricey.... but you dont' have to fill the whole thing up at once. Each piece can remind you of a special occassion.....

Khash.

[radwriter0555]

25. Nah, they're kind of trendy, it's best to stick with absolute timeless

classics...

Something you can grab at Tiffany's when you're rolling in benjamins, etc.

[khashka]

26. Good god girl!

Tiffany's! Thank goodness I'm not your husband/boyfriend!

How about Walmart? Not all us guys are rolling in cash!

Khash.

[Bridget Burke]

27. Tiffany makes silver jewelry....

Like this ID pendant....$195, extra for engraving.

www.tiffany.com/shopping/item.aspx?CategoryID=472&category=Jewelry&c_id=WEB1&c_it=74T&start_id=1&

That Little Blue Box is pretty nifty.

[radwriter0555]

29. For when he's rolling in the dough! A nice 18K bracelet can cost under

$100 from anywhere, but you can't buy it at walmart!

Just make sure the clasp is good quality, not a tinny clippy one.

Tiffany's is for the flush times!

[SoCalDem]

14. Arrange for an overnight sitter (Grandma?)

whisk her away on a "kidnap-date"...Take her to a nice quiet place for dinner, a movie she wants to see, and write her something sweet that she can share with her girlfriends.Women love to have something tangible to show their girlfriend how wonderful THEIR husband is..

Have a nice picture of her "men" taken..(You and your son)..present it to her in a nice frame..Moms are usually the ones who have to arrange for all the picture taking..This one will have to be given later..not enought time until Thurs.

Think of 30 things you like/love about her, and write them down for her :)

Give her a coupon book with things she would love to redeem:

coupons for:

laundry
dishes
vacuuming
cleaning a bathroom
cooking
etc
etc


Ask her Mom for an idea for someting she always wanted when she was a kid, but never got.. Get it for her now..even if it's silly..

Women want to know that our men THOUGHT about our gift, and didn;t just run to the nearest mall and had a staranger-salesgirl pick something out. "Kamikaze gifts" SUCK..

NO gift at all is better than a gift gotten at the last minute, out of desperation..

You are already more than halfway, since you are anticipating her birthday :loveya:

[JVS]

17. A new stove

:hide:

seriously though, i don't know

[Squatch]

20. Thanks for the recommendations, everybody (except matcom)!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

22. Something from your heart...

Maybe a work of art?

[LostinVA]

23. A nice GC to a local spa for a relaxing day

Massage, maybe a soak, etc.

[LostinVA]

24. Or, if you live somewhere not really cold

Does anyone around do the sunrise balloon rides, with a champagne breakfast afters? Those are very nice!

[SOteric]

28. A family portrait at a photo studio might be a nice gift,

and a pretty locket to put the picture in. Whatever you get, give it with a personal letter, note or card telling her how much you value and appreciate her.