A Pandora Bracelet ($350 Value) Giveaway

Originally posted in The LOOK

The one-size-fits-all approach rarely ever turns out well. It stands to reason, then, that there's no perfect gift to please every mom. When I think of the things I've picked up for my mom over the years, I can't believe she didn't burst out laughing more often. From pink sparkly makeup brushes one year to soap-on-a-rope that spelled out MOM (literally) another, my mom was a master at holding it together when we'd give her gifts. 'Oh, thank you!' she'd say. 'That was sooo thoughtful of you!' And my husband has similar stories. I'm pretty sure that green power drill in our basement was once gifted to my poor mother-in-law, all wrapped up in a big bow and promptly 'borrowed' by her questionably-intentioned teenage son.

Though every mom says 'Oh, you don't need to get me anything...' a surprise present is always appreciated. I've put together a list of winning gifts that are stylish, thoughtful and fun, and guaranteed to be met with delight this Mom's Day.  Plus, we're giving away a gooooorgeous Pandora bracelet ($350 value) for one lucky mom. Read on for full contest dets...

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MOM LOVE: A Gift Guide

Model mom, Natalia Vodianova, in a sweet editorial for Vogue. Photo: Vogue.

Originally posted in The CLOSET

When I had my first baby, it took me a some time before I felt like a mom. I mean, I definitely felt like a mother when instead of being at a club at 1 am, I paced the floors with an inconsolable newborn. And I certainly felt the full depths of motherhood when on a grocery run for diapers, I realize I already had one stuck to my leg. While those first months of momdom are as unselfish as they come, I still just wasn't on board with the whole 'all you need is love' mentality, gift-wise. Don't get me wrong; there is nothing more amazing than the love of your children, from the smiles and giggles to those rare quiet moments when your beautiful baby is sleeping. But at first, I didn't understand how my mom could have been so genuinely thrilled when we'd give her scraps of scribbled-on paper for her birthday. Now my kids are 3 and 5 and I have to admit, nothing gets me more excited than when my kids come home from school with a homemade card that they've thought up just for me. The tears flow, I get all snivelly (just like I thought I never would) and I cannot possibly imagine a more perfect gift.

Except for those times when you've had months of sub-par sleep, zero breaks from the toddler tyrants who take, take, take ALL. THE. TIME. and then, despite all that glorious love you feel for your little ones, then you want stuff. Like, pretty, impractical, no-kids-allowed stuff that make you feel more like a woman than a mom. Ahem. Just me?

SEE THE GIFT GUIDE HERE...