Shopping for last minute Mother’s Day gifts

BY Kerry Keith

Since the invention of smartphones, moms don’t miss a beat capturing their children’s milestones, events and celebrations. Now they need a great photo printer. Try the Epson WorkForce WF-100 Mobile Wireless Printer that allows you to easily print from an iPad, iPhone, tablets, smartphones and laptops. It comes with a USB adapter and retails for $247.00 plus tax. At the time of print, it was available at Best Buy in Menifee. The Canon Selphy CP1300 Wireless Compact Photo Printer is another option that allows you to produce photos with a 3.2-inch LCD screen. You can print from your cell phone but will have to download the Canon app. It retails for $109.00 plus tax and the cost of the battery. It’s available at Best Buy in Menifee.

If your mom loves to read, give her the convenience of carrying her entire library around on the new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 3. With Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, downloading books anywhere is a breeze. The screen backlight easily adjusts and the battery generally lasts a few weeks between charges. The Kindle is a reader only and does not play music or offer access to the internet. It retails for $119.99 plus tax and is available in black at Best Buy in Menifee or in white at Best Buy in Murrieta. At the time of print, Target in Menifee and Lake Elsinore each had one left and two left in Murrieta. Reminder, the Kindles purchased in stores all have the special offers advertisement that shows up when you first turn on the device. To get the one without the special offers, you’ll have to purchase it through Amazon.com.

Another fun gift for mom is the WeMo Mini Smart Plug that allows her to control electronic devices from her cell phone or tablet. It uses the existing home Wi-Fi to provide wireless control and the ability to schedule lights and appliances automatically. It works with Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Nest. No subscription or another device is required. One plug retails for $34.99 plus tax. At the time of print, six were available at both the Lowes in Menifee and Lowes in Temecula.

Moms always need a helping hand so why not give her the iRobot Roomba 690, 960, or 980 app-controlled robot vacuum that allows her to schedule automatic vacuuming. Choose between the 690 for $299.99, the 960 for $599.99, or the 980 that is Wi-Fi compatible and can be scheduled and monitored through voice command or remotely via the iRobot HOME app and retails for $799.99 plus tax. At print, all of these vacuums were available at Best Buy in Menifee.

If giving flowers only on Mother’s Day isn’t enough, try a subscription to The Bouqs Co. Their farm-fresh Bouqs are cut fresh and shipped from one of their farm partners. The farms practice sustainable, eco-friendly farming and cut only what they sell. Choose from four different flower collections and the size of the bouquet. The Original costs $32 for eight to 12 stems, the Deluxe costs $44 for 16 to 24 stems and the Grand costs $56 for 24 to 36 steams. Choose when they receive should receive their first order and how often to deliver them; weekly, every two weeks, monthly, or every two months. Use Subscription code md20 when purchasing to get 20 percent off your first subscription. Remember your subscription renews until cancelled and make sure they can deliver by your desired date. Gift cards via email are also available starting at $45. Check out bouqs.com.

Give­­ the gift of Amazon Prime for her to enjoy free two-day shipping on over 100 million items, watch thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Video, stream millions of songs and thousands of playlists, and get free Kindle e-books, unlimited photo storage and more. Choose a three-month subscription for $39 or 12-month subscription for $99. Amazon will send your gift recipient an email on the day you choose along with redemption instructions. If she’s already a Prime member, the gift can be exchanged for an Amazon.com gift card in the value of the original gift purchase price plus any applicable sales taxes paid. The gift membership does not automatically renew. Go to amazon.com and type in prime subscription in the search box.

You can also give the gift of beauty tailored to your mom’s hair, skin, and personal style based on her beauty profile with Birchbox. She’ll sample five niche and high-end beauty treats, which may include some of the top brands. Choose between a three-month subscription gift card for $30, six-months for $60, or 12 months for $110 plus tax and a $2.95 service fee. Birchbox.com.

If you’re looking for something fun and unique, try Groupon.com and type in your mom’s city to find special deals near her from flowers, wine tastings, beauty treatments, restaurants and a variety of activities, all at a discount. When purchasing anything online, always check retailmenot.com and type in the company you are purchasing from to see if there are any promo codes you can use to get a discount or free gift. Happy Mother’s Day Canyon Lake.