Contributing Editor Elizabeth Thompson also blogs at The Imperfect Parent.

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 16th -- yep, it's closer than you think -- and Bizrate.com (via Business Wire) has released a list of Mother's Day gift suggestions. Perhaps some shoppers -- especially those of us who are scraping the bottom of the barrel and are nearly fresh out of gift ideas -- will be interested to know that perhaps all they had to do was simply...ask their mom!

According to a BizRate Research study of 1,283 moms conducted for Shopzilla (www.shopzilla.com), moms came up with their own Mother's Day Gifts "Dos and Don'ts" list.

DOs:

35% of moms prefer family-orientated gifts.

Fabulous Foods suggests:

"Mother's Day Brunch For A Crowd -- "Start Mother's Day off right by surprising her with a breakfast or brunch. Whether it's just the immediate household, or a large extended family, we've got lots of ideas and menus to get Mother's Day off to a great start, including brunches for vegetarians and large crowds, as well as intimate family gatherings. "

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32% of moms say they want a frivolous and self-indulgent gift.

Click2Shop suggests something nice:

Avon's Spring Essentials -- 8 Piece Beauty Collection is a blockbuster at $29.99 ($77.50 value)and Avon is offering "free shipping" for Mother's Day -- check details at Avon.com!

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Personalized gifts also score points with moms as 40% think they're exciting!

Stylephile for Kids suggests:

"Check off your To Do List with a smile! I found Picpads, a pad with a printed picture of your kids playing soccer or your favorite pet. Send your digital picture, pick a pad size and in 10 days you'll have a unique and fun pad to help you enjoy life a little while completing those tasks. Available in two sizes with or with out lines, notepad 5 X 8 or shopping list 3.5 X 8.5. Sets of 4 (40 sheets per pad) for $24.95. Great Mother's and Father's Day gift ideas!"

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When asked what they would be most excited to receive on Mother's Day, more than half (48%) of the respondents said spa treatment or massage certificates.

The Mothers Day Gifts Fairy suggests:

Mother's Day Gift Sets -- like this spa in a basket $22.75.

Or, you can order spa gift certificates (accepted worldwide) from SpaFinder.com.

There you have it -- a few of mom's favorite things...enough to get you started, at least -- and her least favorite Mother's Day gift?

**drum roll**

Don't even think about getting mom any household appliances -- 26% of moms think...BORING!

Have you got any Mother's Day gift ideas you'd like to share?

Personally, I'd be perfectly happy with getting a simple little box of chocolates...hand delivered by George Clooney, of course...but, that's just me!