CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: WORLD WIDE WEB HELPS FAMILIES WISH `HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY' (COLUMN 87)

We think one of the most important holidays of the year is coming up this Sunday: Mother's Day. It's that special time to pay tribute to all those hard-working women -- like us. OK, men and children, daughters and sons. You have a few more days to get your act together -- to buy a gift or at least a card. Dinner out would be nice, too.

Joni: I like original artwork from my kids. My mom always had a misshapen ornament on her tree that my brother made when he was 4 years old. It was really awful but she loved it. That's a mom for you.

Peggy: I have an assortment of handmade Mother's Day cards, all tucked away. Sorry, Hallmark, they're the best. Now I expect something a little different from my husband. Handprints from Rob don't hold the same charm.

Joni: Maybe the Internet can help. We found a lot of sites dedicated to Mom, including gifts of virtual chocolate, flowers and cards.

Peggy: First stop, Moms Online.

www.momsonline.com/holiday/momday.asp

Joni: The moms should kick back and enjoy the day -- breakfast in bed wearing macaroni jewelry made by your kids. I like that.

Peggy: There are lots of ideas on how to have a wonderful day. Here's a quiz: What kind of mom are you with such questions as, "When your 3-year-old dumps over the Cheerios, how do you respond?"

Joni: I like answer F: Leave the Cheerios on the floor. The crunching sound underfoot is kind of soothing.

Peggy: I'm familiar with that sound. These are funny. At the end, you determine if you're an A, B, C, D, E or F mom. I wonder if that's your grade.

Joni: The different mom categories are Daughter-mom, Blithe mom, Selfless mom, Perma-PMS, Rational mom and the Romantic mom. Some of the observations hit a little close to home.

Peggy: There are also recipes for romance. Maybe they work only if the husband bakes them. Boston Cream Pie, that looks yummy.

Joni: Sorry, they're not aphrodisiacs. They're comfort foods.

Peggy: There's also a contest called the Tiara Treatment. Once a week they award $50. The only catch is you can't spend the money on your kids, your spouse, the light bill. The money can only be used to pamper yourself. Hurry, let's enter.

Joni: Me too. Me too. Speaking of Hallmark, the card experts have fashioned up a special site for Mother's Day.

www.hallmark.com/seasons_bin/seasons.asp

Peggy: Here's the Mom of the Year certificate. You can use the online form to generate your own certificate to print out at home.

Joni: That's if the kids haven't used up all the printer paper. Let's look at the Mother's Day history as illustrated with cards.

Peggy: The history of honoring mothers traces back as far as 250 B.C. During the Middle Ages, children who had left home to learn their trades or become servants got to come home one holiday of the year: Mothering Sunday.

Joni: Oh no -- controversy about Mother's Day. There's a dispute who actually founded the day. A number of different women proposed the idea to honor their mothers. But it is Anna M. Jarvis who is more often called the "Mother of Mother's Day."

Peggy: Her mother died when Jarvis was 41. On the second anniversary of her mother's death in 1908, she announced she was going to establish a Mother's Day and persuaded the city of Philadelphia to recognize it as a holiday.

Joni: The U.S. Senate actually voted against it in 1908, saying "We might as well have a Father's Day or a Grandfather's Day or a Mother-in-laws Day." In 1914, they changed their mind, and in the same year President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution calling mothers "the greatest source of the country's strength and inspiration." Very nice.

Peggy: You can also find the World's Best Mom contest. In 100 words or less you can tell why your mom is the best. You can read more than 800 online entries.

Joni: Another site, Billy Bear 4 Kids, gives kids some ideas to honor their mom.

www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/mother/mom.htm

Peggy: They have promise cards where you can promise to do an assortment of duties like take the trash out, vacuum, water the plants, walk the dog, or the most important job -- give mom a hug.

Joni: There are coloring pages too, and they suggest ways to turn these pages into cards. You can also print out stationary to write mom a letter. And don't forget to print out Greatest Mom Award. You print it out, and they fill in the blanks. Very nice.

Peggy: You can also send a Mother's Day postcard. There are coloring book pages to e-mail. You can mix colors, which is educational and fun for the older kids.

Joni: Older kids nothing. We're having a great time. This is just one of many sites that offer e-mail Mother's Day cards. But why stop at cards? First off, let's send a box of virtual chocolate. Very sweet with no calories.

www.virtualchocolate.com/mothersday

Peggy: There are 16 different choices. There are antique photos, modern-day moms and, of course, chocolate. You can also send real chocolate as well.

Joni: Why stop with chocolate? Let's send virtual flowers as well. There are several different choices for virtual flowers. We chose the Virtual Florist.

www.virtualflorist.com

Peggy: You can send a single rose, dozen roses, bouquets, balloons, spring baskets, sunflowers -- 20 choices in all including some guys holding flowers. I like the dozen roses, simple yet elegant. It will also send you a notice when the card is picked up. I've not seen that before on Internet cards.

Joni: Happy Mother's Day to all our readers. What's your favorite family site? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in cyberspace.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.