Attention, husbands: If you're just planning Mother's Day now, I won't scold you, but I will save you from the wrath you're about to experience if you don't get things together quickly.

Before you move on to showing her your personal appreciation, you'll want to make sure you've arranged something special from your children. If you're in a hurry, here are some quick and easy Mother's Day projects. You can also help them make this precious card, telling Mom just how much they love her.

Some suggest giving Mom a day without the kids, but personally that isn't what I would want. Mother's Day should be celebrated as a family, but once they've served her breakfast in bed, and spent the day honoring her in clever ways, the two of you can tuck in those sweet little ones and get on with some romantic appreciation.

If you're looking for a way to spoil her, follow me through the break, and we'll discuss how you can shower her with appreciation for little or no cost, and with little preparation (yes, you can pull all of these off before Sunday!).

It's shopping day, you've got the whole family at the mall. Come lunch time, where do you go? The food court, of course!

Have you ever noticed that going to the food court causes people to scatter in 10 different directions? Each person wants something specific, and since the options are seemingly endless, they can get exactly what they want.

But what if you're alone, and you're craving a gourmet meal? For the purposes of this example, we're going to assume that you're a connoisseur of fast-food, and define "gourmet" as "consisting of multiple courses". Can you see where I'm going with this? You got it.

If you're craving a fancy burrito, some salmon sushi, and a slice of pizza with an Orange Julius to wash it down, chances are you can get exactly that at the mall's food court. Keep in mind the following handy tips to make sure that you have the best multi-course fast-food experience possible.

Score points this Valentine's day with something truly romantic, original and best of all, homemade. Handmade gifts aren't always received with the excitement that we imagine. Sometimes they are a total flop. So, what differentiates the gift that she calls all her friends to brag about from the one that gets tucked away in the junk drawer?

I think that all romantic DIY gifts should pass a three-point check:

1. Is the gift personal?
   Even if beautiful, something that could have easily made it into a Secret Santa exchange probably isn't going to blow her away. It should be obvious that this gift was made just for your special someone. Personalizing it with a name or picture is the obvious choice. More subtle: try incorporating an inside joke, or choosing a theme using project elements that have significance for the two of you.
   
   
2. Did the gift take time to make?
   She said she'd like something homemade. You raided the kids craft cupboard and made a card. She's not impressed. Are you surprised? The more time and planning that goes into the gift the more you'll get out of it. People love knowing that they were thought of, and taking the time and energy to plan ahead for a handmade gift shows that you truly wanted it to be something special.
   
3. Is it really any good?
   We only make a big deal out of poorly painted, ceramic ashtrays when they come from our children. While some failed projects can still be appreciated for the romantic intention, there really isn't room for the ugly, the tasteless, and the poorly crafted ones. Don't knit him a toque out of leftover yarn in colors you know he'd find hideous and then expect him to wear it proudly because it was made with love. Think seriously about what your significant other would like. If you want it to go on display, consider how it would work with their current decorating scheme.

With these three guidelines, I've put together a list of romantic DIY Valentine's day gifts. Some are old favorites-- tried, tested, and true for generations of lovers. Others are new and inventive, but they are all incredibly romantic and sure to make him or her putty in your hands. Follow me through the break and I'll share them with you.

There are so many elements to creating that perfect cup of coffee. Everything from bean selection to roasting, storage to preparation, each stage as crucial as the last and each stage significantly impacting the flavor of that final cup. I am a coffee junky, but have very little during my pregnancies. OK, I had none with my first, a bit with my second and now, expecting our third, I cheat more often than I should! Anyway, this isn't about my guilty relationship with coffee but my quest for the perfect cup. If I'm only allowing myself one cup a day then I want to enjoy it. I have a favorite company and have found my perfect roast, but still find that the quality of the cup varies depending on how I've stored the beans.

What better authority on the issue than The National Coffee Association of the USA. According to them, you need to keep the beans away from air, moisture, heat and light - in that order. If you think your beans look great in that decorative glass dish, you're just putting stale beans on display. Find a cool, dark place and you'll maximize their freshness. I always thought that keeping beans in the freezer would help them last longer. This is apparently wrong. The added moisture will only deteriorate them faster. I've also stored fresh beans in the mug cupboard which is right beside our stove, this is far too warm. They also suggest only buying 1-2 weeks worth at a time.

A quality bean, kept fresh, and ground to order will get you the best cup of coffee. In September, I wrote about some other tips to making a great cup of coffee. You'll find some pointers there about grind size, drip and filter choice. If you're savoring that single cup or drinking it all day long, you deserve a good cup of coffee. Enjoy.

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to avoid the drive-true and eat healthy home-cooked meals more often, then you're probably going through burger withdrawal right about now. We're a week into 2008 and if you're like me, you're already running out of ideas and nearly running to the next fast food joint. Don't do it. You can create that succulent burger at home.

I'm the only vegetarian in a house full of meat eaters. I'm always looking for recipes with quality ingredients that can please all of us. I want fresh ingredients that I can put a veggie patty on while the others want a perfectly grilled hamburger patty. These instructions for the perfect burger cover the homemade bun and all the delicious things in between. From grilling perfect onions to marinating hand diced relish you'll never turn back to greasy, processed burgers again. You'll also find important information on choosing the right meat, making the patty and grilling it like a pro.

Save yourself the fast food heartache (literally!) and make your own gourmet burgers at home. Once you have the key burger pieces, have fun with the toppings. Get creative and see what culinary creations you stumble upon.