Moms are great. Dads are too, for sure, but this week, and this month, we're talking mamas. And you know what? Mamas work hard. I knew when I first got pregnant that being a mom would change my life, be unlike anything I'd ever done, and be very, very hard. Rewarding, yes, above all that heaven could offer, but HARD. So, I'm going to be totally honest with you when I say that not all moms go in for cards, candy and maybe some flowers.

It's not that we think we deserve the world for doing what millions of women have done before us. No, it's that life is more complicated now than it ever was. We work full-time, we're fitness frenzied, we're suffering through war and a housing crisis and a terrible economy. We're expected to keep a perfect house, perfect children, have the perfect body and be able to do it all in a day while working full-time. Oh, and we're supposed to be happy about it! So, without further ado, here's a short list of the kinds of things moms would really love for Mother's Day:

1. Quiet. Also known as "peace and quiet." Moms love it and can't seem to get enough of it. Muzzle the dog, send the kids off to a play date and lock yourself into your office (or a Starbucks with wi fi) and let mom bask in silence. After all, silence is golden, and it's a lot cheaper than jewelry. And she'll get more use out of it.

2. Sleep. Send mom to Alaska for one of those 24-hour nights so she can get some shut eye. The darkness will really assist her as her leaden head hits the pillow and she immediately passes into a deep sleep where she will inevitably dream of you, the kids and the housework. Mixes nice with the Alaskan cruises my friends are always raving about.

3. Magically pay off the mortgage. You'll also need to magically win the lottery for this one, so perhaps best to focus on options 1 and 2.

4. Find a way to convince mom she is a great parent and a great woman. Convince her you still love her as much as they day you fell in love with her, still think she's a babe and that she is doing a great job as a mother. The most complicated and time-consuming of the options, but the one that makes 1-3 seem relatively unimportant in the great scheme of things.

5. If you are buying something for me, I like chocolate twizzlers, iced chais and trashy magazines (all of this especially because I am pregnant). After all, it's the little things that get moms through the week and the hard stuff so they can hopefully spend some quality time with their families.

I think you get the idea. Cards are nice. Candy is good (unless it's chocolate twizzlers, in which case it's very good). Love, support, and reassurance are fabulous. Like I said, being a mom--any parent--is hard work. Just being given a little peace and quiet and being told that we're doing all right is generally more than we could ask for, any day of the year. Diamonds never hurt though.