by Dory Devlin

You know if she knows you’re feeling the pinch this year with rising gas prices, job uncertainty, and all-around-everything-is-so-expensive anxiety, Mom is not going to want you to spend a ton on her this Mother’s Day.

The market analysts who watch just how much we spend on what predict fewer dollars will be spent on Mom this May, though not in a big way. The National Retail Federation says, on average, we’ll each spend $138.63 on presents for mom, down from $139.14 last year, which still adds up to $15.8 billion. Tons of dough, which most moms would rather you not spend.

With that in mind, I thought my obligatory Mother’s Day post on Work+Money would focus on what working moms could use for Mother’s Day. If you ask any working mom, top of her list would be time. More time to get everything done that needs to be done. Time to just stop and be with our families.

Since my blogging roots are in tech, I always think of tech-related ideas first because tech is supposed to help us be more productive at work so we have more time for the other parts of our lives. So here a few tech ideas, and more importantly, ideas to give mom some time apart from all of her demands, and some other great ideas from the women of Shine.

Smartphone for a smart mom: Okay, if your mom is looking to make the leap from basic flip phone to a smartphone that will allow her to text and email with a full QWERTY keyboard, check email easily while on the road, the iPhone is all the rage and is very cool, but RIM’s BlackBerry Curve will do everything she needs. If you go the BlackBerry/iPhone route, take a tip from my chat with Lisa Belkin on her Life’s Work XM radio show the other day: Tell her to turn off the beeps and sounds that let you know when every single email has arrived so it doesn’t make her less productive and stressed. (Lisa does.) If you’ve got an older mom who is having trouble seeing the tiny, tiny print on her mobile phone, I recommend the Jitterbug phone, which is so intuitive to use, has large type on the screen, and can always reach a live operator by pressing zero. After the initial $147 purchase price, you can tailor monthly plans to how you use the phone, for as low as $10 a month. Continue Reading »

by Diane K. Danielson

Sometimes the best role models for business and networking don’t come from the business world at all. One such role model for me is my friend’s mom, who was a master of “the greeting.” She greets everyone she meets with the biggest smile and with such excitement, you’d think you were the most important person in the world. And, for her, at that moment, you were (or at least she always made me think so).

She was so good at this that I’m sure even the garbage men had to like coming by her house. It didn’t matter who you were, what you wanted, or when she’d last seen you, she’d make you feel like you had brightened her day just by being in it.

In truth, she brightened everyone else’s day, because smiles and enthusiasm are contagious, as is paying special attention to someone. While you don’t know my friend’s mom, you probably know someone like her. So, the next time you’re at a networking event, think of them and turn on the smiles and enthusiasm!

Diane K. Danielson is the ceo of www.downtownwomensclub.com, a women’s business network and career website, and the co-author of The Savvy Gal’s Guide to Online Networking (or What Would Jane Austen Do?) , available on Amazon or free with a Downtown Women’s Club DWC+ membership.