Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for May 5, 2003

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, May 5, 2003 | 8:10 a.m.

Lone Star state of mind

Mom: She brought you into this world, and if you don't pony up a proper Mother's Day gift Sunday, she may well take you out.

It would certainly be a day to remember if Mommy Dearest could unwrap not another bottle of perfume or a tacky kitchen apron, but the interest on a piece of real estate. Log on to shareoftexas.com and consider it done.

The SOT Group Ltd., out of Dallas, is fixin' to sell single square-foot parcels of land deep in the heart of Texas starting at the bargain-basement price of $29.95. The company owns 120 acres of "untamed wilderness" near Big Bend National Park, which it's willing to part with one teeny, tiny piece at a time. (So much for everything being bigger in Texas.)

Along with rights to the patch of dirt, Mama will receive a "fancy" land certificate (suitable for framing, of course) written in honest-to-goodness Texas vernacular, as well as a detailed map needed to find the property, a "survival guide," a state flag and a Texan ID card. It ain't Southfork Ranch, y'all, but it's a start.

Managing Mom

Today's supermoms need all the help they can get balancing family responsibilities with career duties and a slew of other tasks.

If you really want to give Mom a great gift this year, assist her in implementing a few of the tips offered by Donna Klein, a mother who is also vice president of diversity and workplace effectiveness for Marriott International:

Don't even go there

So you have some pretty good ideas of what Mom might want for Mother's Day. Now here's a list of stuff that she definitely won't, courtesy of online florist Proflowers Inc.

The company recently sponsored a survey don't ask us how they settled on this criteria of precisely 283 American women with one son age 15 or older. The worst Mother's Day gift, according to one-quarter of the moms queried, was not receiving a gift at all. You boys should be ashamed of yourselves!

And, contrary to popular belief, the thought doesn't always count: Gardening tools, cleaning supplies and kitchen appliances are at the bottom of Mother's Day wish lists. Also making the bad-gift lists of moms polled were ugly clothes, electronic talking fish, Troll dolls and "Star Wars"-themed items. On second thought, guys, forget about getting creative just stick with the basics.