I know…you waited until the last minute, in search of that perfect gift. And, now, if you don’t come through, your mom, grandma, wife, whatever, is going to think you just don’t appreciate her. I know, I’ve been there. It’s an icky situation to be in. So I’ll share a few last minute finds with you, that you can pull off by tomorrow, and one that is good enough to tell her it got back-ordered and will be here on Monday! (Just print it out on a pretty piece of paper and write her a lovely note.)

California Pizza Kitchen has two great things happening right now that would show Mom how thoughtful you are:

Eat cake for a cause this Mother’s Day. California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) will partner with National Charity League to promote the fostering of mother-daughter relationships through philanthropy. With this in mind, for each slice of Red Velvet cake sold May 11-13, CPK will donate 20% of the purchase to NCL. The fan favorite cake is frosted with vanilla bean cream cheese and white chocolate curls and is available topped with a delectable scoop of Häagen- Dazs. Show mom she’s special this May by treating her to dessert at CPK.

There are three locations in Las Vegas that are considered “full service”: Fashion Show Mall, The Mirage Resort and Town Square. Just in case you’re not familiar with it, there is also a National Charity League chapter in Las Vegas as well. Good food, good cause. And, if that wasn’t enough, now through May 14th, visit the California Pizza Kitchen FaceBook page to get a complimentary Spinach Dip Appetizer. See! Grab a free spinach dip, and a slice of Red Velvet cake for dessert, and make sure you get your “Do Not Open Thank You Card” during their annual event:

Thank You Card Promotion is CPK’s way to say ‘thank you’ to all its loyal guests. Beginning today through Sunday, July 1, CPK will hand out sealed Thank You Card Envelopes to guests dining at any of their full-service locations nationwide. Every Thank You Card Envelope is a winner and could hold prizes including $100,000, $50,000, $25,000, other cash prizes, trips for two to The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in California, $1,000 Neiman Marcus Shopping Sprees, a year’s supply of CPK frozen pizza, and 10%-50% off meals at CPK. To redeem envelopes, customers must bring back the unopened envelope to any full-service CPK location to be opened by a Manager between Wednesday, May 9, and Sunday, July 15, 2012, or the envelope will be deemed null and void.

The Container Store Las Vegas is a Mom’s Gold Mine. With so many options to store all kinds of stuff…it really does meet the need of a Mom at any stage and age in her life. Closet storage, food storage, travel items, desk and laundry room storage…and they even have a gift packaging section…you can’t go wrong here! Located in Town Square, they are kicking off their grand opening weekend by offering 10% of all proceeds to the Junior League of Las Vegas. Contain Yourself Las Vegas!

If your mama is more into beauty products, check out these perfect sets from Kaplan MD, available at Neiman Marcus. Dr. Kaplan, a dermatologist based out of Beverly Hills, developed this skincare line to utilize 22 USDA certified organic ingredients, including three different plant stem cells: Burgundy grape, apple and rose  to create a beauty line that is bound to make you a new believer. Identifying ingredients that penetrate the skin and actually work from the inside out, the Kaplan MD line is suitable for all skin types, colors and genders.

The Kaplan MD Travel Kit is the full daily product line and is the right size for grab and go travel in your carry-on.

For My Children: A Mother’s Journal of Memories, Wishes and Wisdom by Dionna Ford, is a wonderful way to start recording your family’s history. Filled with writing prompts and beautiful illustrations, this journal will be a gift that keeps on giving, as you can pass it down through the generations. Grab it from amazon.com for Monday delivery, or try your local Wal-Mart where it is also available.

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I have a lot of kids. Four, to be exact. Though the little guys are 20-months old and not quite present to their siblings yet, my two older kids are very close. They miss each other when one is away. They hang out, play together, help each other with homework, share secrets, fears and successes with each other. I cannot imagine the day when they have to be separated for college or other opportunities “growing-up” provides them.

My little entourage

My siblings and I were pretty close growing up as well, as were my mom’s siblings. I do not joke when I say my immediate family is an automatic 30 people at an event. Sunday dinners with my family is like a small wedding. I could never imagine growing up any other way. It is nice to have a built-in support system. People are usually surprised about how many kids I have, and I have to say, if I didn’t live in Las Vegas, or wasn’t surrounded by so much family, I’m not sure I would have been able to convince my husband (who comes from a much smaller family) that we could do it. We are so blessed, in so many ways.

My brother, sister and me with my grandmother at Thanksgiving 2011

My father, however, was not so lucky in his childhood. He was abandoned by his mother at the age of 3. His father had passed away. He was left alone in this crazy town over 50 years ago. He became a ward of the state. He had older siblings, and family in Texas. But instead of being sent back to live with them, he was put into the foster care system in Southern Nevada. Granted, I am grateful there was such a system for a defenseless little guy of just 3 years, but at the same time, it saddens me to think it was my dad. I cannot even imagine one of my twins, or my kids going through the foster care system at that age. And, if for some uncontrollable reason they ever did, I could not imagine them having to be separated from each other and raised in four different families. It’s a sad truth, and an even sadder reality for many of the children going through the foster care system in Southern Nevada.

My mom, dad, (maternal) grandmother, my kids and two of my nephews.

Fortunately, there is a wonderful organization, Child Focus, that works to maintain the bonds of siblings separated by foster care. The non-profit organization was recently acquired by St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, another local, non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of abused, abandoned and neglected children and families.

In southern Nevada, there are over 3,200 children living in the foster care system at any given time.  Of those children, 45 percent are unable to be kept with their siblings during this challenging chapter in their lives.  Once separated, the majority of these children are never reunited. Each year, Child Focus reunites siblings through a variety of programs and activities, including marquee events such as Camp To Belong and the Gift of Giving holiday celebration.

Fifty-five siblings were re-united at a recent 51s baseball game thanks to the efforts of the Child Focus organization and Las Vegas community supporters

Child Focus relies on several fundraisers throughout the year in order to keep these programs available to the children separated from their siblings. I met with two phenomenal women, Debi Puccinelli and Jeanette Schneider, who are leading one of the major events for Child Focus, the MOMS ROCK Tea, taking place this Saturday at Southern Highlands Spa Clubhouse. They lit up when speaking about the sibling events and summer camps made possible through fundraisers like the MOMS ROCK tea, giving these children the opportunity to bond with their siblings, even if it is for a short time. They also spoke of other opportunities for the community to get involved by becoming mentors for the older siblings and offering guidance for paths in education and occupation choices.

A few of outstanding youth from Child Focus visitng with John Ocegara last year while lobbying for foster children's bill of rights. Your support of Moms Rock makes endeavors like this possible allowing youth leaders to advocate for change.

If you are looking for a great way to bond with your family this weekend, why not attend the MOMS ROCK tea to support Child Focus. There are amazing items in the silent auction, cupcakes donated from Stations Casinos, Rock The Tea will be hosting the Pirates and Princesses portion of the tea and local media celebs, Dave Courvoisier and Mercedes will be the MCs, not to mention some great live entertainment and a Kentucky Derby themed hat contest. I can’t wait to see what the Vegas ladies wear to this event. It’s bound to be a really great time. To get a better idea of what the festivities will be like this year, check out and give the MOMS ROCK facebook page a “Like“!

Support Child Focus at the MOMS ROCK Tea this Saturday, May 12th.

There is still time to save your seat at the MOMS ROCK Tea, this Saturday, May 12th, from 11-1:30pm at the Southern Highlands Spa Clubhouse. Call 702-703-MOMS (6667) or email Kevin@childfocusnv.org to reserve your seats.

Can’t attend the MOMS ROCK Tea this year, but want to support the Child Focus organization? Please visit my post on the Top 10 Reasons to Attend the MOMS ROCK Tea to learn more on how to sponsor a child for camp.

Thank you!