8. Personalized Flip Flops:  Personalized flip flops will cost you a small fortune if buy them.  Don’t bother.   Buy a cheap pair, go to the craft shop, Wal-Mart, or K-Mart.  Pick up a couple matching bows, some sequins, and some puff paint and have a ball decorating.  Part of the reward may be for the kids to decorate their own shoes.

9. Big Team Pillows:   This gift is especially great for the guys!  Go to a fabric store, Wal-Mart, or K-Mart and select fabric related your children's  favorite sports team .  Get enough material to make a giant square or rectangular pillow (They are the easiest to sew.) , some thread, and some stuffing.  The pillows may be hand sewn or done on a machine; either way they don’t take long.  If you child is too young to be interested in sports, you can usually find a variety of materials with cartoon characters or animals on them.

10. Five Helium Balloons:  Finally, whether your children are agess 2 or 20, make their day with helium balloons.  For the younger kids, pick wild colors.  For the teens, you may want to pick more sophisticated colors like black , silver, gold, or white.  Your local flower store will be happy to blow up a few and put a ribbon around the strings.  For little kids, ask for long strings.  Tie them to your child’s door handle or put on their chair for dinner.  If they are teens, think about delivering them to school or work. 

All 10 of these surprises should bring about a smile and just help remind your children how much you love them.  The added bonus is that none of these ideas will break the bank!