Consumer Reports put that question to a few of our favorite mommy bloggers, ahead of this Sunday's Mother's Day celebration. By unanimous consent, a vacuum is NOT okay. "The only cleaning gift it is okay to give a mom is a maid," says Nicole Feliciano, founder and editor of MomTrends, which offers "trends and tips for living a fashionable and fabulous life." "Absolutely not ... unless she specifically asks for it!" adds Kimberly Coleman, founder of Mom in the City, a blog about raising young kids in an urban environment.

Not all appliances are off limits. Feliciano calls single-serve coffeemakers the "hot small appliance of the season." Sales of these devices have indeed picked up in recent months, though in Consumer Reports coffeemaker tests, we still find better brew performance among conventional drip coffeemakers—in case mom has a refined morning palate.

Electronics have also worked their way into Mother's Day. "My (almost 60) year old mom is keeping up with that trend," says Coleman. "Her top two wishes: A GPS and a Kindle. Also, I have heard MANY moms “hint” that they would be overjoyed if they received an iPad2." Smart phones are another popular electronic, says Michelle Sawatka-Fernandez, vice president of Mom Central, "a one-stop web resource dedicated to providing busy moms with smart household and parenting solutions." Though she'll probably ask for an E-book reader. "I've been on the fence, but it seems really useful in helping me stay up on reading," she says.

Check out Consumer Reports buying advice and Ratings for E-book readers, GPS devices, tablet computers, and smart phones.

While not quite as popular as electronics, tools are another possible Mother's Day gift, joining the conventional chocolates and flowers. "If mom loves wood working and DIY, by all means get her a drill," says Feliciano. "Just don't buy a dumbed-down pink one. Buy the best-performing drill you can afford." One to consider from our latest cordless drill tests is the $160 Ryobi P815, which delivers impressive speed and power in a relatively lightweight 3.9-pound housing. A CR Best Buy from Porter-Cable weighs one pound more but costs just $100.

If material gifts don't appeal, good old TLC never goes out of fashion. "I'd rather receive special pampering, like having the kids bring me breakfast in bed or clean the house," says Amy Gates, whose blog Crunchy Domestic Goddess extols "birth choices, natural family living, urban homesteading, and other 'crunchy' things." Or you can always go the handmade route. "All the moms I know will melt when presented with a handmade card and some handpicked flowers," says Feliciano.

Just remember to clean up the petals and scraps, perhaps with a new vacuum, purchased just for ... you.