A not-so-gentle reminder: Mother's Day is Sunday. Maybe your gift is wrapped and your brunch plans booked. Maybe you've already blocked out time to call mom, step-mom, grandmother, den mother -- whoever the person is who fed, cared for, taught and loved you.

Or maybe, like many others, you're just not sure how to say 'Thank you.'

The National Retail Federation estimates consumers will spend $18.6 billion on Mother's Day this year, about $152.52 for the average person celebrating the holiday. But iReporters said their most special Mother's Day memories rarely dealt with the objects they unwrapped, but rather, the ways people showed they cared.

Here are stories to inspire more memorable Mother's Days -- eights ways to feed, care for, teach and love those who did it for you.

Give the gift that can come only from you

iReporter Veronica Pantaleon Mendoza's daughter was 4 last year and had really only begun to draw. One day, with coaching from her 13-year-old brother, the little girl delivered a few pieces of folded paper to her mom, who was hard at work at her computer at their home in the Philippines.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!" her daughter said.

They were drawings of the family among flowers, the mother in dangly earrings (the little girl's favorite) and mother and daughter, surrounded by hearts, "the two of us showing how much we love each other."

The pictures now hang at eye level in Mendoza's office, so she can see them while she works.

"When I see these drawings, I am reminded of all the blessings God has given the three of us, my family," Mendoza said. "I am encouraged and inspired at how my daughter sees love and joy in simple things. I feel successful as a mother to simply feel her enthusiasm."

Her teen son is no slouch, either, Mendoza said -- drawings, chocolates and roses means a lot, but it's even better than he sweeps up, folds laundry and says "thank you."

"He helps me care for his young sister and always surprises me with a kiss and a hug," she said. "All that, and my daughter's drawings, are the gifts I love most."

Dining out? Choose a special spot

The National Retail Federation reports that about 54.3 percent of Mother's Day celebrants say they'll be going out for brunch or dinner.

When iReporter Nicholas Pegues and his brother took their mother, Marilyn Hegman-Davis, to brunch in 2010, they didn't choose any old pancake spot. They surprised her with a trip to Paulette's, a Memphis institution for nearly 40 years. Even more special, Pegues said, was that his mother often spoke fondly of dining there when she was younger.

"I'm a college student. Even if you're on a tight budget, you can still give your mother a quality gift," Pegues said. "Paulette's means something -- it's a trademark. She was real surprised. 'You're listening!' "

This year, he said, they'll have another meal out -- no spoiling the surprise!

Give new moms something to remember

iReporter Noelle Kaye Wilson celebrated her first Mother's Day last year with the best gift, her 4-month-old daughter.

But her husband had a little something else in mind: a pearl necklace, "a timeless treasure that I can wear and think of my daughter and husband every time."

This year, Wilson said, her daughter is still a little too young for homemade cards or gifts, but she's just learning what it means to show love.

"I'm excited for Mother's Day this year because my daughter is now 15 months old and she can show affection now," Wilson said. "She loves to give hugs and kisses and is my little shadow."

Take a trip -- or celebrate a big one

Mother's Day usually means a back yard get-together for iReporter Kathi Cordsen's family, but in 2002, Cordsen and her mother took a week-long trip around Washington. They took in the scenery on long drives to Delaware and Virginia, and visited sites like the Iwo Jima Marine Corp War Memorial statue.

Time together was precious, Cordsen said. During the trip, Cordsen's mom blurted out to her daughter that she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer.