Mom’s the Word

What’s the one gift you can give Mom this Mother’s Day that she’ll never have enough of? No, not candy and not jewels (though they’ll do in a pinch). It’s time.

Time to sprawl on that chaise she hauled home from the store but has never used. Time to browse (not run) through an art exhibit or shopping mall. Time to go to a movie or show or concert she wants to see, on the spur of the moment, without weeks of negotiations with baby-sitters.

You know what would make it even better? If she could spend time doing this stuff with you, her family. Here are a few ideas to get you started; they’re the kind of things Mom would really like to do, if anybody ever asked.

Laughter Is a Mom’s Best Medicine

Mom knows that a good laugh works wonders. It’s an antidepressant, a stress-reducer, and--if hysterical in nature--it can keep whining kids at bay for minutes at a time. Families that want to share a few giggles should consider:

* Neil Simon’s comedy “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” through June 7 at the Laguna Playhouse’s Moulton Theater in Laguna Beach. (Bonus hint: Laguna is loaded with great restaurants.) Mother’s Day weekend performances are today and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. at 606 Laguna Canyon Road. $29-$35. (949) 497-2787, Ext. 1.

* On South Coast Repertory’s intimate Second Stage, Joe Orton’s farcical “What the Butler Saw” lays bare social hypocrisy--and nearly everything and everyone else. The show is appropriate for older teens and up, an SCR representative says. Mother’s Day weekend: today and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. $18-$41. 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 708-5555.

* Moms do magic every day, so they might enjoy seeing somebody actually get paid for it. Check out “An Evening of Comedy and Magic” at Saddleback College. Saturday at 8 p.m. in the McKinney Theatre, 28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. $15-$20. (949) 582-4656.

Harmonious Outings

Is your gal a music lover? Take note:

* Boppin’ Bobby Short and His Orchestra perform tunes by Cole Porter, George Gershwin and others in a Mother’s Day concert at Segerstrom Hall in the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Sunday, 4 p.m. $26-$42. Bonus: OCPAC offers restaurant packages at nine nearby eateries. The packages, which do not include tickets, are $19.95 and $29.95 and can be purchased at the box office only. (714) 740-7878 or (714) 556-2787.

* If Mom likes classical music but finds the prospect of sitting through a traditional concert daunting, the Pacific Symphony’s Classical Connections series may be for her. Designed to help newcomers feel more at ease, Saturday’s 70-minute program blends music and conversation with Pacific music director Carl St.Clair. The program will feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”). 3:30 p.m. at the center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $10-$24. (714) 740-7878 or (714) 556-2787.

* If interior design makes Mom’s soul sing, take her to Villa Toscana, the Philharmonic House of Design. The Lemon Heights manse, decked out by the county’s top decorators, is open for gawking through May 17. There’s also a boutique and an outdoor cafe catered by the Ritz-Carlton. Tours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. On Wednesdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m., there’s a docent-led tour of the estate’s gardens. Proceeds benefit outreach programs of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. $20. (714) 840-7542.

Set Mom’s Course for Adventure

For some moms, brunch and violins just don’t cut it. Some ideas for those who thirst more for than mimosas:

* Satisfy her inner swashbuckler with a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s rollicking “Pirates of Penzance” at Brea’s Curtis Theatre. Mother’s Day weekend performances are today-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. 1 Civic Center Circle. $7-$17. (714) 990-7722.

* All ages can sample the seafaring days of yore through crafts, songs and other activities--and most likely be free of pesky sea sickness--at the Arts of a Sailor program on board the (moored) brig Pilgrim. Sunday at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Orange County Marine Institute, 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point. $4; reservations required: (714) 496-2274.

* Does Mom look hot in a life vest? Launch her onto the waters of Irvine Lake for a day of trout fishing. No license is required at the 850-acre lake in the hills east of Orange. Equipment rentals and picnic facilities are available. And, because you love her, you’ll clean her fish, right? 4621 Santiago Canyon Road, Silverado. Saturday-Sunday, 6 a.m.-4 p.m. $13; $5 for children 12 and younger. (714) 460-4940.

* Should she want to get wet, consider Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort on Newport Bay. Mom can kayak, work on her tan or brush up on beach volleyball on a private mile-long beach (water sport and other equipment can be rented). She can refuel at the Back Bay Cafe Mother’s Day buffet (this venue gets bonus points for offering free supervised crafts for the kids). 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach. $6 parking. Sunday brunch: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. $18.95; $9.95 for ages 8-12; 7 and younger are free. (949) 729-3863. Brunch reservations: (949) 729-1144.

Simple Pleasures

* You give Mom flowers, so why not wildflowers? Blooming wildflowers at the 1,200-acre Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy offer nose-tickling scents and delightful vistas, and this Sunday’s naturalist-led family walk is a great way to work off brunch. Sunday at 2 p.m. $2-$3. The conservancy is off Ortega Highway, 5.1 miles east of San Juan Capistrano. For reservations and directions: (949) 489-9778.

* Any woman who keeps your baby teeth, pastes your kindergarten scrawls in scrapbooks and will forever remember your first words obviously has a sentimental streak. Satisfy it with a visit to the Newland House Museum in Huntington Beach, where an exhibit of vintage and antique wedding gowns (circa 1830 to 1940) closes May 21. (Hint: grab a sandwich and enjoy some prime picnicking on the museum lawns.) At Beach Boulevard and Adams Avenue. Saturday-Sunday, noon-4 p.m. $1-$5. (714) 962-5777.

* Show Mom’s she’s a gem (without having to buy any) with a visit to “Aristocratic Adornments of India From the Lotus Collection,” an exhibit of lavish east Indian jewelry at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art. Baubles include the fabled Prince’s Ruby, which weighs in at a hefty 175 carats. Afterward, drop in at the neighboring Kidseum to take part in interactive exhibits, storytelling, face-painting and a Japanese koi kite project.

High-rollers on Sunday can top off their visit with a buffet brunch and champagne at the stunning Topaz Cafe. (For less scratch, you can grab lunch at one of the nearby fast-food stops and picnic on the Kidseum patio or the lawns bordering the Bowers.)

The Bowers Museum and Topaz Cafe are at 1802 N. Main St., Santa Ana; Kidseum is at 2002 N. Main St. Admission (good for entry to both) is $2-$6; younger than 5 free. (714) 567-3600. Topaz brunch is served 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $15.95 (unlimited champagne for $2 more); $6.95 for children younger than 10. Reservations required: (714) 835-2002.

Art Off the Fridge

If the doors of the family Frigidaire are any indication, Mom is crazy for art. How about a stroll through a gallery, and, if she’s so inclined, an opportunity for her (and you) to make a masterpiece?

* The Huntington Beach Art Center hosts “Portraiture in the Digital Age,” an exhibit of realistic computer-generated and digitally morphed images. The center, 538 Main St., is open Saturday noon-6 p.m. and Sunday noon-4 p.m. $2-$3. (714) 374-1650.

* The Irvine Fine Arts Center in Heritage Park has on view “About Face: Mirror Image,” a collection of works by high school students.

On Saturday, you could easily make an afternoon of it by picking up takeout (there’s a bunch of options at the intersection of Culver and Walnut), having a lakeside picnic in Heritage Park, cruising the exhibit and wrapping up with a browse in IFAC’s annual spring ceramics and jewelry sale, which features reasonably priced items by local artists (dessert tip: ice cream in handmade bowls, you keep the bowls!). The center is at 14321 Yale Ave. Gallery admission is free. Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. (Sale is Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.). (949) 724-6880.

* At the Orange County Museum of Art, Mom can explore her artistic impulses at Family Arts Day, an afternoon of interactive workshops and demonstrations for children and adults. OCMA’s current exhibits include “Major Art/Minor Artists,” works by students in the Santa Ana Unified School District’s Special Studio program and in OCMA’s arts education program. Family Arts Day is Sunday, noon-4 p.m. Free. 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach. (949) 759-1122.

* Hand-painting your own ceramic piece can please the senses and soothe the soul--which may be the reason paint-your-own studios are popping up around the county. (Caution: If you have a toddler, bring along a minder. If Mom needs to keep tiny hands out the paint and off the breakable goods, it’ll suck the fun right out of it.) One studio we’ve tried and liked: Becca’s, 4636 Barranca Parkway (in the Woodbridge Village Center), Irvine. Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. (949) 733-2322.