Mothers Day

I love Mother's Day, I love the homemade cards and presents and the breakfast after a lie in.  This year I am even more blessed as number 4 has arrived and is now legally ours. He made me a hand printed card with To my mummy written inside.  Mother's Day is not about gifts, I am more than happy with my handmade basket filled with little chocolates or hand written cheques promising me some hoovering, cleaning the bathroom and an hours worth of ironing, a box of matchmakers and a good book and I am a very happy mummy. For me it's the time with my children and my parents after all I have a mum too and of course my husband. This year we all went to my mums, she cooked roast beef, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, parsnips, cauliflower cheese and carrots and I brought steamed ginger pudding and chocolate raspberry brownies for dessert. We drank fizz and ate too much. We watched the 3 younger children play in the garden, child 3 was performing circus tricks and the two boys played wrestling and rolling down the slope. After lunch out came the game Rummicub, child 2 favourite board game.


Did you know Mothering Sunday was originally a time when people returned to the church, in which they were baptized or where they attended services when they were children. This meant that families were reunited as adults returned to the towns and villages where they grew up. In time, it became customary for young people who were working as servants in large houses, to be given a holiday on Mothering Sunday. They could use this day to visit their own mother and often took a gift of food or hand-me-down clothing from their employers to her. In turn, this moved towards the modern holiday, on which people still visit and take gifts to their mothers.

Nowadays, Mothers Day should encompass all adult women, grand mothers, aunts, sisters, god mothers, teachers and role models. We all have the opportunity to make a positive impact on our children's lives. All children boys and girls need strong women in their lives, these women don't need to be celebrities, what about the people you meet in everyday life that inspire you to do something. This inspiration could be to read a novel, to write a poem, to be articulate enough to debate an issue, to help in a soup kitchen or to take part in a new sport.  My children have all been inspired or supported by some amazing women in their lives. Child 1 is exceeding all expectations in English following a year with an amazing English teacher. Not only have her grades improved but she is desperate to learn and understand all she can, she has won a poetry competition and is about to be published for her poem The Great and Powerful Sea later this year. Child 2 loves science and his teacher encourages him to fulfil his dreams. Child 3 chose to learn gymnastics after watching the female gymnasts in 2012 Olympics and child 4 is yet to find his. The two older children helped prepare Christmas dinner at a local church for the homeless on Christmas Eve, they and their friends peeled all the veg under the watchful eye of a wonderful woman who provides a food bank for those in need. Then what about Nanna who offers her quiet words of wisdom when they need someone to talk too, the Aunt who tells them why they should help mum more or just those who live in the local community leading by example in the way they help other people or give up their free time to become school governors, PTFA member and PPC members. All these women should be celebrated on Mother's Day because they all help our children achieve their potential.