Mother's Day 2016

I know a lot of mums.

Some bottle feed, some breastfeed. Some co-sleep, some don’t.

I know single mums, older mums, young mums, mothers who work full time and others who stay at home.

We all lead totally different lives and have different approaches to parenting.

However, one thing unites us. We are all doing what we believe is best for our family.

So despite our differences, we can empathise and sympathise with each other because we get it.

We get that every parenting choice a mum makes has been Googled, debated and agonised over.

We understand that motherhood is wonderful but it can also be lonely and frustrating.

So if we see another mum struggling, we will offer support, kind words or a strong cup of coffee.

I know what you are thinking.

What about the smug mums? The ones who frown upon your fish fingers or judge you for using formula?

The truth is, I have never met one.

Chances are, there may be a few not-so-nice mums out there. After all, if you were a dick before you had kids, you are probably still a dick with kids.

But most of us couldn’t care less how other mums choose to raise their children.

Mother’s Day 2016: 18 gifts that are perfect for new mums

We are far too busy trying to raise our own children.

I am now four years into motherhood and thanks to other mums (and wine) I am yet to have a nervous breakdown.

So thank you to the mum in the baby shop who recognized that ‘what the hell have I come in here for?’ look in my eye.

I was stressed, sleep-deprived and convinced I had been doing babies all wrong.

She kindly reassured me that my baby was normal and told me I was doing an awesome job to be out of the house and dressed on barely any sleep!

Thanks to the mum who reached out to me after seeing me struggle to leave my crying toddler at pre-school and to the mum who convinced me that going on anti-depressants would not make me a failure.

Then there are the mothers I have never even met who have offered kindness and support online.
The fellow tired mums I have connected with through my blog How To Survive A Sleep Thief and Facebook groups.

All who made me feel not so alone in my bedtime battles.
The mums that make me laugh.

Laughter is the best medicine. When you text a friend on the verge of tears because you spend every night lying under a baby who will only sleep on you and she replies ‘Wine. Sippy Cup. Problem solved.’

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Then suddenly things do not seem so bad.

The mum in the park who gave me wipes when I was trying to clean up a poo explosion with a single Costa coffee serviette.

My mum. I would not have survived motherhood without her.


Thank you Other Mums. For the free emergency childcare, the understanding smiles and for making me laugh, but mostly for stopping me from totally losing my sh*t.

Everything you need to know about Mothering Sunday 2016

 Mothering Sunday is always held on the fourth Sunday of Lent. It is exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday and usually falls in the second half of March or early April.

Mothering Sunday - or Mother's Day - is a celebration of mothers and the maternal bond, and traditionally children give flowers, presents and cards to their mothers, and other maternal figures such as grandmothers, stepmothers and mothers-in-law.

Google have done a doodle to mark the occasion, but this can only be seen in the UK and Ireland.

When did Mothering Sunday begin?

The day has long been associated with mothers, and family. For centuries it was custom for people to return home to their ‘mother’ church on Laetare Sunday – the middle of Lent. Those who did so were said to have gone ‘a-mothering’.

The day often turned into a family reunion and a chance for children working away from home – often domestic servants - to spend time with their mothers.

Many used to pick flowers from the verges along the way to leave in the church or hand to their mothers when they got home.

But it was American social activist Anna Jarvis (1864-1948) from Philadelphia who campaigned for an official day to honour mothers in the US and is regarded as the "Mother of Mother's Day".

She dedicated her life to lobbying for the day after swearing she would do so after her mother's death.

However, Jarvis became increasingly concerned at the commercialisation of the day, saying "I wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not profit." She also didn't like the selling of flowers and the use of greetings cards which she described as "a poor excuse for the letter you are too lazy to write".

In May 1932, Mother’s Day was adopted in Japan, after 19 years of observance by Christians, 
showing the wide reach of Jarvis and the embracement of Mother’s Day internationally.

Meanwhile in Britain, vicar's daughter Constance Smith was inspired by a 1913 newspaper report of Jarvis' campaign and began a push for the day to be officially marked in England.

Smith, of Coddington, Nottinghamshire, founded the Mothering Sunday Movement and even wrote a booklet The Revival of Mothering Sunday in 1920. Neither Smith nor Jarvis became mother’s themselves.

By 1938 Mothering Sunday had become a popular celebration with Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and various parishes across Britain marking the day and communities adopting the imported traditions of American and Canadian soldiers during the war.

By the 1950s it was being celebrated throughout Britain and businesses realised the commercial opportunities.

Is it Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day?

Mothering Sunday is on March 6th in the UK - it always falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. This isn't the case in other countries, though...

When you say 'Mother’s Day' you are actually referring to the American version. In the US it falls on Sunday May 8th, ever since President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed it so in 1914.
Many blame the USA for introducing the name Mother’s Day to Britain and turning it into a commercial affair.

The French celebrate the event on a different day altogether - 'Maman's' special day is reserved for the last Sunday in the month of May.

A family dinner is the norm, and traditionally the mother being honoured is presented with a cake that looks like a bouquet of flowers.

Mother’s Day in Spain is celebrated on December 8th. Spaniards pay tribute not only to their own mothers on this day, but also to the Virgin Mary. The day includes religious celebrations across the country.

The worst film to see on mother's day

It's a horror film about two boys who welcome their mother home after her reconstructive surgery and it all goes wrong in a terribly scary way.

Mother’s Day traditions

Simnel cakes are associated with Mother’s Day. During Lent, people did not eat sweet foods, rich foods or meat.

However, the fast was lifted slightly on Mothering Sunday and many people prepared a Simnel cake to eat with their family on this day.

A Simnel cake is a light fruit cake covered with a layer of marzipan and with a layer of marzipan baked into the middle of the cake.

Traditionally, Simnel cakes are decorated with 11 or 12 balls of marzipan, representing the 11 disciples and, sometimes, Jesus Christ.

One legend says that the cake was named after Lambert Simnel who worked in the kitchens of Henry VII of England sometime around the year 1500.