Mum's View On Mother's Day - How Important Is It To You?

I was quite late at having babies so for me and for my husband, Mother's Day was always about our Mums, not actually being parents ourselves.

It kind of stayed like that too, as for the first couple of years of Aaron's life, Mother's Day for my hubby meant taking Aaron to see Grandma. I think it took till the 3rd Mother's Day for the penny to drop that hey I am now Mum and want to be treated/fussed over. I don't get to treat my own Mum other than to send her flowers and a card as she is in Ireland.

Daddy then became an expert at Mother's Day taking me to places where Aaron could play, I could have a beer AND a roast dinner

One of my favourite Mother's Day memories is when Aaron was old enough to say "Happy Mother's Day" and then it got even better still when he started to write the cards himself which he has done for a couple of years now. Actually watching this video back just made me cry. He in fact says "Happy Mummy's Day" too too too too cute. Making me broody EVEN with me only having a 3 week newborn. I want to get in a time machine and visit baby Aaron. Wish I'd taken even more footage of him now. That's a tip I would now give any new Mum. Record all of your precious memories as time goes too too fast.

This year a few weeks ago, when Daddy bought my birthday present, Aaron also handed Daddy something to buy from him. So I think this year's Mother's Day will be amazing with them both on the case.

Which brings me onto the subject heading of this post. I think Mother's Day is important because as Mums we spend the rest of the year putting everyone else first and this is the one day where we can be made a fuss of and have an excuse for it. With my recent C section my only priority was having someone who could get Aaron to and from school and put him to bed. I put this concern above and beyond looking after myself. I didn't want Aaron to be neglected whilst Daddy minded me. Thank God Grandma (paternal) stepped in and was the help we needed. I then made sure that Aaron and Grandma got to visit the evening I gave birth and let Daddy go to bring them home, which was a huge sacrifice as the hospital I gave birth in allows Daddies to stay overnight and I actually needed Daddy that night. But I gave him to Aaron and put what he needed over what I needed. That's the sacrifices us Mums routinely and regularly make, which is why Mother's Day is much needed as a day off, and a day to be fussed over without saying we need it.

Blog posts are full of photos and they're our way as bloggers of keeping memories alive. Doing that for Mother's Day, for Mums is quite topical today as my cousin's wife in Ireland just gave my Mum a pack of 30 photos of my new little girl. She had mistakenly thought that my Mum does not have access to Facebook so she printed (from Facebook) the last 3 weeks of photos of my new lil lady so that my Mum can see them. Being in Ireland she is yet to see the baby. Even despite having seen them herself on Facebook, having them printed meant my Mum could study them more closely, and for longer, than when she is grabbing a moment on her brother's ipad so she noticed lots more in the photos and we had a GREAT chat about it all this morning. Photos/videos are really the best tool we have for capturing and archiving our special family moments and for sharing them too especially with family overseas or simply surrounding ourselves with pics on our own walls to keep memories alive. You saw the large canvas on the wall in the video above, I am a big believer in this. 

My Mum came for 9 weeks when Aaron was born (like in pic below) and it would be a dream come true if only she could come this time too.

But as we are also Mums ourselves as well as loving our own Mums I will post a pic from the same Summer 2010, of me as a Mummy:

Being a Mum now a second time, it is even more overwhelmingly heart opening as shown by the poem this pic prompted (or rather, the MOMENT prompted the poem and the photo is my way of trying to capture it, like chasing a butterfly with a net). The poem is the first comment on instagram below:

Curled up on my chest I've fed you to sleep. Aware of the chores but y'know what? - they'll keep! You're only young once, we've borrowed this time. It's too precious to squander oh sweet child of mine. I'll cuddle you warm I'll brush off your tears. I'll turn on the lights and banish those fears. Together we're stronger, there's you and there's me. Cut from the same cloth for all eternity. Family complete a boy and a girl. Pregnancy ... birth... all gone in a whirl. Each day you grow another day old. A beautiful girl for me to mould. But it's me that is changing as you open my heart. I've waited so long for this journey to start. We love you sweet baby our home is complete. So sleep on and on my heart your rythym beat.

A photo posted by Liska (@newmumonline) on Feb 6, 2016 at 5:18am PST

The best presents, that have meant the most to the recipients, I have given to family have always been personalised photo gifts and since 2004 I have always used Photobox. Bearing in mind I have some credits on Photobox and have time before Mother's Day on Sunday 6th March, I think I will make her something in the next couple of days so that they have time to produce it and post it to me in time. Photobox has a 50% and 30% off Flash SALE that ends this Thursday (as in tomorrow) at midnight. They also have personalised photo Mother's Day Cards! The templates for the cards are stunning so take a look whilst you still have time to dedicate to choosing the photos you would use etc... I MIGHT make my Mum a photobook if I can manage to make one today or tomorrow with my newborn on my knee.

For anyone reading, thinking of being a Mum for the second time, wondering if you can love another baby, I say go for it. My heart has doubled in size since the little lady came along

Collaborative post.