Mother's Day Gifts

Different countries celebrate Mother's Day on different days of the year because the day has a number of different origins.

In the UK, we have Mothering Sunday, which is the equivalent of Mother's Day in other countries. It is a Christian tradition and has been celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent since around the 16th century. It is thought that the tradition arose because on this day, instead of going to their local church, people made a point of going to the nearest big church or cathedral, sometimes called the "mother church". English servant girls and boys were generally only allowed one day to visit their family each year and this was usually on Mothering Sunday. Sometimes they would bake a cake (the favourite being the Simnel cake) to take home to their mother. Often, the gift was flowers, picked in the meadows they had to walk through on their way home to their village.

Today, children often give their mothers a gift and a card. At church, children in the congregations are often given a little bunch of spring flowers to give to their mothers as a thank you for all their mothers as a thank you for all their care and loving throughout the year. In 2008, Mothering Sunday falls on 2nd March (2009 - 22 March, 2010 - 14 March).

In the United States, Mother's Day arose out of the Mother's Day Proclamation put forward by social activist Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War seeking to unite women against the war.

Is she the Queen of bling? This handmade silver Mayan music ball heart necklace makes an enchanting sound, perfect for relaxation, meditation and calming babies.

Why not celebrate one of the most precious bond of all...with matching silver mother and daughter bracelets with tiny heart charms to symbolise their love.

She loves to garden? This beautiful set of gardening tools are both practical and pretty. Available in green, pink and blue - £32.

Planing the perfect garden couldn't be easier with a garden collector, a folder created specifically for gardeners wanting to store all their grand garden ideas - £15. And after a long hard day of gardening, what could be better for winding down that a gardeners revive spa kit - £22.

If its the outdoors she loves then those lovely sunny summer days wouldn't be complete without a luxury picnic blanket, picnic backpack or Boule set.

For Mum's who love to garden and be outdoors, BeRapt's garden and outdoors collection will provide the perfect garden gifts for Mum and great outdoor gifts too.

Whether its Devonshire tea with her friends, an evening cocktail party or a grand dinner for eight, she will be able to entertain in style with a gift from BeRapt's entertaining gifts collection. This elegant cheese board is inset with a granite tile that can be chilled to keep the cheese cool - £45

Mmm, from margarita's to mohitos, the bullet cocktail shaker with its distinctly art deco look will make her the party host of the town - £35

Espresoholic? You can't go wrong with these girly espresso cups with a very French feel to them - £25

We are sitting at lunch when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family". "We're taking a survey," she says, half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?" "It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. "I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations%u2026"

But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but that becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mum!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation.

I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for child care but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of her discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.

I want my daughter to know that everyday decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighted against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years - not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.

I want her to know that a caesarean scar of shiny stretch marks will become badges of honour. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women through out history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children's future. I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing you child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or a cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real, it actually hurts.

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realise that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say.

Then I reach across the table, squeeze my daughter's hand and offer a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings. This blessed gift from God. That of being a Mother.

The Simnel cake is a fruit cake covered with a layer of marzipan (sugar almond paste) and decorated with 11 marzipan balls, representing the 12 apostles minus Judas who betrayed Jesus. It is now baked more often at Easter.

Ingredients
Cake
225g butter, softened
225g light muscovado sugar
225g self-raising flour
225g sultanas
110g currants
110g glace cherries, quartered
50g chopped candied peel
zest of 2 lemons
2t mixed spice

Filling and topping
450g almond paste
2T apricot jam
1 egg, beaten, to glaze

Method
Pre-heat oven to 150 °C / 300 °F. Butter and line the base and sides of a 20cm deep round cake tin with buttered greaseproof paper.

Place all the cake ingredients in a large bowl and beat well until completely blended. Place half the mixture in the prepared tin and level the surface. Take one-third of the almond paste and roll it out into a circle the size of the tine. Place it on top of the cake mixture. Spoon the remaining cake mixture over and smooth the surface.

Bake for about 2 ½ hours until well risen and firm to the touch. Cover with foil after 1 hour if the top is browning too quickly. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cake has cooled, brush the top with a little warmed apricot jam and roll out half the remaiing almond paste to fit the top. Press firmly on the top and crimp the edges to decorate. Mark a criss-cross pattern on the almond paste with a sharp knife. Form the remaining almond paste into 11 balls to represent the 11 apostles (excluding Judas).

Brush the almond paste with beaten egg and arrange the balls around the outside. Brush the tops of the balls with egg as well. Place the cake under a hot grill to turn the almond paste golden. The cake can also be decorate with crystallised flowers such as violets, primroses and jonquils.

A woman named Emily, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office, was asked by the woman record to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. "What I mean is" explained the record, "do you have a job, or are you just a .....?" "Of course I have a job," snapped Emily. "I'm a mother." "We don't list 'mother' as an occupation ... 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar".

"What is your occupation?" she probed. What made me say it, I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations." The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair, and looked up as thought she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly, emphasising the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written in bold, black ink in the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?" Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing programme of research, (what mother doesn't), in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working on my Masters, (the whole darned family), and already have four credits, (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work
14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants - ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6-month old baby), in the child-development programme, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt triumphant! I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "mother".

Motherhood ... what a glorious career!