Happy Mother’s Day

By Diane Forrest

M - O - T - H - E - R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,

"O" means only that she's growing old,

"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,

"H" is for her heart of purest gold;

"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

"R" means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell

"MOTHER,"

A word that means the world to me.

Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

Today is a day set aside to pay honor to our mothers.  Everyone has a mother.  They come in all shapes and sizes, young or old, sweet or mean, rich or poor, and everywhere in between.  According to Wikipedia, the modern holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in Grafton, West Virginia. She then began a campaign to make "Mother's Day" a recognized holiday in the United States. Although she was successful in 1914, she was already disappointed with its commercialization by the 1920s. Jarvis' holiday was adopted by other countries and it is now celebrated all over the world. In this tradition, each person offers a gift, card, or remembrance toward their mothers, grandmothers, and/ or maternal figure on mother's day.

This past week I went to see my son for Mother's day.   His wife had gone out of town to visit her mother, and he had to stay behind to work, and "mother" his 3 dogs.  We had a wonderful relaxed visit.  It was the first time I had seen his new home, and we went out for a wonderful Italian dinner.  Of course when we came back from dinner, I spent the rest of the night cleaning the mess he had left for his wife. I guess mom's will always pick up after their kids...or is that just me?  We met for lunch the next day near his office, then I headed back home, wanted to beat the bad weather that was rolling in.

Mother's day is not about what to buy her; I have been reading several sites that offer suggestions about what she wants, what she doesn't want and things to surprise her with.  Personally the best gift I can get is spending time with my son, some younger mothers may want to spend time away from their children..hahaha.

Today is Mother's Day, if you are able, spend some time with your mom, eat lunch or brunch or dinner or give her a call if you are too far away. If your mother is no longer around, spend the day with an aunt or other family member, or even an elderly neighbor who is spending the day alone.

We at KISBYTO would like to wish all the mothers out there a very “Happy Mother's Day”.  How do you plan to spend the day?  

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Mother's Day

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National Family Month

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By Akindman

National Family Month is observed during the five-week period between Mother's Day in May and Father's Day in June. It is timed to coincide with the end of the school year, when families start spending more time together, and also to focus attention on mothers and fathers as the most powerful support system for their children.

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National Family Month was started by KidsPeace, a private, not-for-profit organization that has dedicated itself to helping children attain the confidence and develop the courage to face and overcome crises since 1882. KidsPeace has also established National Kids Day, observed on the third Saturday of September. The organization believes that such observances provide opportunities for parents, grandparents, and caregivers to be more involved in the lives of the children for whom they are responsible. Families are urged to spend time doing things together during this five-week period, whether it is taking a family vacation or simply doing chores around the house.

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Here are 15 fun family activities:

• Playing board games;
• Playing card games;
• Watching a silly movie together and laughing out loud;
• Going for walks together and letting the kids collect rocks;
• Inviting another child over to play or eat, knowing that he/she isn’t getting family needs met at home;
• Eating dinner together every evening;
• Reading a book with your kids and having them read it back;
• Going for pie and ice cream at a local mom-and-pop restaurant;
• Going for fries at your favorite local family restaurant;
• Eating a picnic lunch in your back yard, on the picnic table;
• Driving into town to visit the family park (bringing balls along for the kids as well as some snacks);
• Staying at a local hotel for one night—eating junk food, swimming, watching TV, etc;
• Making crafts together or writing a note to someone you love;
• Stopping by the Dollar Store and giving the kids $5 each to spend; and
• Cleaning the house together (teaches responsibility and teamwork).

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Links:

http://www.kidspeace.org/nationalfamilymonth.aspx