The week before Mother's Day always started the same way, construction paper, markers and some terrible craft our mothers were supposed be excited about.

Writing the Mother's Day card was always my favorite part; a chance to be personal and witty (even for a 5th grader). I enjoyed writing, unlike crafting, so I felt like my card was always my mom's real gift. A part of me always felt a little guilty that a poorly painted clay pot containing the remnants of a plant I destroyed on the bus was all I had to give my mom. Lucky for me, she didn't seem to mind. 

In high school, I really got into the spirit of things and decided to go all out one year for Mother's Day. Making an appointment at a local salon, I booked two manicures, one for me and one for my mom. You see, my mom never paints her nails. She doesn't get them done and she doesn't do them herself. As a child and to this day, I enjoy making snide remarks about my mom's hands. They've always reminded me of what Count Olaf's (villain from A Series of Unfortunate Events) hands would look like. I mean this in a loving way of course. Anyway, my mom loved the surprise manicure and getting our nails done together is one of my most favorite memories.

With Mother's Day approaching I thought it would be nice for Brit and I to share memories of Mother's Days past. I also started wondering about how Mother's Day came to be. I'm sure the history of Mother's Day interests you as well, so allow me to tell you about it. 

Google knows all, so, naturally, my quest for knowledge took approximately seven minutes from start to finish. After clicking on history.com (a very legitimate sounding website), I discovered that, like everything, Mother's Day traces back to the Greeks and Romans. Unable to speak for other countries, I did find out that Anna Jarvis is responsible for getting Mother's Day on the calendar in America in the year 1914. President Woodrow Wilson established Mother's Day officially as the second Sunday in May thanks to Jarvis raising awareness about the day and having backing from John Wanamaker in Philly didn't hurt either. Ironically, Jarvis died childless, never becoming a mother herself. 

 Now that you've heard my favorite Mother's Day memory and the history of the holiday, let's see what Brit's most cherished recollection is. 

Years later, I still have that ring and most of the little stones. It is rare that my parents, three sisters and I are all together, and wearing that ring always takes me back to a sunny Sunday in May when my mom got a gift for all the amazing stuff she does for us. 

And on that note, Brit and I would like to wish all you moms a very happy Mother's Day xoxo