As Sunday was Savannah's first birthday, Mothers day - rightly - took a bit of a back seat. I wanted to focus on spoiling our gorgeous girl and marking her first year with us. Obviously she is too young to know what was going on and why there was lots of singing, balloons, wrapping paper and people around but none the less she had a lovely day and ended up zonked out on her daddy at about 7pm.

I decided to do an afternoon tea with finger sandwiches, cakes and prosecco to kind of spoil us adults (mainly mums) on Mothering Sunday while people saw Savannah on her first birthday. It was a very busy afternoon but a really enjoyable one too.

One thing I was very thankful for - even more than usual - was my mum. She was an amazing help to me. My step dad and hubby took Savannah to her swimming lesson while I finished the last of the tidying up, got myself ready and my wonderful mum took to making the sandwiches. She made another round half way through the party too when all the yummy sarnies had been gobbled up. My hubby helped too, he made teas and coffees and got beer for the blokes but without sounding like I am ungrateful, I kind of expected his help seeing as it was a party at our house!

My mum really helped; without her I wouldn't have been ready in time for the guests who arrived dead on the 3pm start time and the conservatory wouldn't have been anywhere near ready either. She also made scones for the occasion, a yummy chocolate walnut cake, arranged for Savannah's birthday cake to be made with a colleague at her work and lent me a cake stand and other accessories I needed. She also bought ham for some of the sandwiches. It was a massive help.

Today we are going for a spot of lunch at a lovely local pub (with Savannah of course) to celebrate a late Mothers Day and I can't wait. I enjoy going out for dinner or lunch even more these days as we don't do it so often now. I am also looking forward to a bit of indulgence.

Lastly, I am looking forward to having a lovely - if not calmer - afternoon with my mum. Enjoying her company and remembering and celebrating why mums are so great. I appreciate my mum even more so now I am one. Before it was easy to forget how much my mum actually does for me but every time I have a hard day or night with a teething bubba I remember my mum has done the same, every time I worry about money I remember that my mum did the same too.

I didn't get a gift for mothers day because I wanted to focus on Savannah and without sounding like a hero, I really didn't want one. My parents split up when I was about 5 or 6 and while my mum did have relationships she did also have a lot of time on her own. When she was buying us Christmas presents to open eagerly Christmas morning, there wasn't a dad or partner there buying her anything. While card shops were bombarding the public with the reminder that we must spoil our mums and reward them for their constant love and care, my mum was waking up on Mothering Sunday and carrying on as normal. Obviously the older we got and when we had jobs and money things changed but for a long time we were too young to realise what was going on. That makes me sad.

Luckily things are very different for mum now and she has been happily married for seven years to a great man, they go on lovely holidays and eat at lovely places. I am not saying my mum was unhappy before but I know it would have been hard, I know I have Patrick to take over if I am having a hard day or even just on a normal day, Patrick always comes home and does the 'evening shift' while I do dinner. He baths Savannah and puts her to bed which gives me time to tidy up and then sit and relax. My mum didn't have anyone there to take over when things got a bit difficult, if she was unwell or just exhausted from working and raising two kids. My grandparents were very involved but it isn't the same as having a partner with you. I know she wouldn't change a thing because she loves us and is proud of the adults we have become but I appreciate it would have been hard at times. Because being a parent is a relentless, 24/7 job you appreciate the little things in life more; an adult conversation, a cup of tea in peace, watching what YOU want to watch on TV. You don't always get those things though. 

So today, we are going out to lunch; two mums. We will have an adult conversation (mixed with Savannah conversations) and a yummy lunch.

I love you Mum, thanks for everything you do. I appreciate you every single day. Xxxxx