Mothering Sunday (aka Mother's Day in the UK)

Mother's Day in the UK is this Sunday, April 3rd. 

Oh & if you feel more like moaning about your MIL or mother, vs honouring her, then please go to one of these threads:

The official UKY inlaw venting thread

Official UKY parent venting thread

And let's keep this one for nice comments - I mean being UK Mother's Day this Sunday & all.

I've got to meet DH in town on lunch break for a day this week & we'll pick out something for my MIL.  I was looking at an interesting little shop in one of the arcades awhile back that had sterling silver chains with pretty coloured glass beads on them (necklaces & other jewelry) - something interesting & different, so we're going to go & look there.

We always seem to get the same things, so wanted to try for something we wouldn't usually get her.  (Often it's just stuff like gardening vouchers, Body Shop, blah blah blah.)

Also can't go wrong with chocolate!

What are you doing for your MIL or mother this Sunday (if you observe Mother's Day over here)?  Are you doing anything special?  As per the usual family routine, we're away to London, meeting up with DH's family at my BIL & SIL's house there in north London - just down on the train Saturday & back home Sunday.  My BIL (a big foodie) usually cooks up a feast on both days.

Also I know some folks buy their Mother's Day cards here at this time, for sending over to the US in May - because you won't find Mother's Day cards here in May, natch.

Or are you a UK mother to be fêted?  What have you asked for if anything? 

On the whole, I <3 my MIL - yes, on occasion she does my head in, but for the most part, she's wonderful.  And since my mother died a couple of years ago  , UK Mother's Day is the only one I celebrate now for my (English) MIL. 

We tend to spend the day with MiL doing something together that she likes to do.  We usually treat her to a day at an art gallery, (did Yorkshire Sculpture Park one year) or a big garden type place, and we take her out to lunch or cook for  her.

Not sure what's going on yet this year as hubby needs to see if she's going to be around or if she'll be spending the day with BiL and his partner instead.  Sometimes if that's the case, we'll spend the following Sunday with her instead.

This year I got my mom the same card we got for MiL, but I always change the 'U' in Mum to an 'O'.  My mom is not a mum!  And the ones that say 'Mother' are far too formal for my very down to earth mom!

Also I know some folks buy their Mother's Day cards here at this time, for sending over to the US in May - because you won't find Mother's Day cards here in May, natch.

This is my annual ritual!! I always make sure to buy one with "Mum" prominently on it so my mom knows I've actually been saving it for a few months. She says it means more to know I've thought of her in advance.

We've just been informed by my sister in law that we're to report to a restaurant at 2pm on Sunday. Not that they ever pick somewhere my mother in law would actually like (nothing can be worse than the year they booked the unredeemably AWFUL heat-lamp buffet restaurant for Mothering Sunday, though. Just because kids ate free! ugh).

My son has his 7th birthday on Mothering Sunday this year, so we're having a big joint party for him, me, my mother-in-law, and her mother!

I get along quite well with my MIL-but I've given up trying to buy presents for her!  She doesn't like to go out, isn't into jewelry/bath goodies/chocolate, and would rather be outside either gardening or some sort of building work.  If we do get her something for the garden  she will complain that we have spent too much money. 
So we will give her a nice card and be done with it. 
I've dropped a hint to MrRed5 that I wouldn't mind some bath goodies. 

Alas, my own mother and MIL are both gone now. I used to try to remember to get the card ahead of time and save it until May (usually forgot where I put it!) I'll get a card for my aunt for Mother's Day here, as she's the closest I have to a mother!

My son has his 7th birthday on Mothering Sunday this year, so we're having a big joint party for him, me, my mother-in-law, and her mother!

That sounds like quite a party!  Hope you have a fabulous time - all! 

We ended up getting MIL a pretty little sterling silver necklace with varied coloured and mother of pearl beads on it, on a double strand - really pretty & I think she'll like it - it's shades of blue & purple plus the mother of pearl bits.  Neat shop called Maya - there's one in Leeds, York, Chester & I forget - one other location as well.

And we got her some chocolates from Bon Bon&#039;s.

So it's just for DH to sort out the card now. 

We got MIL's card and Lindt chocs a couple of weeks ago. I'll get my dad's wife a card on Friday when I'm off, for sending in May.

I got my mother-in-law a bouquet of flowers from a lovely florist that recently opened a shop in her village. 

I'm celebrating my Mother's Day in May when I'll be going to see The Mousetrap in London with my husband and kids.  The tickets arrived today!

Happy Mother's Day to all the UKY mamas!

I don't know exactly what we're doing today, either taking MIL out for a meal or getting a takeaway and hanging at theirs. We bought her a carrot cake from Costco (possibly the best carrot cake in existence) which is her favorite and some chocolates. We were planning to take her to see Wicked over the Easter holidays, since she works in a school as well. DH was going to take a day off work. But we found out that they're going to Ireland for the duration of the holidays to see Nan, since Granddad just passed away and she is lonely...

So we made her a voucher on the computer to say we will take her to a West End show instead. We'll let her choose when! She has never been to a show before, and FIL definitely wouldn't take her, so I think she'll be excited.

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day in England when I had an English Mother-in-Law. It was nice to celebrate it!

When I first started dating my husband and I was studying in Spain, he told me one day that it was Mother's Day and I panicked and called my mother in America to tell her that I was sorry that I had forgotten Mother's Day because I thought it was in May. It didn't occur to me that they might recognize it on a different day in the UK.