Mother Who? is an honest and candid book about a group of diverse mums sharing their frustrations, joys and experiences.  It touches upon realistic dilemmas that we all experience in our lives such as child care, employers, social pressures, starting a business, health and relationships all with a toddler or two in tow.  And of course the age old tale of “mother guilt”. 

This book was very inspirational and as a person who did not take easily to being a mum, I found the refreshingly honest stories somehow made my parenting skills (or lack of) seem quite okay in amongst the mix.  There is no right way to parent and Mother Who? relates stories from Kate Cerebrano, Claudia Keech, Naomi Simpson and Natasha Stott Despoja all who have their own remarkable and sometimes harrowing stories to tell.  But they all have one thing in common - they are mothers who are striving to raise their children in the best possible way their circumstances and situations allow.   

Whether you choose to be a working mum, a stay at home mum, or a stay at home working mum there will always be someone who thinks that whatever you are doing may not be the best thing for your child.  Reading this book highlighted the fact that the best thing you can actually do for your child is to live a truthful and honest life and teach them to do the same.

To purchase the book, you can visit Mother Who.

Mothering Sunday began in Britain during the 17th Century on the fourth Sunday of Lent as a day when servants and apprentices would return home to visit with their mothers. Most visitors took a gift with them; a particular kind of fruitcake called a “mothering cake”.

The holiday had almost completely died out by the 19th Century, when in the United States of America Julia Ward Howe suggested the idea of a Mother’s Day of Peace following the United States’ Civil War. Whilst celebrations continued for some years, it once again died out when Julia Ward Howe discontinued paying for most of the cost of the celebrations.

The Mother’s Day we celebrate today is credited mostly to Anna Jarvis, who wanted a way to honour her mother, who had died. The first Mother’s Day service was held in Grafton, West Virginia on Sunday 10th May 1908, and just 12 months later, nearly every state in America commemorated the day. In 1914 in the United States of America, the second Sunday of May was officially named Mother’s Day, and proclaimed a national holiday.

Commercial enterprise entered the arena however, and ironically Anna Jarvis spent most of her later life rallying to stop the commercialisation of the celebration she had spent her earlier years founding. Mother’s Day began to be celebrated again in Britain after World War II with the influx of American servicemen and their traditions. It continues to be celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

Mother’s Day is an opportunity to bless, thank and honour our mothers, grandmothers, aunts and carers, living and passed, and to celebrate with them the life they have given us. It need not be commercial, nor trite, but a demonstration of our admiration for the women in our lives who have taught us to love, to laugh, and to live.

This book is not a travel book, a biography or a self help text.  It combines elements of all three amongst a desperately honest and, at times, a touching and amusing dialogue of a woman and her inner-self.

I enjoyed this book for what it was - a light-hearted approach about a woman’s struggle to come to terms with her situation and desire to experience life from a more spiritual and meaningful perspective.Prior to her self fulfilling journey, a Balinese medicine man spoke of the method to which Elizabeth would need to focus on in order to reach a balance in her life.  “You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth,” he told her “that it’s like you have four legs, instead of two…But you must  stop looking at the world through your head.  You must look through your heart, instead.”

Whilst travelling to three countries to find ourselves may be a little out of our reach, the book touches upon experiences that can be achieved in more familiar environments. 

A new year - a new beginning.

Jenna starts a very complicated relationship with Dr Pomater (Nathan Fillion), her married gynaecologist, who falls for her charm and her pie making skills.  He along with Old Joe (Andy Griffith), the owner of the pie shop where she works, give Jenna the self confidence to see that she is worth more than what she imagines and spurs her to start afresh.

Jenna is supported all the way by her waitress friends Becky and Dawn (Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Shelly), who admit quite openly that they would not want to be in her shoes despite the fact she has a handsome husband with very good hair.

Filled with witty narration and amazing pies such as I Hate My Husband Pie - “take bittersweet chocolate and don’t sweeten it.  Make it into a pudding and drown it in caramel…” this movie gives a light hearted take on all things serious - life, motherhood and relationships.

Definitely one to be savoured - but don’t forget the pie!  Out now to rent on dvd.