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Honor your mother today and every day! Need a Mother’s Day recipe or poem for your card? Learn more about Mother’s Day dates and find gift ideas, too.

Mother’s Day 

Mother’s Day is always celebrated on the second Sunday in May. It’s not a federal holiday, however it’s widely celebrated as a special day to honor all mothers and motherhood. Together, let’s honor the women who raised us—and all the mothers who sacrificed for their children. 

Mother’s Day History

Although the custom of setting aside a day to honor mothers has ancient roots, our observance of Mother’s Day originated in 1907 with the efforts of a devoted daughter, Anna M. Jarvis of Philadelphia, who conceived the idea of an annual nationwide celebration. The public and the press quickly embraced the idea, and villages, towns, cities, and states soon began unofficial Mother’s Day observances. On May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May Mother’s Day, and within a few years, the idea gained worldwide prominence. Read more about this history of Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas: Flowers

For Mother’s Day, many children send greeting cards or make a special effort to visit their mothers. 

Of course, flowers or a planted container are a classic gift. Perhaps the most historically-significant flower is the white carnation, which was the symbol that Mother’s Day founder, Anna Jarvis, valued.

With their exotic and majestic appearance, orchids symbolize love, refinement, and beauty. The orchid is also a Chinese symbol for “many children.”

Lilies are also popular. The day lily is the Chinese symbol of motherhood. 

Purple irises are also a special choice for mothers, symbolizing faith and hope.

See more about flower meanings. 

Mother’s Day Recipes

Some families like to give mother a “day off” by cooking for her, or bringing her breakfast. Who doesn’t enjoy this gesture?

A homemade meal is especially appreciated. Wake mom up with this delicious Frittata de Nonna. (Nonna means grandmother in Italy.)

Or, delight mom with these easy Strawberry Crepes. Cut the strawberries into heart shapes for extra points!

You could also leave her a basket of Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze. Moms are the sweet and the tang in our lives!

This Mother’s Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings recipe was passed down through a grandmother who grew up in the hills of Tennessee.

Here are a few more recipes passed down through the generations:

Traditionally, children in England always baked a cake for their Mother’s Day—called Mothering Sunday (which occurs in March). If you like this tradition, here’s a truly delicious (and better than boxed) cake recipe: Chocolate Mousse Cake.

Mother’s Day Gifts and Crafts

Mothers love simple, homemade gifts from the heart! Here are a few craft ideas:

Mother’s Day Quotes and Lore

Add your favorite verse to a Mother’s Day card this year!

Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law.
–Hubert Humphrey, American politician

The greatest love is a mother’s; Then comes a dog’s, then comes a sweetheart’s.
–Polish proverb

In the eyes of its mother, every turkey is a swan.

What good fathers and mother instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all.
–Benjamin Spock, American physician (1903–98)

The daughter of a good mother will be the mother of a good daughter.

A Mother’s Day Poem

Sonnets are full of love, and this my tome
Has many sonnets: so here now shall be
One sonnet more, a love sonnet, from me
To her whose heart is my heart’s quiet home,
To my first Love, my Mother, on whose knee
I learnt love-lore that is not troublesome;
Whose service is my special dignity,
And she my loadstar while I go and come
And so because you love me, and because
I love you, Mother, I have woven a wreath
Of rhymes wherewith to crown your honored name:
In you not fourscore years can dim the flame
Of love, whose blessed glow transcends the laws
Of time and change and mortal life and death.
–by Christina Rossetti (1839–94)

How will you remember, celebrate, or honor your mother?  Please post below. Of course, if YOU are a mother, may we wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!