All that I am

Mothers. We owe them everything.

 

Time is moving fast and Mother’s Day is almost upon us. While motherhood has been celebrated and honoured in various way throughout history, this is modern holiday was first celebrated in the United States in 1908. It became a legal public holiday there in 1912. In Australia it was started in 1924 by Mrs Janet Heyden of Sydney, when she found there were many lonely and forgotten mothers at the Newington State Home for Women. She brought them gifts from local school children and businesses, with this becoming an annual tradition. To honour the amazing contribution and sacrifice of mothers everywhere we found other interesting Mother’s Day trivia.

  1. Mother’s Day is the third most popular holiday, after Christmas and then Easter.
  2. The carnation is the special flower for Mother’s Day in the United States. Tradition calls for wearing a red one if one’s mother is alive, and white if she has died. However, in Australia it is the chrysanthemum, as the name ends in “Mum”. People will give their mothers chrysanthemums and men wear one in their lapel to honour their mothers.
  3. Mother’s Day is the third biggest day of the year for sending cards.
  4. Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year for restaurants. Be sure to make reservations ahead of time.
  5. There are more phone calls made on Mother’s Day than on any other day of the year. A 2010 AT&T survey estimated that in the United States an 122.5 million phone calls to Mom are made on Mother’s Day. Other Mother’s Day findings revealed that 11 percent never call their mothers, and 3 percent of the 68 percent planning to ring Mum up called her collect.
  6. 24.8 is the median age of women when they give birth for the first time – meaning one-half are above this age and one-half are below. The median age has risen nearly three years since 1970.
  7. Chinese family names are often formed (begin) with a sign that means “mother”. It’s a nice way of honouring their mum’s long past.
  8. Some tribes of people, like the Assam in Africa, don’t call themselves families. They call themselves “maharis”, or “motherhoods.”
  9. Julia Ward Howe wrote the Battle Hymm of the Republic and was a staunch fighter for women’s rights. She staged an unusual protest for peace in Boston, by celebrating a special day for mothers. Julia wanted to call attention to the need for peace by pointing out mothers who were left alone in the world without their sons and husbands after the bloody Franco-Prussian War.
  10. George Washington once said, “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.”
  11. There were 84 million mums in the United States in 2010.
  12. The odds of delivering twins is 1-in-33. For triplets, it’s 1-in-539.
  13. August is the most popular month for having babies. Tuesday is the most popular day of the week for having babies.
  14. There will be about 131.4 million births this year worldwide.
  15. The average woman in 17th-century America gave birth to 13 children.

…via Mother’s Day fun facts, trivia, and famous mothers in history | Examiner

We hope those trivia bits got you thinking of dear old Mum, plus your Grandmothers, Aunts and the many other spectacular women in your life. They have supported and shaped who you are today. Remember all they have done for you as we approach this really meaningful and heartfelt holiday, thinking of how you going to express your gratitude.

If you are going to send flowers you can be entered into our Mother’s Day contest for a chance to win one of two 32GB iPad Mini2s. Shop now to save on flowers for Mum and a chance for you to win an iPad Mini2!