Thank you, sweet darlin'--I sure do love you!

Ya know, Mom always works twice as hard so she deserves twice the "thanks" posts.

Thanks! Thanks!

milum - Your list (although seemingly in no particular order ) is just beginning to scratch the surface.

Mother Angel
Mother Catherine (Hi, Mav)
Mother Caradea
Mother WOW
Mother Osa (that's my Mom)

...etc.

[scratch]

and Biker Mom too, that an easy one!
and what about Satin? is she a mom?

For the first third of our lives, our mother's love is the only thing that makes life worth living.

One would think biker mom was a Mother!

satin's name is Anita (or so she tells me).

wwh - I'd have to say "it never really waned".

So, Happy Mother's Day to your dad, sweet Max, and to all fathers who double as mothers! To say nothing of grandparents, other relatives, and foster parents!

> Giving birth to children does not automatically make one a mother. Single fathers are an oft-forgotten group of heroes, in my very biased opinion.

Fair points, Max. Procreation itself does not, or should not make this day something special in our thoughts, but rather the tender nursing and affection most* mothers give; that which is automatically expected of them, but rarely acknowledged.

Good on yuz all, ladies. Tend to our future well:-) And hang in there!

And let us not forget all our pup and kitty Moms without whom we would not have cute dogs named Milo or Shellie (my two) or cute cats named Ginger Cat (my feline...yes "Cat" is part of his name). Arf, arf! Meeoooow!

and let us not forget it's Happy (American) Mothers' Day - the UK has a much longer tradition of Mothering Sunday which was on March 10th this year.

Happy MD, all you yanqui heroines!

>Happy MD, all you yanqui heroines!

It's fine Mav, I'm collecting Mother's Days, it's a shame that my family will only recognise the mid Lent one but I'm working on it. Any other Mother's Days out there or are they all mother's days?

> the mid Lent one

You take one that's lent, now you steal other people's? Oi, vey, Maria!

Oi, vey, Maria
Grátia plena.

Any other Mother's Days out there or are they all mother's days?

Mother's Day was on Sunday here in Germany, too. I suspect it was in many mainland European countries as well and the U.S. have chosen their day accordingly. Father's Day was last Thursday btw, but there was no thread for that.

>Father's Day was last Thursday btw, but there was no thread for that.

Ours is 16th June this year. I saw a site which said that it was celebrated on the third Sunday in June in UK, USA and Canada but it didn't mention anywhere else.

What is the name of the Japanese Children's Day--the one on which they fly fish?

What is the name of the Japanese Children's Day--the one on which they fly fish?

Kodomo no hi, 5 May. This being Japan, although it's called Children's Day, it's actually Boys' Day. The custom of flying the fish is called koi-nobori (setting up carp) and the day is also often called this. I seem to remember that officially you fly one for each son of the house, but peopel are less rigid about this now.

Girls get a different day called 'Ohina-matsuri' - the Festival of Dolls, on March third. This is not a national holiday.

Google on any of the terms and you'll get lots of pretty pictures

Friday was Día de la Madre in Mexico - I had a work meeting with some folks from Mexico scheduled (they had proposed the date) that had to be cut short because they were rushing off to catch planes to get home to their mamas y esposas (wives).

My two sons had just me for a parent for quite awhile.

I received these words on a card yesterday :
Happy Mother's Day
to a double-duty Dad
who does twice the work,
gives twice the support,
and has twice the wisdom
of the average father ...
That's why you're loved
twice as much!
(and then some!)

So color me a softie, brought tears to these ol' orbs!
/brag

For my Mother's Day, my two sons presented me with small gifts. The four-year-old gave me a keepsake box *he made in preschool; it was surprisingly pretty and I would have used it, but he really liked it and was not willing to relinquish possession after permitting me to inspect it briefly. The nine-year-old gave me a book he made, which talked about my many fine attributes. I learned that I am best at vacuuming.

Well, Sparteye, the younger son created a vacuum with the gift he took back, and the elder son provided a second vacuum with his sentiments.

Do they regularly work in kahoots?

Día de la Madre ... mamas y esposas

Now, Hyla ~ clearly you know how to use el acento. And I think you know what mamas are. So what's that first thing they're catching planes to go home to?

Japanese Children's Day--the one on which they fly fish?
I have never heard of this, and would like some clarification. Do they all go on a fly fishing expedition in the hope of catching some trout, or do they perhaps take hold of fish and propel them through the air? I will say, I think either of these scenarios seems unlikely, but I am truly at a loss.

Mothering Sunday in the UK was March 10 this year - I wonder how the days all ended up so different - do we think this is just a conspiracy from the greeting card companies to make people buy more cards or is there some sound reason way back as to why??

Now Dagnabit Jackie, pretend some couth when we have company. You miss read what they said. On Kiddies Day in Japan they don't fly fish, they fry fish. And I think that frying fish for the young'uns on kiddies Day is downright american of 'em.

They may fry fish on Children's Day, milum, but they also fly fish. There are huge handmade, colorful fish that are flown on strings and poles--the fish hang from windows--the fish are all over the place on Children's Day. But I can't remember what the day is called in Japanese.

If you can imagine a land full of flying fish and happy children, then you've got a good idea of Children's Day in Japan.

But, if you imagine flying fish and getting cornobbled, then you need to restructure your imagination.

Best regards,
Theresa Ranson

Jackie! The Japanese in Hawaii also observe Boys Day ... never heard Childrens Day until last few years.
I have two sons so flew two fish ...
Actually they wer/are long windsock type things with elaborate pictures of carp silk-screened on two sides.
I gave the "kites" to my sons when I left ... wish I still had them. Being a windsock they inflated nicely and sort of pulsed and made the carp move (sort of) in a way a kite cannot.

http://my.dmci.net/~dmanchester/Themes/Theme1999/Theme031999-4.htm

Color pictures of windsock type kites :
http://www.mikimaru.net/etshioda/sophia/j-trivia/trivia08.html

Oooh, windsock fishies--NOW I get it! Very colorful.
Wow, I had to laugh when I read ...to my sons when I left ... wish I still had them. Being a windsock they inflated nicely and sort of pulsed . For a second, I got an image of your sons inflating and pulsing!

They also had purses full of money that were suspended between each pair of fish. Carp to carp walleting.

Well, Sparteye, the younger son created a vacuum with the gift he took back, and the elder son provided a second vacuum with his sentiments.

Hmmmmm. Perhaps the underlying sentiment is something like, motherhood sucks. Maybe I have my own budding Barts. Wait. What am I saying, "maybe"....

>Maybe I have my own budding Barts.

It gets better, honest. Only a few days ago my daughter ran a bath for me with all (I mean all) her favourite bubbles. It was kinda different and arguably was worth waiting eleven years for!