I like being a mum.

Mother's Day: A day that celebrates mothers and motherhood.

For some, it may be a sad day as they remember the loss of their own mother, or even the loss of a child... For many others, it is the one day of the year that makes this incredibly hard, tiring, stressful, repetitive, and constant job of raising children all worth it... Those 5-10 minutes in the morning of being appreciated for all that they do for their families!

I find it a great privilege to be a mother, but also an overwhelming responsibility, because not only do I need to be confident that my children are healthy, safe, and well looked after - but their future is almost completely in parents' hands! The opportunities we allow them to have, the ones we can't afford to give them; the education we try to make sure they get; the amount of technology they are or aren't exposed to; the way we talk to them; the way we discipline; the habits we allow or don't realise actually come from the parents; the routines we do or don't set up; the way we do or don't encourage them, etc, are all factors in who they will grow up to become... It is sometimes a scary thing!

As a stay-at-home mum, I am obviously the main carer for my children. I do honestly love having this role! It means, though, that my kids see a lot of me - which includes both the good, and the bad. There are so many things that I still need to work on in myself, even before children are thrown in to challenge me and keep me awake at night... The pressure to remain calm, consistent, rested, fair, loving, available, nurturing, encouraging, and to stay on top of the housework... Is a target that I don't just miss - I barely make it to the board!

The confrontation of my daughter screaming at her younger brother exactly the way that I would is just one example that reminds me that we are not perfect; our children are not perfect; the world is not perfect; and our own parents were not perfect, either...

In a generally thankless and assumed role of being a mother or housewife, it often takes just a simple "thank you" or "I love you" to brighten a day and feel appreciated for all that you do when it seems to go un-noticed... It is with this (simplicity) in mind, that I made some simple, -packet mix- chocolate mud cakes to share with my own mum this Mother's Day.

I also found a use for leftover Easter eggs (that didn't involve eating them)! I used them to curl up the sides of some pink & purple fondant flowers. When they were dry, I simply added a silver cachous to the middle of them:

Placed on top of the mini chocolate mud cakes (made in ramekins), I thought they brought out just the right amount of colour that was not too overwhelming... They were simply simple.

I'd like to thank my mum for the amazing gift for Mother's Day she gave me this year - one she may not have realised was so important to me and has actually been on top of my wish list for a while:

A sleep in.

I want to urge other mums out there to enjoy your children! They are such a blessing, and there are so many women who would love to have this huge, overwhelming, exhausting, thankless, but incredibly rewarding role of being a mother... Saying that, you are also you - and I may be generalising, but as mothers we don't often allow our own needs to be met before our family's... Rest is important, and so is having hobbies and some time out now and then to recharge, or to just get through a bad day!

On that note, I'm going to go and do some more baking! :p