Tomorrow is Mother’s Day.

Posted on by Ilze

And honestly? I’m not even sure I like Mother’s Day that much.

This year I bought our family tickets to see Emīlija Bērziņa in concert (I’ve also been listening to her music on Spotify lately), and I’m genuinely looking forward to that. I didn’t know it’s on Mothers day! Music, time together, an evening somewhere outside our everyday routine — that feels nice. Maybe that is the gift. Not flowers. Not breakfast in bed. Just a shared memory.

But apart from the concert? I’m not really waiting for anything tomorrow.

Maybe it sounds strange, but I feel similarly about Women’s Day too. One special day in the calendar doesn’t magically make someone feel appreciated. I think most of us need love, respect, attention, and kindness constantly — in the small everyday moments. Not once a year because the calendar says so.

The older I get, the more I realize that everyday life matters much more than celebrations.

It’s the same with vacations.

I have a distant friend who talks about vacations like they are the only time she truly enjoys being with her husband and family. During holidays everything is wonderful, everyone is happy, relaxed, loving… but at home she says she could “kill them.”

And I always think… why?

Why should everyday life feel so unbearable that you constantly need to escape from it? Why are we normalizing surviving eleven months just to enjoy one month/week? Why not try to fix the daily life instead?

I think the goal should be building a life that feels mostly okay even on ordinary Tuesdays. A life where you don’t need a holiday, flowers, or a social media post to feel seen.

Just the feeling that throughout the whole year, what I do matters.

And honestly?
That sounds perfectly fine to me.

Ilze

Discover more from a day in the life of a latvian mom

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

30 thoughts on “Tomorrow is Mother’s Day.”

    1. Did you notice that the older they get, the fewer “all three together” photos I seem to have? 😊

      For this Mothers day I’ll ASK for picture together 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  2. Absolutely, definitely, utterly agree with you – never liked Mother’s Day- I am a mother, but every day counts the same in my book! That said, Mother > you and Janis have brought up rather wonderful bright trio obviously full of fun – love all the photos – so go out and enjoy (I hope Janis can play a small part) and have a yummy meal afterwards . . . will be thinking of you 🙂 !

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Eha! That is interesting cause lately I’m tired of all the meals available in area (keep in mind delivery to home is not possible here!). I think I might cook something… but first I need to clean the kitchen… It’s terrible 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Well . . . I’m now thinking . . . it IS Mother’s Day and six young and strong hands should be able to do ‘kitchen duty’ for an hour and have everything neat for cooking 🙂 ? Whilst you lie on the sofa with a cup of coffee and your favourite cookery book?

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. No. no. Mother’s day is tomorrow 😀 one is out – friends birthday, one watching anime and one playing with Sylvanian BUT will go out in garden and will have jobs for everyone 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

  3. You are blessed with such a beautiful and happy family, Ilze. In every photograph the joy is visible. No need for a special day when every day is worth and fun living. That said, when I was young we Dutch children used to make a mothers day gift for our moms at school, a little vase made of clay. I believe it could contain only one miniscule flower, but it was about the idea. (For fathers day we made a clay ashtray, every man smoked in those days, or was supposed to do) And, I now realize, it showed the true love of parents when they pretended to be genuine surprised and happy with the presents. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Oh, same here when I was a kid… except for the ashtrays! 😄
      I also remember gifting my mom a tiny vase once. We had guests over that day, and she kept saying things like “What are you doing?”, “Behave!”, “Don’t do that!”

      At one point I just burst into tears and shouted, “Then why the hell did I even give you that vase?!” 😂

      They all started to lough and I think it was when I was 5 or 6…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. I am in complete agreement with you. Was just talking with friends yesterday about how holidays are just another day to me. Love and kindness, and being with the ones we love, are what’s important everyday. Your family is beautiful!🤩

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. I think you are a wonderful mum, look at your beautiful family! Three beautiful children and a lovely home. You are so very blessed, Ilze! Have a wonderful Mother’s Day! I hope Janis is feeling better. ❤️👍🏻

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Jānis is better — much better! We just moved one hay bale… and not a small one, the huge round kind. We had to! 🙂 We tried rolling it, but wow, it was hard work. By the end I had complete noodle arms. The bale wouldn’t roll properly because it’s been sitting there since autumn, so it had started to rot and went all soft and uneven. Definitely not ideal for moving!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Good news! Those round bails are very common in the county I grew up in and they can weigh 1100 pounds! There is an attachment for larger farm tractors that is simply a long pole that goes through the center of the bail and picks it up, or of course the trusty looong forks again for larger tractors. I have run these tractors before, its fun!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

    1. Thank you! That’s probably why we don’t really “understand” Valentine’s Day. I love celebrating the cycles and rhythms that nature shows us instead. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  9. What beautiful daughters you have. Thanks for sharing. Some people prefer to celebrate holidays quietly as so many have different meanings for everyone. It must be interesting and kind of old school living in your part of the world. Sounds nice.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words. ❤️ I think you understood it perfectly — for me, celebrating the quiet rhythms of nature and family moments feels much more meaningful. Life here can feel a little old-fashioned sometimes, but in a good way. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. I am curious if you are American or were born in Latavia? Sometimes your thoughts, your grasp of the English language, and your job in IT Tech make me think you are originally from the states or Canada?

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. Haha, no, I’m 100% Latvian and was born here in Latvia. 🙂 English is just something I’ve used for many years through IT, blogging, and online communities. I think the internet made the world feel much smaller for my generation.

          My mom doesn’t know English at all, while my kids sometimes speak only English between themselves because of YouTube, games, and movies. 😄 Latvia is small… REALLY small! So I think many of us grow up looking outward to the wider world online.

          And maybe living between old stone walls, gardening, beeswax candles, and computers creates a slightly unusual mix. 😄 Riga is beautiful, but there are so many other lovely places here too if you ever come to visit — forests, small towns, the seaside, and quiet countryside roads. Lovely people, that at first might look grumpy 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

Leave a Reply to Melissa Lemay Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *