Are you in need of an idea for how to treat mom on Mothers Day that will not break your budget? How are you going to show her just how much you love her, and how important she is to you? Remember, most mothers will appreciate anything, as long as it’s thoughtful and shows how much you care.

Whilst I was browsing the internet to come up with some Mother’s Day gift ideas to accompany this article, I came across something which I wish so much I could have given to my mother. Sadly she passed away a couple of years ago, and, of course, there are so many questions left unanswered. That’s why I want to tell you about this very special gift for your Mother.

When you spend time with your Mom, what do you talk about? Do you discuss recipes or your children? Do you argue? Do you know what her mother’s middle name was or what her father did for a living? Do you ever think about what made your Mom the woman she is today?

There must be things you’ve always wanted to know about her, but hesitated to ask. You are her child. She helped make you, mold and guide you. How did she do that? It all goes back to who she is as a person. Her history is an integral part of who you are.

This book, “Someday, I’ll Ask You” by P.J. Cloud is the ideal medium for all of the answers to your questions. A perfect opportunity and a beautiful gift from you to her, or from her to you! Divided into sections of her life, your Mom can take a few moments each day and reflect on how she became the special person she is today. Not only will it allow you to understand her better as a person, it will help her communicate all of those little details she’s always wanted to tell you, but never quite knew how.

When she has finished the book, she can give it back without guilt! In fact, that’s the whole point. We children WANT this back! It truly is an inspiring and comforting way for her to sum up her life whether she is in her 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s 70’s, 80’s or even 90’s!

So does this sound like something you'd be interested in? Not sure yet? You can click here and take a sneak peek inside the book. The author has put a few random pages into a PDF file (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or equivalent to read).

"Until I read this book, I had no idea just how much I didn't know about my own mother. It has opened doors of communication for myself and my own kids, and I thank P.J. Cloud for that! Buy this book and give it to every mother you know!" K. Liebelt (Oregon)

"I love the concept of this book, I wish I had it when my Mother was still alive. I will find some of the questions hard to answer, and it will take longer than I first thought. The photographs add so much to the content of the book, "Someday, I'll Ask You". Jean E Moulds (Leonardtown, MD)

"What a wonderful idea for a book! So many things you should have asked, but just never found the time until it was too late. You are an angel. Someone should have done this a long long time ago. Thank you."  Lawrence E. Cloud "Lar" (Portland OR USA)

"'This is how family heirlooms are created'... a quote by PJ Cloud, from the personalized inscription in my mother's copy of "Someday, I'll Ask You." This truly is the beginning of creating a family heirloom for us...not one of wealth, but of love, memories, advice, concern, and so much more. The pictures are beautiful, the poetry is inspiring and the questions with which to respond to are thought provoking. This is an invaluable gift."  S. Michael(Ridgefield, WA)

What a Wonderful Life for Moms. This book celebrates the wonder and joy of motherhood. Full-time motherhood isn't always met with the awe and wonder that the post truly deserves. Being a mom is HARD WORK as any mother knows! This book acknowledges the hardship, provides encouragement for the weary, and offers little tips on how you can make each day a little brighter for yourself and for your children.

Home Is Where Your Mom Is is true, especially for young children. This book is merely a book of quotes detailing the trials and joys of motherhood. This is a tiny little gift book (pocket sized?) that comes with a little attached bookmark, making it easy for you to mark a quote that expresses what you feel towards your own mom. (Although I hope that thought is positive!)

Motherhood Is Not for Sissies. Isn't that the truth!? This book would take what some would refer to as the "realistic approach" to motherhood. It documents the spills and disasters of the home while offering humorous commentary in quotes which reference frogs, skinned knees, raising teenage girls, and cleaning up the chaos while pregnant

The idea of celebrating Mother's Day the world over is to honor mothers for all their love and support and to make them feel appreciated. But how did it all start? Lets look, first of all, at the origins of Mother's Day.

Mother's Day is said to have begun from ancient times and believed to have got its roots from the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, wife of Cronus and mother of the gods and goddesses.  Mother's Day is also often supposed to have risen from the ancient Roman holiday, "Matronalia", that was dedicated to Juno - the Roman deity who is mentioned to be the wife and sister of Lord Jupiter in Roman mythology.  It was during the festival of Matronalia that the tradition of giving mothers gifts was born.

In the United Kingdom, as in most of the Christian Churches in the Western World, Mother’s Day is known as Mothering Sunday and is the fourth Sunday in Lent (three weeks before Easter). This is why its date moves from year to year. Centuries ago it was the day when people would go back to visit the church of his or her baptism, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children. The fasting rules for Lent were also relaxed for the day! Young apprentices and young women in service were released by their masters that weekend in order to visit their families. They would pick flowers to bring to church or give to their mother and often arrived at the church laden with gifts. This custom was also known as “going mothering”.

By the early 20^th century, Mothering Sunday was in serious decline in the United Kingdom. In fact, going mothering had already died out in some regions by the 19th century, and Victorian writers on folklore discuss it as an old custom that their readers wouldn’t necessarily know about. After the Second World War, however, British people once again picked up the tradition, inspired largely by the United States, to the extent that Mothering Sunday in Britain has taken on the name and personality (but not the date) of Mother’s Day in the United States.

Mother's Day in the United States originated in 1858, when Anna Reeves Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, was the first woman to hold an official celebration of mothers. Anna instituted Mothers' Work Day, in her home state of West Virginia, to raise awareness about local sanitation issues. During the Civil War, she extended the reach of Mothers' Work Day to include sanitary conditions on both sides of the battlefield. Anna Reeves Jarvis died in 1907.

However, it is Julia Ward Howe, an abolitionist and activist, who is credited with being the originator of Mother’s Day.  In 1870, influenced by the work of Anna Reeves Jarvis, she issued a declaration, to unite women against war.  Her post-Civil War Mother's Day Proclamation began, "Arise, then, women of this day!" and called on women to reject men's weapons, violence and war.  Unfortunately she failed in her attempt to get formal recognition of a Mother’s Day for Peace.

In 1908, one of the first services organized to celebrate Anna Reeves Jarvis, was held at her church in West Virginia. There her daughter, also called Anna Jarvis, handed out her mother's favorite flower, the white carnation, which represents the sweetness, purity and endurance of mother love. Anna was so moved by the service that she began a letter-writing campaign to gain the support of influential ministers, businessmen and congressmen in declaring a national Mothers Day holiday. She felt children often failed to value their mother enough during the mother's lifetime.

In 1910, the governor of West Virginia proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day and a year later every state followed suit. The House of Representatives also adopted a resolution calling for officials of the federal government to wear white carnations on Mother's Day.

Sadly, Anna Jarvis died in 1948, bitter, blind, partially deaf and completely penniless in a Pennsylvania mental institution.

Anna had hoped that Mother’s Day would be a day of reflection and quiet prayer by families, thanking God for all that mothers had done.