Now that I'm a Mum myself, I really admire all that my Mum would have done for my brother and I on her own. I admire how much she would have given for us and how hard it must have been sometimes. Especially to have raised us on her own without much money. She always did what she could and she always made time for us. She taught us to be kind people, to have good manners and to never follow the crowd.
My Brother and I with my Mum and Step-Dad in Trafalger Square in London. I was about nine here. I remember her spending any spare pennies that she did have from time to time on things for my brother Mark and I. She would always buy us the Art Magic magazine when she could. Mark and I loved going through that magazine together - learning how to draw and having fun doing the puzzles together with our Mum. She'd take us to the library and let us choose some of the books that the library had put up for sale - I loved that you could take away and keep an entire book for just 20p. She'd take us to charity shops and find us new clothes as with both of us being so tall, we were constantly outgrowing our trousers. I remember when she found me a denim jacket in the charity shop once. We were so pleased - denim jackets we're really 'in' at the time. We pretended to my school friends that my Auntie had got it for me.
My Mum always did so much for us, despite any money worries and despite the fact that both my Brother's 'Dad' and my 'Dad' had walked out and left us. And for that I will always be grateful. My Mum and I have had an up an down relationship over the years, I'm sure she'll admit that herself. But one thing that has always remained is that she has always been there when I have needed her the most. And I hope she knows that I will always be here for her too.
I'm never quite sure what to get her on Mother's Days these years, nothing ever feels quite 'enough'. Fortunately I received a really kind email from the lovely team at Tesco asking me if I was interested in working with them on their Mother's Day campaign by helping them to promote their Inspiration Stations that will be in select stores from midday on the 25th March.
They also sent me a short questionnaire to fill out all about my Mum and her interests which allowed them to recommend and choose a gift experience for my Mum and I. They chose a spa break for us and I'm now so excited to go and spend some quality, relaxing, one-on-one time with my Mum and just get to go and have some bonding time with her. Knowing my Mum, I know that she will be so much happier with an experience that we can do together than she would be with any other sort of present.
Tesco's Inspiration Stations will feature in over 300 of their stores across Britain from midday on Saturday the 25th March, to help those hoping to find the perfect gift for their Mums. They will be manned by experts who can make personal recommendations to those who aren't quite sure what to get for their Mum's this Mother's Day. Tesco customers can also use their accumulated Clubcard points to exchange vouchers for gift experiences for an alternative present this Mother’s Day – from spa days to trips to the zoo. And in addition to beautiful bouquets, the experts will point people to indulgent chocolates, delicious drinks and luxurious breakfast in bed delicacies. They will also help with special wrapping and gift tags that can be planted and will grow into flowers to keep reminding mums how much they are loved, long after the day itself. *I am working with Tesco on their Mother's Day campaign, however all thoughts expressed here are as always, my own.
