Happy Mother's Day

After an almost two-month absence from writing blog posts..............I am back.  Ill health has been annoying me for quite some time, but I am determined to be well again and to pursue the plans I had before becoming ill.  Today being such a special day, I decided to make this my return date.

Today is Mother's Day, and as I reflect on what it means to me to be a mother I am also remembering my own mother and being thankful for her life.  My mom passed away at age 90 in l999.  She was a remarkable person who had incredible stamina for hard work.  She had an amazing vocabulary and loved working New York Times crossword puzzles in ink.  She baked the most delicious cookies you ever tasted, was hardly ever sick in her life, sacrificed a lot to give to others, and she loved her children, grandchildren and only great grandchild who was 3 1/2 when she left us.

I am mother of a son and a daughter and grandmother of a 17 year-old boy.  They are the joys of my life, and being a mother and grandmother means the world to me.  I have been blessed beyond measure and am so proud of my family.

I hope all of you have had a lovely Mother's Day!

Should You Be Honored On Mothers' Day?

Some people seem to be naturally maternal while others seem to have been standing behind the door when maternal instincts were passed out.  Do you ask yourself which type of mother you are?  The reason I pose the question as to whether or not you should be honored is because there are too many instances in the news today of women whose parenting leaves much to be desired.  Mothers are meant to nurture and care for their offspring.  Yet we see and hear many dreadful examples of women who either do not want to or are incapable of providing the love and nurturing their children need if they are to thrive and grow up  as undamaged human beings.  Our society is plagued with sociopaths, psychopaths, gang members, bullies and abused and neglected children of all ages.  Somehow it is inconceivable to me that these people grew up in loving, caring environments.  I do not believe that babies come into the world as anything except pure innocents, and we parents and other adults mold, shape, and enhance or tarnish the lives that are in store for little ones.  There are no perfect parents, but before we accept accolades on Mothers' Day and regardless of the ages of our children we should ask ourselves if we truly are worthy of being honored as mothers.  If the answer is affirmative then have a glorious day and bask in the warm affection of the family surrounding you.  If, however, the answer is negative then decide to find help to improve your parenting skills.  Ask a friend, a neighbor, a clergyman, a teacher, a doctor, or the person who is the best mother you know to help you.  All children deserve to be protected, nurtured and loved by their mothers so take any steps necessary to remedy things before passing the point of no return in your relationship.  It is a huge responsibility, but you hold your children's present lives and their futures as adults in your grasp.  Handle with care.

Like Mother Used To Make

As May approaches with the celebration of Mothers' Day, my own mother has been very much in my thoughts this week. She was an amazing woman who left us a few months before her 91st birthday. Among her many talents were baking and sewing, and she did a lot of both in her lifetime. When my daughter was little she wore sweet little dresses my mother made for her. My mom was a wonderful seamstress who made many of my clothes when I was growing up and then did the same for my children. She could sew with or without patterns, and she could make anything from tiny hand- embroidered "angel tops" to prom dresses with yards and yards of fabric. Sometimes the simplest styles made of pretty fabrics were the sweetest of all her creations. In tribute to many happy memories of my mother, we have included some simple little dresses in both our ETSY shop and our website. White eyelet embroidery, pink tonal prints, blue tone-on-tone, lavender/pink floral print, navy blue gingham, and light blue striped denim are some of the fabrics we used for spring and summer styles.

Visit www.malcolmfortots.com and www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com to see more, and we will be adding some others soon. Mint green with white polkadots, blossom eylet embroidery in pink, blue or yellow, and little sun dresses that have either matching panty or sun hat.