But a few years on, as a little girl testing my independence, I hope I made up for it with handmade gifts and wobbly dishes of sugary treats and dishes.



The night before Mother's Day, my father might come home with a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates elaborately hidden beneath his coat, which he then smuggled into the house. It was my cue to set to work in my bedroom, surrounded by card, ribbon and glue, waiting for inspiration to strike and my creation to take shape.

In my early teens I was grown-up enough to make a bigger contribution- perhaps even managing a delicious breakfast or evening meal here and there.

One year, fruit plate and smoothie proudly arranged on a decorated tray, I bumped into my Mom walking up the stairs. Although delighted with the goodies I explained were heading in her direction she said she had to rush to an appointment, leaving me baffled on the stairs with my surprise.

Later that day the bizarre little incident became clear as my brothers and I finally presented our cards and our mother exclaimed: ‘Oh my goodness, is it mother's day?!'

Reaching into my late teens while attending Art College, dare I sheepishly admit to forgetting Mother's Day once or twice, being too wrapped up in my work, and the events happening in my life to spare some thought for my Mother on her special day of the year.

Hitting my twenties and living away from home I came to fully appreciate my mother once again, the food parcels, the home-cooked meals and, yes, the occasional bag of washing, returned washed and ironed.

Always a card, I sometimes managed to persuade my bothers to make a space in their busy lives to treat her to a bite to eat or a trip to the theatre. And we were never in any doubt afterwards that it was 100% worth it.

So it has continued until I was able to start enjoying Mother's days in my own right and I came to understand just how important they are. There's nothing quite like the clumsy wrapping of a small gift or the hushing in the hallway of young voices when they are trying to surprise you.

In fact, when my children were little I used to enjoy the squabbles over who would be in charge of giving what as much as the tokens themselves. And their sweet sentiments in thoughtful cards continue to delight me today. I keep them all in a drawer and occasionally re read them.

I set up my collection of Ecards at http://www.katiescards.com as a way to marry my love of fine art with a business interest I could fit flexibly around my family life. But a nice by-product has been that when I need a greetings card I have never had to rush to the shop or resort to choosing an E-card online that wasn't quite right.

More than that, my family has become my greatest testing ground. And they don't come much more helpful than my mother! Of course, she fondly remembers the childhood days of glitter and glue but equally she has enjoyed the shifting traditions in our family that reflect our grown-up talents. And she loves the opportunity to be reminded she is a modern grandmother using email, one that occasionally contains a personal and meaningful Ecard.

At www.katiescards.com I have created a collection of mother's day ecards that are quick to preview and just as easy to send. It's as simple as choosing your favourite E card, personalizing it and emailing it to your loved one on her special day, with a low-cost membership to the site that allows you to send E-cards on all other occasions, from birthday e-cards to Christmas e-cards and every special day in-between.

The attention to detail and time taken to create a special mother's day e-card surely makes them an ideal way to show you care. Mother's day gives us all a chance to express our appreciation for the woman who brought us into the world and to let her know we do not take her for granted.

I hope that from my selection of 8 mothers day e cards there will be one that is just right for you to send to your Mom.