My Mother’s Day weekend was lovely overall. We celebrated with my  wonderful mother on Friday night and then had a pretty low-key day on Saturday with gorgeous weather outside with the girls. Saturday night, I went out for supper & to a concert with a friend  (AKA a break from the bedtime routine), and then celebrated with my in-law’s at our house on Sunday. For some reason this year I felt a bit more emotional ON Mother’s Day than usual. My girls finally understand (and LOVE to celebrate everything), so they had a cute card and lovely gifts for me on Sunday. We are also gearing up for my sister in law’s wedding this coming weekend so they just got home and it was wonderful to see them. Mostly I just find that sometimes I look at how big my kids are getting and feel this sense of pride/nostalgia/joy/sadness/overwhelming love and adoration/fatigue all wrapped into one. I guess that’s motherhood, in a nutshell.

This weekend, I thought of a few book-ish mothers or mother figures that I either admire or enjoyed as characters in some beloved books. Here’s my list, linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for Top Ten Tuesday today (in no order):

1) Molly Weasley, Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling – Obviously. She is such a passionate person and so willing to take people (i.e. Harry) in as her own. Not to mention she knows how to keep her children (relatively) in line. I wish I could say we named our daughter Molly after her, which we didn’t, but could have 😉

2) Rosie Walsh, This is How it Always Is – I have mentioned my love for this book quite recently, but the family is just too adorable. The mom is a busy family doctor who also manages to navigate parenthood and keep the spark alive with her husband. I really like her.

3) Marmee, Little Women by Louise May Alcott – Marmee is so good to her girls, and they love her for it. She knows what each girl needs and tries her best to ensure that they all grow and learn in their individual ways.

4) Fatima (Amat’s mom) & Kira Anderrson in Beartown by Frederick Backman – I promise I will stop talking about this book someday, but today isn’t that day. Amat’s mother’s sacrifices for his success are inspiring, and Kira’s devotion to justice is admirable.

5) Violet Bridgerton, The Bridgertons series by Julia Quinn – I love this series and the mother who heads up the entire family without her beloved husband who died much too soon.

6) Jess Thomas, One Plus One by JoJo Moyes – Although it’s hard to agree with all of the actions Jess takes in this book, her intention was honourable and she really does her best for her children. Plus, this book is just so much fun.

7) Marilla Cuthbert, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery – a stern mother figure who is finally swayed by the girl with the carrot coloured hair. This relationship is so heartwarming.

8) Katie Nolan, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith – she taught her children how to be tough and appreciate their blessings. She was such a positive role model even when things were so hard for their family.

9) Vianne Mauriac, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – Such a strong mother. I could never do what she does in this book.

10) Kavita Merchant, Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda – the hardships that this woman went through to give her daughter a better life are appalling and immense. This is such a powerful story about the true love of a parent.

Who are some of your favourite moms in literature?? If I were picking someone humorous, I’d go for Mrs. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice, but she kinda drives me a LITTLE bit crazy (which is her purpose, obviously!)