While motherhood is a very rewarding experience, it is also a full time job that rarely offers vacations. This is a day dedicated to hard-working moms who keep going even after sleepless nights and long days.

“My favorite part about Mother’s Day is having breakfast in bed and getting the chance to sleep past nine,” said Kristan Gottmann of Malta.

Mother’s Day originated as the result of a campaign in 1907 by Anna Marie Jarvis to recognize mothers and their never-ending work after the death of her own mother two years earlier. Her mother also worked to give recognition to mothers who had sons that fought or died in the American Civil War. President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation in 1914 designating Mother’s Day as the second Sunday in May.

More than 100 years later, the holiday is celebrated internationally, and for some mothers, the day is centered on her children. It is the children, in fact, who make a mother.

“My first Mother’s Day occurred the first time I got to leave the hospital and take my first child home,” Tania Susi, of Saratoga Springs, said. “This year’s mother’s day also falls on my first child’s birthday so it is going to be extra special.”

For mothers new and old, this is a day of both celebration and relaxation.  In many cases, celebrations revolve around food - be it breakfast in bed, dinner at a nice restaurant or a family gathering in the backyard by the grill.  For Bo Goliber of Wilton, her plans are exactly that.

“This will only be my second mother’s day, but I am looking forward to being with my family and making the most of it. We are having a barbeque in our back yard and that’s my idea of fun. I am just looking forward to making memories,” she said.