Happy Mother's Day!

Ok, so I'm a day late (or two or more or less... or even early depending on which time zone you live in), but that's no reason not to drag out the celebration of mothers. So I would like to wish you all a very happy Mother's Day. I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful day surrounded by loved ones.

Here in the Netherlands, the second Sunday in May is Moederdag, or Mother's Day. Like the the rest of the world, Mother's Day in the Netherlands is a day when we stop and give thanks to the rocking ladies who have ever filled the role of mother, in whatever capacity that may be (I know my family used to always include Godmothers in the celebrations).

This year is my second Mother's Day in the Netherlands and finding an appropriate card to send to the mothers in my life in the US is always interesting. Last year, I was able to find cards that said "Happy Mother's Day" on the front and were blank on the inside. This year, I sent two totally blank cards with flowers on the cover and one card in Dutch on which I was obliged to write English translations. There's nothing like getting a card saying "Fijne Moederdag" and not knowing what in the world that means!

For the non-Dutch speaking mother's receiving Mother's Day cards in Dutch, the child (no matter what age) wanting to give their Dutch mother a card in her native tongue, or those just wishing to spice up Mother's Day for their moms by using a foreign language on their cards, here are some Moederdag vocabulary words along with some Moederdag messages. Get a head start on Mother's Day 2011!

To hear the words pronounced in Dutch, go to acapela-group.com. Select either "Femke" or "Max" under "select a voice," copy and paste the word you want to hear in the text box, and press "say it"! 

Vocabulary
Mother's Day - Moederdag
mother - moeder
child(ren) - kind(eren)
father - vader
parent(s) - ouder(s)
love - liefs

Card Message Ideas
Dank je voor alles, moeder - Thank you for everything, Mother
Voor de liefste moeder - For the sweetest mother
Lieve Mama - Dear Mama/Mommy
Fijne Moederdag - Happy Mother's Day
Mijn moeder - My mother
Moeder en kind - Mother and child
Voor mij ben jij de liefste moeder van de hele wereld - To me, you're the sweetest mother in the whole world
Dikke kus - Big kiss
Duizend kusjes - A thousand kisses
Veel liefs - Lot's of love
Ik hou van je, Mama - I love you Mama/Mommy
Je bent de allerliefste moeder die er is - You're the very sweetest (best) mother there is
Boeket voor mama - Bouquet for Mama/Mommy
Geniet ervan - Enjoy


Click here for some Mother's Day poems

Photo: Peuterspeelzaal Pinkelotje