Mom

A family's school year routines dissolve into chaos in the summer, to be replaced by a schedule as loose fitting as a beach coverall and just as informal. It is the same every summer, but mothers stubbornly attempt again each year to pull together something that resembles a daily routine, even if it is only a meal or a bath. (OK. Maybe not a bath.) I am watching this happen again this year, and I have to laugh. Such good intentions. Such determination. And it will all have fallen apart by the Fourth of July.

Danielle's "gift" to me on Mother's Day weekend was calling it quits on nursing. Mornings were the final frontier and she politely declined me both mornings. (Sniff, sniff.) So, I guess I get my body back, and at least it happened gradually and naturally. Plus, there was no biting involved in our final nursing sessions, so it didn't end on a sour note. For fellow mommies still in the nursing and pumping lifestyle, here's a great new resource: Moms Pump Here . After my recent post about retiring my breast pump after 12 months, I got a message from Kim Harrison.

Maternal love! African lion mama Annie licks one of her three 2-month-old cubs inside an open-air cage at the Royev Ruchey zoo in Russia on August 11. The cubs were born on June 12. Annie had just began to walk with her babies outside the more-closed space where the cubs were born. Photo: REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

Mothers are very important people. They give us hugs and kisses; they put Band-Aids on our wounds; they hide special notes in our lunch boxes. They're so special and important that they even get their own day. Today, my two brothers - Matthew and Jacob - and I will celebrate our mothers for Mother's Day. We'll plot how to surprise our moms and talk about what we should make for a special breakfast, then go do something fun with them. But this Mother's Day will be even more special than all of the others because we'll plan all our surprises knowing that soon after, on May 18 (one week before their 30th anniversary)

Mom wouldn't want you to spend your scarce dollars on her. But you can spend the day with her and enjoy some free events. Baltimore County Golf is offering a free round of golf at two public courses, Greystone or Woodlands. The deal requires that mom be accompanied by at least one other fee-paying adult. Also, MrFreeStuff.com, a blog that writes about, well, free stuff, has these suggestions: A walk among the greenery on National Public Gardens Day. Free entry on May 11, not Mother's Day, at participating gardens . In Maryland, that's Adkins Arboretum, but you also can drive down to D.C. to go to Smithsonian Gardens and Tudor Place Historic House and Garden.

This letter is regarding MOM's Organic Market being considered for the space vacated by Giant in the Rotunda ("Rotunda redeveloper taking fresh look at MOM's Organic Market" Mar 20). This small boutique grocery will not meet the needs of the community. The seniors who live nearby need a full-service grocery such as Graul's. It is sad to see seniors struggling up and down the hill to Giant. Those who wish to shop at Mom's can easily drive there for their organic products. Stephanie Charles, Baltimore Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Try these plush, luxurious and soft throws for a winning gift this Mother's Day. The 54-by-72-inch throws by Anali are 100 percent baby alpaca and come in three colors; grey, camel and ivory. The throws also feature embroidery detail in peacock and ginko. Special-order designs are available as well. The throws are perfect for adorning a sofa or love seat. Mom will also find them ideal to use as a cozy wrap while reading a good book. Find these baby alpaca throws by Anali for $350 each at the House Downtown, 524 E. Belvedere Ave. in Belvedere Square.

LAST YEAR 20th Century Fox released a little film it made for around $18 million, which is lunch money in Hollywood. It was called "Home Alone," and was about a small boy accidentally left behind while his family went to France on vacation.You could tell it was a fantasy because his parents flew first class and left the kids to their own devices in coach without being arrested by customs agents or spat upon by their fellow passengers, and the family lived in the kind of house you dream of owning if you ever win Lotto, with no fingerprints around the light switches.

L ast week was a tough one for Michael Phelps . I am betting it was equally tough for his mom. Baltimore's Olympic champion swimmer was photographed smoking dope and, by week's end, the give-the-kid-a-break public reaction had turned ugly. USA Swimming suspended him from competition for three months, and Kellogg's Frosted Flakes dropped him. Worse, a columnist compared him to dog-killer Michael Vick, and another declared that he had disgraced the nation. There were camera crews following him and reporters were using megaphones, shouting at him to appear.

Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake might be Baltimore's highest-ranking mother, balancing her role as mom to 6-year-old Sophia with her duties as mayor. But there is another mother who plays an important role in City Hall — the mayor's mom. Whether she is caring for her lively young granddaughter or embracing old friends or former patients at official events, Dr. Nina Rawlings stands by her daughter, offering quiet wisdom and a helping hand. "I could not do what I do as mayor without my mom," said Rawlings-Blake, explaining that her mother hustles Sophia off to school in the morning and helps her with homework in the afternoon.

When first-time mom Sarah Dorman has a parenting question, she often turns to a Facebook group of Baltimore women before her own mother. Her mother's probably not available at 3 a.m., and not familiar with the latest rules regarding infants and organic fruit or fretting over the contradictions in all those advice books - unlike some of Dorman's online peers. "It all goes through fads of what's the popular thing. What was really popular when our parents were doing it might now sound psychotic," said Dorman, 31. Three decades ago, for example, parents were told to place babies face-down to sleep, a distinct no-no today after doctors realized it increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

Beth Schub started surfing with one of her uncles on Long Island when she was 13, but she went off to college in Pennsylvania and later settled there after getting married, she thought she was pretty much done with the sport. It took a move to Emerald Isle, N.C., with her husband Greg and their two young sons to get Schub back into surfing. "When they were young I stopped surfing altogether, there were too many things to carry besides the surfboard," Schub, now 62, recalled last week.

It's Europe Day! (Yeah, we didn't know that either.) Welcome to your trends report for Friday, May 10. You're not alone if you were in the dark about the EU's annual holiday: Apparently, very few Europeans know that it exists. Nonetheless, between that, soccer championships and some market-related news articles, Europe managed to get some major attention on Twitter this morning. Also getting heavy traffic -- mostly on Google search -- was the NBA. This weekend's matchups include Heat-Bulls and Warriors-Spurs.

Happy Mother's Day, dear readers, If you are a mom or a grandmother, you hopefully will celebrate Sunday surrounded by loved ones. Mother's Day is the single most popular day to dine out - how about a Havre de Grace restaurant - or make long distance telephone calls. It is the third most popular holiday to send greeting cards. Anna Jarvis, a 45-year-old Philadelphian spinster and insurance clerk, was inspired to create Mother's Day after the death of her mother. With the financial backing of Philadelphia department store tycoon John Wanamaker in 1907, Anna dedicated her life to fulfill her mother's dream of a national holiday to honor mothers everywhere.

The grind of being an NFL nose guard is embraced by Ravens rookie Brandon Williams, a heavyweight defensive lineman accustomed to dirty work and life's hardships. Before emerging as a draft sleeper from Division II Missouri Southern, Williams spent last summer hauling and cleaning portable toilets. "Sometimes, you got a little poop on you," said Williams, the Ravens' third-round pick (94th overall). "Every time I was doing that, I said to myself, 'I gotta work harder, I'm not doing this the rest of my life.' It motivated me to get better.

Try these plush, luxurious and soft throws for a winning gift this Mother's Day. The 54-by-72-inch throws by Anali are 100 percent baby alpaca and come in three colors; grey, camel and ivory. The throws also feature embroidery detail in peacock and ginko. Special-order designs are available as well. The throws are perfect for adorning a sofa or love seat. Mom will also find them ideal to use as a cozy wrap while reading a good book. Find these baby alpaca throws by Anali for $350 each at the House Downtown, 524 E. Belvedere Ave. in Belvedere Square.

These groups meet regularly. ALS Resource support group - First Saturday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Educational support for ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) patients, family members and friends. Owen Brown Interfaith Center, Conference Room 116B, 7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia. 301-978-9855 or http://www.ALSinfo.org. Care for the Caregivers Group - Thursdays, through May 2. The group will meet at 11 a.m. weekly and provide information, support and counseling for anyone in contact with an adult with any kind of cognitive or communication disorder.

On Sunday, April 14, the Business Among Moms group hosted a vendor fair and silent auction to benefit Harford Family House, a homeless shelter for families with children. The event was held at El Rodeo Restaurant, which donated the space for the vendors and will add to the proceeds 15 percent of the food sales for that day. The event was organized by Sherri Werther, a hairdresser at Split Endz Salon at the Festival in Bel Air. Through sponsorships, the group raised more than $600 which will house a homeless mother, father or child at Harford Family House for 24 days at just $25 per day. The event featured everything from Sentsy Candles to handmade soaps and jewelry, all products sold by the members of the group who are direct retailers and owners of their own businesses.