Love Notes for Mothers Day with Boots*

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. – Sophia Loren

I’m turning 32 just the week before Mother’s Day 2020 and I feel so blessed to still have my mother around. I moved home shortly after I became a mother myself and to this day, she remains a very big part of my life. As I navigate parenthood alone, I know I can cope because I had a great role model. My mother took 6 years out of work to raise my sister and I, she gave us a great start and set a good example. When I fell pregnant, I was ready to make the kind of sacrifices I know she had made for us. I might not have been ready for anything else, but I knew what it took to be a good mother.

Did you know that scent is a huge player when it comes to memories? But if I’m honest I don’t really remember any particular smells that remind me of being at home as a child. However Boots have asked me to think about the notes in women’s perfume that I associate with memories of my mum.

We didn’t have much money when I was growing up, so my mum didn’t really wear fancy perfume, and the house wasn’t full of scented candles or glade plug-ins as it is today. My mum wasn’t the best baker and we lived out of the freezer so there wasn’t even those cooking smells. But our beds and clothes were always clean and warm. We didn’t have much, but we had what mattered. I don’t ever remember complaining because we didn’t go on holiday every year so even the smell of sun cream doesn’t spark memories for me the way it does for my daughter.Our first holiday I remember was in a caravan and it rained for half the week. I still remember the sound of the rain on the tin roof.

I might not have any particular smells that I can pinpoint to a memory of my childhood, but as an adult I smell things that remind me of home. Of my mum. It’s usually the smell of safety and love. My mother loves the garden and being outdoors. I remember her planting thousands of flowers and when I look back at the photos of myself playing in our little garden the colours are beautiful. Although her garden is now filled with stones and the grass is long gone, she still comes and helps in mine. She’s not a floral person but being in the garden and smelling the grass always reminds me of her.

Although she’s a strong person (after all she’s been supporting me for over 30 years through all my hair brained schemes) strong notes don’t remind me of her. Not cinnamon, or spice, or anything nice that could make you think of Christmas. My mother is kind, and soft, and light scents that remind you of Spring are what I think of. I’ve always been that vanilla and home baked cookies girl, but my mother is the first blooms after a cold winter. She reminds me that there is always good and happiness even if it’s buried away for a while. I’ve never met a more positive person; she sees the good in everyone. She doesn’t force her opinion. All my life she’s been there, quietly guiding me and encouraging me to make my own choices. Gently nudging me in the right direction.

As I get older, I realise now how lucky I’ve been that my mum has always been that fresh, light presence in my life. That good supporting me even when times have been tough but always letting me be the one in the driver’s seat. I know not everyone gets that; I know that I am blessed.

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Daze* Gifted

Do you have any particular smells or scents that remind you of your mother? Maybe a strong memory from childhood is triggered by a particular smell, or maybe your mother has a signature perfume?

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This post is an advertisement feature with Boots UK but all thoughts are my own