When it comes to Mother’s Day and reflecting on cherished moments with my Mom, I don’t think I could pinpoint an exact memory or even mention one favorite memory solely. Every planned trip, every shared laugh, every heartfelt conversation—it's all etched into my memory. Whenever we travel together, one quote always comes to mind: “be kind to your parents, it’s their first time living life too.” It's a reminder that despite our assumptions of their experience, our parents are constantly navigating new challenges just like us. It’s a little reminder to be nice to your parents because they are experiencing many things for the first time too. While Mother’s Day serves as a designated time to honor Moms, I do believe that they should be celebrated every day for their unwavering love and support. My Mom is one of my best friends; she’s my biggest supporter and my go-to person, and I am so thankful for her.
I am, like many others my age (20’s), a fur Mom! My dogs, Oat (a poodle/pug mix, almost 3 yrs old) and Mala (Bombay, almost 2 yrs old), have made every day a unique one to remember. We’ve collected so many fun memories along the way. From their first days in a new home, to Oat not understanding how fetch works and to Mala jumping into any bag she sees, they always keep me on my toes and test my patience like no other, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
When I was younger my Mom would take me to my grandparent's house in Arizona for Mother's Day. I loved it because my cousins would often spend their spring break in Arizona earlier and my brother could never go due to all of his sports obligations, so he and my Dad would have to stay home; this gave me some alone time with my grandparents and my Mom. We would always make a big brunch and I got to help my grandpa cook, while my grandma brought out all of her "fine china" which made me feel like I was at a tea party. We have continued this Mother's Day brunch tradition every year and like to try out new breakfast recipes and fun decor. Now as we have gotten older and my grandparents are no longer around, my brother and I keep this tradition going with his kids and my little niece gets to help with making all the food!
ARLYN VILLANUEVA
Director of Operations
I had my son, Nathaniel, when I was 27. I wanted a big family, since I only had one sibling, but despite many attempts, I was unable to have more kids. Having my son, I immediately felt a sense of obligation to be responsible, to work hard and to provide for my family. I was constantly thinking in terms of how to provide for my son and also ensuring that I was in a position that if something happened to his father that I was capable of taking care of him. Perhaps that came from my exposure to these issues at an estate planning law firm. But becoming a mother changed my life in terms of now always having someone I was worrying about. It created a natural maternal instinct in me to protect and provide for him. Also, while he was growing up, it certainly impacted my spare time. All of my spare time was for him, whether it was running around for his traveling hockey team and all of his games and practices, or school or whatever else was going on with him. Now that he's grown up, I have a lot more spare time and we get to spend time together, enjoying one another's company. We even try to get together every month for game night and I'll invite some of my other "kids" (aka members of my KMO family). My son and I have made a tradition of going on vacation every spring or summer each year and I hope that this is a tradition that we will keep going with my son and his future family.
KRISTINA SCHNEIDER
Former Executive Assistant to Philip Kavesh & Now Practice Success Coach for Attorneys Following Phil's Model
Mother's Day is always a special holiday for me, because I have had such powerful women in my life who all had special roles for me. My mother was a single mother since I was 18 months old and I am so grateful for the life she provided for me. She has always been someone I could count on to be there for me and to also be my biggest fan! My grandmother was also a big part of my life and even stepped in when my Mom moved up to Northern California when I went off to college. My Auntie Carol, my dad's twin sister, was also such a special person in my life, who always took the time to offer words of encouragement and to be a loving mentor to me. Lastly, Arlyn Villanueva (Director of Operations for KMO) has also been a big part of my life. She was like a big sister to me. She took me under her wing for the past 20 years.
I am so grateful for all of these amazing women in my life for all of the love and support you've extended to me!
