Mother’s Day is traditionally celebrated on the last Sunday of November. In our country, the history of this family holiday dates back for over 20 years. Nowadays, several thousand mums work at EkoNiva Group’s enterprises, and more than 600 of them have multi-child status. We asked our female employees about family traditions, the best leisure time together and finding balance between work and motherhood.

Nadezhda Borovkova, baker at EkoNivaAgro, Voronezh oblast, dreamt of having twins since childhood. Two years ago, her wish came true – her sons Timofey and Gordey were born.

‘My twins are very small yet, but each of them is already demonstrating their personality. One son is active and diligent – he adores construction play. The other one is more quiet, affectionate and dreamy. However, both are fond of dancing, and they do it exceptionally with us, their parents. They enjoy when we dance as a family’, says Nadezhda.

The Borovkov family likes to do everything together. They always go shopping with their sons. In winter, the father Yevgeniy usually builds a sledding hill in the backyard. The boys with parents slide it down together. In summer, Yevgeniy sets up an inflatable swimming pool which is also fun for the whole family to swim in. Nadezhda's husband is the main helper in raising kids. He also works at EkoNiva as a driver.

‘It is important to me that my sons will become kind and decent citizens and will be friendly and loving each other throughout their lives. We try to nurture them holding onto traditional family values. For example, we have a special attitude towards bread at home because I am a baker and adore my profession. My grandmother instilled a love of baking in me. My small sons also know what my work is, and at home they enjoy tasting all my culinary delights’, says the twins' mother.

Nadezhda Borovkova considers that being involved, focused and watchful is very important for a woman who combines work and motherhood. Moreover, Nadezhda says that she has become more patient due to kids. She never gets bored and enjoys every day.

Yekaterina Timoshinova, another employee of the company, also has fun at home. She works in the calf pen at EkoNivaAgro-North. On the farm, Yekaterina takes care of several hundred calves, while at home, she happily raises five children, two of whom are adopted.

‘Motherhood has brought many bright colours into my life. I never get bored with my children – my eldest daughter is twelve and my youngest is only five. They are all different, therefore everyone needs individual attention. At the same time, every child is friendly, responsible and always ready to help. Doing everything together – work or rest – is our main family tradition. Our favourite leisure time is snow tubing in winter, and picnics by the river in summer. Besides, every holiday we gather with the whole family around a big table at our grandfather's house and have a good time’, says the mother.

Yekaterina has never dreamt of a multi-child family, she just wanted two children – a son and a daughter. But life turned out differently. Now, there is several times more children's laughter in the house.

The kids are interested in my work and know a lot about it. We went on tours to Dobrino dairy a few times. The children took evident delight. My youngest daughter, little Yevgeniya, is especially interested in my working life. She says that when she grows up, she will help me take care of the calves’, comments Yekaterina.

Going on excursion to Dobrino dairy is one of Yekaterina Dzhambulatova's favourite family activities. She works as a marketing specialist in one of the divisions of EkoNivaTekhnika-Holding and raises a daughter and two sons. The family visits the dairy farm twice a year – in winter and summer. Travelling to Voronezh and neighbouring Lipetsk oblasts is also one of their interests. The main thing is to spend as much time together as possible. Yekaterina considers that the secret of balance between motherhood and employment lies in the following:

‘It’s necessary to love your family, your job and life in general. I really enjoy what I do. As in any large family, all my children have different characters and interests. My eldest daughter is a creative person, her hobby is music. The middle son is keen on gymnastics and is already a member of children's Olympic Hopes team for the Central Federal District. The youngest child is practising martial arts and is preparing to start school’, Yekaterina shares.

In the Dzhambulatov family, it is customary to respect the interests of both children and adults, to support each other, and to share important moments of the day while having evening tea.

‘My goal is to show my children as best as I can the opportunities that exist in the world. To teach them to find their life's work and just be happy. And it is their smiles that make me the happiest in the world’, emphasises the mother.

One more delighted mother is Yekaterina Alekseyeva, Marketing Department Specialist at EkoNiva Food. She raises three sons, the older two are twins. Yekaterina strongly believes that a positive attitude towards the world, physical activity and a lot of love help to cope with the role of a mum with many children.

‘There would be nothing in this world without love. It motivates us: love for our children, family and the work we do. And also love for ourselves, because every mum is the heart of the family. The way a mum will feel, the way the family will feel. After having children, I became more active and sportier. Our new hobby is orienteering. The whole family goes out of town and to other regions for competitions. It is an inexpressible feeling of unity with nature, my family and like-minded people, says Yekaterina.

Her sons have already participated in the Group's corporate competitions. And since the time mum joined the company, they have also grown to really like EkoNiva's dairy products.

‘After eating delicious yoghurts, my boys are always ready for new activities, sports achievements and victories. Looking at them energises me’, Yekaterina says.

Mum is a very important person in everyone’s life. She is not just a woman who gave us life, she is also our main friend, adviser and protector. The upcoming Mother's Day is a great chance to congratulate our beloved mothers and thank them for their difficult, but such valuable work.