Mother's Day reflections
I don't think Mother's Day is really for moms. I think it's for everyone else. Its a day to reflect on how you got to where you are and the beautiful women that helped get you there and influence your life for good. A day for mom's would be quiet, peaceful, serene, relaxing - none of those words describe my experience as a mother or any mother's day I can remember as a child or otherwise, and that's okay. I enjoy the chaos, craziness, and noise - it's my life and reminds me that I have children in my life and that I am needed. I'm fine for them to have a day to celebrate the women in their life, as I celebrate the amazing women in my life.
Jason took me to Bennihana's Saturday night and a movie (after cleaning the house on Saturday morning with the kids - something EVERY mother loves). We had a great time. I love being with him. He gets me and we have a lot of fun together. While we were out Paige made me this banner and hung it in the hallway facing my room. She is the best kid ever. It says "Happy Mother's Day. I Love You. I (heart) U. (eye) (heart) u."
This is my 'mother's day haul' (as I call it) all the goodies the kids make at school and church. The left hand side is a letter from James that says, "You got me a Lego Bat man shrt. I love You mom. Love, James"and Paige's blue card says, "To Best Mom ever!! Dear Mom, Happy Mothers Day. I Love You. Love, Paige, Abbey, James" - the small guy to the right is James ninja... in the words of Maria, these are a few of my favorite things.
This was the gift Jason took the kids to get me. I've been obsessed lately with cooking competitions (shows like 'Chopped') and I've wanted to learn more about techniques, and preparation instead of just recipes. This book is a wealth of information. Jason got me a gift card to put towards cooking classes. I would like to learn chutting skills, and different food techniques to improve my overall cooking skills. I'm so excited by this. There are a few schools in Scottsdale that offer cooking classes for date nights, or single nights - how much fun would that be to grab a couple friends and go take a cooking class or two.
This is the best part of being a mom. Look at how well they clean up.
She almost looks angelic.
He's just a straight up goof and keeps us laughing.
This little girl (although very dramatic at times) is amazing and makes me feel like I'm doing something right.
Today in RS, they read this story by Erma Bombeck written in 1993;
For the first four or five years after I had children, I considered motherhood a temporary condition-not a calling. It was a time of my life set aside for exhaustion and long hours. It would pass. Then one afternoon with three kids in tow, I came out of the supermarket pushing a cart (with four wheels that went in opposite directions) when my toddler son got away from me.
Just outside the door, he ran toward a machine holding bubble gum in a glass dome. In a voice that shattered glass, he shouted, "Gimme! Gimme!" I told him I would gimmie him what-for if he didn't stop shouting and get in the car. As I physically tried to pry his body from around the bubble gum machine, he pulled the entire thing over. Glass and balls of bubble gum went all over the parking lot. We had now attracted a crowd. Donna Reed would have brushed away his tears and granted him absolution on the spot. I wasn't Donna Reed. I told him he would never see another cartoon as long as he lived, and if he didn't control his temper he was going to be making license plates for the state. He tried to stifle his sobs as he looked around at the staring crowd. Then he did something that I was to remember the rest of my life. In his helpless quest for comfort, he turned to the only one he trusted his emotions with-me. He threw his arms around my knees and held on for dear life. I had humiliated him, chastised him and berated him, but I was still all he had. That single incident defined my role. I was a major force in this child's life. Sometimes we forget how important stability is to a child. I've always told mine, "The easiest part of being a mother is giving birth. The hardest part is showing up for it each day."
This is traditionally the day when children give something back to their mothers for all the spit they produced to wash dirty faces, all the old gum their mothers held in their hands, all the noses and fannies that were wiped, and all the bloody knees that were " made well" with a kiss. This is the day mothers are rewarded for washing all those sheets in the middle of the night, driving kids to school when they missed the bus and enduring all the football games in the rain. It's appreciation day for making them finish something, not believing them when they said, "I hate you," and for sharing their good times and their bad times. Their cards probably won't reflect it, but what they are trying to say is "Thank you for showing up."
Just outside the door, he ran toward a machine holding bubble gum in a glass dome. In a voice that shattered glass, he shouted, "Gimme! Gimme!" I told him I would gimmie him what-for if he didn't stop shouting and get in the car. As I physically tried to pry his body from around the bubble gum machine, he pulled the entire thing over. Glass and balls of bubble gum went all over the parking lot. We had now attracted a crowd. Donna Reed would have brushed away his tears and granted him absolution on the spot. I wasn't Donna Reed. I told him he would never see another cartoon as long as he lived, and if he didn't control his temper he was going to be making license plates for the state. He tried to stifle his sobs as he looked around at the staring crowd. Then he did something that I was to remember the rest of my life. In his helpless quest for comfort, he turned to the only one he trusted his emotions with-me. He threw his arms around my knees and held on for dear life. I had humiliated him, chastised him and berated him, but I was still all he had. That single incident defined my role. I was a major force in this child's life. Sometimes we forget how important stability is to a child. I've always told mine, "The easiest part of being a mother is giving birth. The hardest part is showing up for it each day."
This is traditionally the day when children give something back to their mothers for all the spit they produced to wash dirty faces, all the old gum their mothers held in their hands, all the noses and fannies that were wiped, and all the bloody knees that were " made well" with a kiss. This is the day mothers are rewarded for washing all those sheets in the middle of the night, driving kids to school when they missed the bus and enduring all the football games in the rain. It's appreciation day for making them finish something, not believing them when they said, "I hate you," and for sharing their good times and their bad times. Their cards probably won't reflect it, but what they are trying to say is "Thank you for showing up."
He's part of the reason I keep showing up. Jason makes being a mom easier and he makes me want to try harder and be the best mom I can - this isn't a me or you thing, it is a team effort and I couldn't do it without him.
We went over to my in-laws for dinner. Ron, my father in law, went over the top with an incredible spread. We all needed forklifts to get up from the table... so good.
My kids actually surprised me and ate really well. Then they burned off most of what they ate swimming and running around like crazy escaped monkeys. The adults laid around like beached whales watching TV and trying not to use too much energy.
This was a delightful unexpected gift. Annette gave me this set of china. It's from the 1930's and has this amazing gold filigree around the edges of the plate.
She was told that this style of dishes was used in the movie "My Man Godfrey" (1936) in the kitchen scene. I haven't watched it yet, but they are rather pretty. What a nice day. What a nice, nice day.
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