Moms

Mother's Day this year was perfect!

The breakfast, gifts, and preschool cards were amazing, but more than anything, I was reminded how lucky I am to be a mom.

Sometimes it is easy for me to get caught up on the endless amounts of laundry, stained couches, and always cluttered kitchen table and counters.  Or feeling like my day is only filled with whining, fighting, car seat buckleing,complaining, cooking, driving, shopping. . . and at the end of the day feeling like all I have to show for it is a sink full of dishes, more laundry than that morning, and still not showered by 8 at night. And on days like this, it is easy to feel sorry for ourselves.

 Mother's Day this year wiped all that clear for me.

None of that matters.  

What matters are these perfect little spirits that have been sent to us.

I love being a mom!

I love every time I get to have warm bodies snuggle next to me in the middle of the night, being able to give magical all better kisses, and having Scout's little fingers twirl my hair, as Porter is getting his morning snuggles.  Hearing my kids laugh, and play, and pray, and give eachother good night kisses eliminates all the harder times that come with being a mom.

I love that Mother's Day gives us a chance to be reminded of how lucky we are.
How great life is as a mom.
And how lucky we are to have the mom's that we do. Who have taught us, and continue to teach us how to be great moms.

It was hard being away from my mom this year. I cannot wait until heaven when we can be with the ones we love always.
Those of you who know my mom, know that she is hands down, just incredible.  Everyone who has met my mom, loves my mom.  One of the best compliments that I can get, is when someone tells me I reminded them of my mom.  I really do hope I can become more and more like her as I get older.
I was thinking about my mom a lot this year, and decided to write a little bit about her.

What I learned from her (I'll limit it to 15):

1. That food coloring should be used. Every holiday. Buy it in bulk.

2. Time and money spent on visiting friends and family is never wasted.

3. You are never too old to hop on a bike, jump in the ocean waves, ride a skateboard, or jump on the trampoline.

4. $100 can either buy you a night in a hotel, or a marriage counseling session, and the end result is the same.

5. Always, always, always serve others. Whether it was delivering lunches to the homeless, taking our cooky neighbor to the airport for the 50th time, making meals, delivering cookies, or offering to scrub someone's bathroom, she is always doing something for others.

5. That everything has a 'home.'  It is easy to keep things clean, if you just put things back in their 'home.'  I still hear her voice in my head each time we move, and I am unpacking. "Where is this basket's home"

6. The importance of having a glue gun and a sewing machine.

7. That it is okay to hide from you kids every once in a while. Whether it is locked in your room, reading abook in the car, or sitting in the attic, sometimes moms just need to be alone. 

8. There should be some sort of dessert on the counter at all times. If there isn't, make cookies.

9. That the bottom of pans don't have to be scrubbed. The food tastes the same regardless if the pans are perfectly shiny.

10.Always let someone brush your hair if they offer. Life doesn't get much better than having your hair brushed, and watching a good movie.

11. Not to talk about others. Ever.  I have never heard her gossip, and she is good at shutting you down if you start.

12. That family home evening should be fun.  Whether we were playing sardines in the dark, eating dinner without forks like pigs when we learned about the swine in the Bible, or sneaking into the church to play glow in the dark soccer, she always made sure it was fun. 

13. How to be a great wife.  And to love your husband regardless of how grumpy he may be.

14. To read scriptrues and pray. Always.  I always remember walking into her room, and seeing her praying.  She is the best at teaching by example.

15. And to love life. Really love it!   Go to the beach, and fall asleep in the hot sand.  Hike up Torrey Pines.  Go on trips. Eat icecream at midnight. Sit in the sand, and read a book.  Convince your family to play a boardgame. Plant a garden. Paint. Do what you love! 

 

I don't think my mom even reads this blog, but hope she knows how loved she is. 

I hope that when Scouter is older, she thinks about me like I think about my mom. 

 

Hope you all had a great Mother's Day!