Mother’s day is my signal that summer is just around the corner and these kids will be out of school in no time. The heat in Arizona is another indicator that we’re about ready to die a slow death due to an Arizona summer.
On a happier note – I made these five humans which is why this day is fun for me – it gets better the older they get. So we celebrated.
Briggs brought home a little bag from preschool with some goodies for me. In it, I found the traditional flower pot of questions that I’ve seen come home for many years.
I got a good laugh as I thumbed through the pages of his booklet – there was a clear theme.
From my 5 year-old’s perspective, I am somewhat obsessive with cleaning. With that much emphasis you’d think we’d have a cleaner home than we do!
Hallie painted me a beautiful picture of me with my favorite daughter. 🙂 (Similar to the one she painted for me last year)
And I made sure the kids filled out the annual mother’s day questionnaire because it’s always enlightening to see how your kids view you as a mom – for better or worse!
Although they call me mom, my kids are fortunate that a slew of women look out for them and care for them. Family, friends, neighbors, teachers – they are loved and cared for by so many other “mothers”. I’m grateful for the village of women that are helping me raise my kids, their influence does not go unnoticed. Happy Mother’s Day.
The best part of a coronavirus mother’s day is all the hand-made goodness – they were all forced to be resourceful.
Hallie watercolored a picture of our family – she had me in tears. I love it and I love that she thought to paint it for me, it’s proudly hanging in my office.
Briggs showered me with all sorts of wonderful cards but this one takes the cake. I even helped him with this without realizing what it was (He needed help taping the tent structure on). Little did I know it would soon be a dog card. He knows how much I don’t like animals and always asks me why I hate dogs. So this card was quite funny. He may try and wear me down but it’s not going to make a bit of difference, my will is stronger than his persistence. 🙂
I also got a little paper bouquet from Briggs’ perschool. He thinks I make great chicken, I’m as beautiful as light and I’m nice because I put him to bed a lot.
Hallie helped all the kids fill out questionnaires which is always insightful. All the kids nailed that my favorite drink is water. Cannon was spot on when he said I really love cotton candy. Cannon thinks it’s my job to build things where as the older kids know I do graphic design. Hunter loves that we play soccer together. Bennett would love to travel to Europe with me and Hallie would love to go to Thailand.
We ate loaded crepes for breakfast – formally known as dessert crepes. Not sure when they were deemed appropriate for breakfast but it’s a fan favorite. I opt for a simple strawberries and banana with vanilla filling. The rest of the family goes all in (including peanut butter which just seems crazy!)
The kids sang me a mother’s day song – normally a song the primary kids sing at church – but they all joined in much to Hunter’s reluctance and Hallie’s prodding.
Hallie pampered me by painting my nails, the boys offered their massage services and everyone joined on the Sunday evening stroll around the neighborhood.
I think I’ve said this a million times, but motherhood is not often glamourous. It can be monotonous and frustrating at times. And then there’s these moments of clarity where I start to see that my role as a mother is really making a difference – it is more than cooking and cleaning!
And then Mother’s day rolls around and I’m humbled as my kids remind me that I’m really just going to be remembered for my cooking and cleaning!! Leave it to a child to be honest. 🙂
Hopefully my kids will remember that I taught them how to make their bed. I taught them how to cook and worked beside them as they helped prepare dinner. I taught them that brushing their teeth was absolutely necessary – mouthwash is not an acceptable substitute. Hopefully they remember that amid the fighting, we sat down as a family every night and talked about our day over a table full of food. Hopefully they remember how they felt when they were home. I hope they feel my love – the reason I do everything I do for them – Love.
There is no sweeter treat than to spend Mother’s Day with my own mother who lives too far away – it’s been many years since I’ve been able to share this special day with her and I was grateful to have her in our home this year. I am the mother I am because of the example she was for me. Not to mention my appreciation for her has increased immensely as I’ve had my own children and I realize just how hard of a kid I probably was – I had more energy than my mom knew what to do with! And yet, I always felt loved.
I truly believe motherhood is by far the absolute best job I could ever have. I also believe it is the most frustrating and demanding and at times I’ve wanted to throw in the towel. These 5 kids make me cry tears of joy and gratitude, they also provoke me screaming in anger. They keep me up late. They wake me up early. They help clean the house and they can also destroy it faster than I could’ve ever imagined. They need me. They touch me. They hang on me. They hug me. They run away from me. They roll their eyes at me. They are simultaneously my greatest joy and my largest concern.
What I find most interesting is how these 5 tiny humans have changed me. I was 22 when I had Hallie and by most people’s standard, I was a child myself. And yet I jumped in and gave it my all and for many years it felt like they took all that I had. But they have caused me to grow in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Life has a way of giving you what you need – and I most definitely needed all of them. Each one continues to teach me about myself and how to love more fully. We all learn from each other and I love seeing my growth as well as their growth. We’re in it together and we’re exactly where we should be.
I’m grateful for schools who create mother’s day programs and for a husband who is generous in making it a mother’s weekend instead of just a day.
I was in Bennett’s classroom Friday morning for “Muffins with Moms”. He sang songs in Spanish and English and showered me with beautifully crafted homemade cards and gifts. My favorite part was sitting with him on the reading rug as he read aloud a chapter book. He has grown so much this year and I couldn’t be more excited for his entry into the world of reading.
I had to chuckle when I read both Bennett’s and Cannon’s “All about Mom” cards – they both referenced going to movies – which is something we rarely do, but clearly needs to be bumped up on the activity list! Oddly enough neither mentioned loving our evening family bike rides that take place nearly every night!
This drawing paints an accurate picture. Bennett standing in the kitchen asking what we’re eating. Cannon at my feet and Briggs clamoring up my leg all while I try to cook dinner and I’ve got bread in the oven. This is mom life at its finest!
Yesterday Steve gave me the gift of alone time – in my own home. I often have alone time running errands or doing random things, but I’ve mentioned just how much I’d love to be in my own home alone. It was just as delightful as I’d hoped. I cleared the playroom out, yet again. Got rid of more stuff we didn’t need as well as everything that was broken or missing parts. Then I moved on to Briggs’ room and went through clothing and blankets and toys…nothing was safe. I had a couple hours and had I had more time other rooms would have been swept of junk. Perhaps next weekend.
Steve and the kids offered this basket to me today and not only was it themed it was completely meaningful and thoughtful – It was perfect.
And I was informed I’m as beautiful as….Steve. Yep. Thank you dear four-year-old.
And this is when I realized Cannon truly knows me – he knows I’m a sucker for a good sunset. I always want to ride our bikes at night as the sun is going down so I can bask in the beauty and marvel in the transformation of day to night.
It was a beautiful weekend. My bucket is full and so is my heart.
Just the motivation I need to go strong for two more weeks until school is out!
