Maybe it’s just in the air. It’s definitely all around us and through us and it’s fun and LOUD and festive and at times obnoxious.
My mom always used to say that what she really wanted for Mother’s Day was well-behaved kids who were obedient and didn’t spend the whole day fighting. But what about these delicious red bath oil beads?! Surely they’re enough of a bribe that I can spend the rest of the day making annoying mouth noises and poking my sister in the arm until she begs for mercy.
Ah. I understand her so much better now. The kids were very excited and excitable, cute and AAAHHHHHH!!!!!
Dan is a good Mother’s Day husband. He’s actually quite passable year round but on Mother’s Day he knows how to bring it. All I want from him is a flower, a meal or two, something to unwrap, and the assurance that I don’t have to do anything resembling work for the day. Sure, I’ll read the kids a story or brush their hair, but only the fun parts of motherhood, not the ones that involve cleaning or bodily fluids.
Totally off topic but speaking of bodily fluids, Laylee’s current favorite song at church is called How Firm a Foundation and the last line of the first verse says, “What more can he say than to you he hath said, who unto the Savior for refuge hath fled?” She picks this song every time it’s her turn to pick a song and she sings it with gusto. I recently discovered why. She was sitting next to Magoo at our family night and finished, “…who unto the Savior for refuse hath fled. Hey, pst. Magoo. Refuse means poop and pee and stuff. Giggle.”
Um yeah. Upon further investigation, it seemed that she really did think those were the words to the song and hilarious words they were. She was so disappointed to find out what it actually said. Ah, the bitter realities of gaining greater knowledge.
Anyway. I did nothing today in a very deliberate sort of way. There were beautiful flowers purchased on Saturday and placed in the middle of the kitchen table with strict orders from Magoo not to look at them. He burst into my room this morning with a “HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! Now you can look at your flowers!”
Dan got everyone ready for church while I slept in and he made my new breakfast obsession, steel cut oats, cooked to perfection.
The talks at church were upbeat and motivating and made me want to be a better mom… tomorrow… when I’m done laying about the house celebrating the fact that I am one.
Dan coached the kids well on buying me fun and thoughtful gifts and even put them in gift bags. He gave me a card with Michael Scott’s wisdom on parenting. He made dinner, did the hard part of bedtime, and cleaned the kitchen.
I feel refreshed and a bit spoiled and useless. I slept too much, parented too little, received too many presents and didn’t do enough for my own mothers. It was a good day but not a great day. I wish I’d played a game with the kids or spent some time talking with Dan while he slaved in the kitchen. Absolute slovenliness doesn’t really sit comfortably with me. In a way it was a good reminder that all these sick fat pregnant days when I feel useless at the end of the day, like I have nothing to show for myself, I’ve done more than I give myself credit for. In the future, I’ll just tell myself, “At least I got more done today than on Mother’s Day ’09. That was a doozey!”
It’s weird too because I got more praise, love and outpourings of support than on most other days of the year and it was the day I felt least deserving of it. Strange thing, this day of mothers.
Happy Mother’s Day! You deserve a little down time and you know that next month you will pamper Dan and not expect him to do a thing on Father’s Day. So enjoy it while it lasts. First thing Monday morning you’ll be back “on the job”.
You totally spent the day the way you should have in my opinion! That’s exactly what I did too! I just sat there watching the kiddos and hubby fix me dinner. Then, since he wasn’t here at breakfast time, I told the kiddos I couldn’t get out of bed until breakfast was served to me–love it! They actually rallied together and came up with something decent too. Hey, this day only comes around once a year, I figure we need to milk it for all it’s worth. My son is now petitioning for a “Brother’s Day”….hmmmmm?
Daniel, GOOD JOB! You make me proud and happy to be a Mom-Iike I was successful or something. Thank you. A very good Mother’s day gift. Hugs
It sounds like you had a great Mother’s Day! I’m glad you had the chance to relax for a while, you deserve it!
I still had to do all the mothery-type work stuff yesterday, but my 16-year-old son scored a goal in his soccer game and came running across the field to the sideline, hugged me and said Happy Mother’s Day, my 12-year-old carried the 90-pound laundry basket DOWNSTAIRS so I didn’t have to go up and get it, and my 5-year-old drew me a card that said I LOVE YOU!!!!! with lots of “Explanation Points” because she really means it. Guess I’ll keep on taking care of them for another year.
That is TOTALLY how I felt! Sluggishness is way more fun if you haven’t been forced to be sluggish for months at a time!
But Happy Mother’s Day any who.
I’ve kind of decided not to celebrate Mother’s Day anymore. Oh, I’ll still do something for my Mom, and I’ll expect my kids to call me on Mother’s Day when they grow up and move out, but in a lot of ways, Mother’s Day feels a like Valentine’s Day to me. It’s a day that people do things for their Moms and wives because it is expected of them. I’d rather have some days of unexpected niceness than one or two days a year of other people going through the motions.
Yes, I am a pessimist.
Laylee’s song interpretation is hilarious. I’m totally going to think of that every time I sing that song!
I do remember being surprised that in “As I Have Loved You” it says ‘by this shall men know”, not ‘by Bishop Mennow”. And I was a few years older than Laylee!
When my mom was a girl she thought the line in Silent Night was “sleep in heavenly peas,” you know, like the vegetable.
🙂
It is a strange day… this day of mothers.
My husband didn’t grow up in this country, so that makes it challenging to practice these types of holidays. We tend to say, “Oh well, we don’t need a day for this.” And I’m usually fine with that, but then in the middle of the afternoon yesterday (while my husband was working from home!) and I was taking care of the kids, I began to feel really sorry for myself.
And worse than feeling sorry for myself, I began acting like a total pill!
So, yeah, I think Mothers’ Day 09 will go down around here as a day of infamy, too. Next year has to be better, and maybe we’ll just have to come up with a way of making these holidays our own. 🙂
Blessings,
Stacy
My dad’s mission companion used to sing, “Come, come, ye Saints! No toilet paper here….” (instead of “No toil nor labor fear”)
Funny what we remember….
I haven’t been here for a while. Congratulations on a new little one soon.
Wow! That is one great husband you have.
But don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re pregnant and it was Mother’s Day you silly woman. It is amazing how hard on ourselves we women can be.