On Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to you all. Whether you are my mother, someone else's mother, want to become a mother, or had a mother you deserve to be celebrated.

I know it sounds Gouda Cheesy, but it is true. (A dairy foods pun for my former students.)

As I begin my 6th year of motherhood, and have permanently moved out of the challenging infant phase, I find myself reflective in the people who have impacted me as a mother themselves, or influenced my role as a mother.

So thank you.

Thank you for guiding me. Teaching me to nurture. Teaching me responsibility. Showing me how to be vulnerable and encouraging me to learn.

Thank you for listening. And then telling me that my children are normal. Telling me that their habit of sorting things doesn't make them weird. Encouraging me by thinking my children are interesting. And funny. And bright.

Thank you for your consultation. Peeking at a strange rash on the back of his leg when I see you in the grocery store? Pouring over sleep remedies when you run into me buying paint? Answering seemingly obvious questions when I find you online? Offering the suggestion of your favorite drink after a particularly challenging day? Those things matter.

Thank you for sharing. Your insight and experiences are a goldmine. Even if you do not have children, I'm fairly certain you used to be one and that means you hold information that could potentially be helpful in my quest to not screw up these children. I appreciate you telling me how you did not eat the food off your plate either, and still grew up healthy.

Hundreds of miles may separate us, or I might see you nearly everyday in our hometown but our interactions are important.

A special thanks to my kiddos - without them, I would celebrate Mother's Day by sleeping in. Instead I will celebrate by getting up way too early to enjoy another day as "Mommy! Mommy! Mommmmmmmy!"

Random Thoughts

Six weeks into the new year and based on some self-challenges for the year, a few things have become clear.

Note to self:

·         You need to drink more water. You really needed to six weeks ago, and you have to consciously remind yourself to continue drinking water. Just because someone said, “go ahead and count the other fluids you drink as water too” doesn’t mean its ok to only drink mtn. dew.

·         Books/reading needs to be a larger part of your life. I think it has to be chapter books and not magazines/blogs, etc. – something with a full story that captivates you for more than a few moments. I also think you enjoy hard copies more than digital copies. You do still dream of having a personal library with a room packed full of books, you know.

·         Sitting at your desk all day isn’t good for you. It makes you cranky, it makes your back hurt and it gives you a headache. Convincing yourself to get up and move shouldn’t be a big deal.

·         Your brain functions better with music playing – most of the time – at least right now. Cooking, cleaning, working, music. Here’s a thought: maybe you need to dust off the piano music, bite the bullet to fix the keys and play your heart out a few times a week.

·         Don’t yell at your kids. They don’t like it, you don’t like it and it accomplishes nothing. You haven’t yelled like this the last (almost!) five years, there is no reason to start now.

·         Celebrate what you accomplish every day. Even if the only thing you accomplish is not yelling at your children. That’s huge.

Its really baffling to me how a few seemingly subtle changes, can make a really big difference in a person’s attitude. I’m working to reclaim a few things that were a big part of my life through those formative teenage years. You know, the years when you’re certain you have everything figured out. At a time when second guessing a decision is the routine (hello parents of toddlers!) I’m often left searching for a sense of normalcy for MYSELF.

Thanks for tuning in. We’ll try to lighten it up again next time. J