Mother's Day

Mother's Day and my birthday...the two days out of the entire year that I like to be selfish. I want to feel more loved and appreciated than I do the other 363 days of the year. This year was probably my best Mother's Day to date. Rob told me to take the weekend off and relax and he'd do anything I asked him to do around the house. Now, that's not my MO, so I still did some laundry and fixed a couple meals. But he folded the laundry, washed the dishes, swept the floors. You know....all the stuff I don't like doing. The boys spoiled me as well. They gave me a beautiful card (as did Rob) and some flowers to plant. E, being E, gave me one of his prized baits. To anyone else, that'd be equivalent to giving someone a pot of gold. He also gave me a McDonald's Happy Meal squirt gun. P made me a note with a picture that said, "I love you because you take time out of your day to play with me." It made me feel good. Made me feel like they notice the things I do right more than the mistakes I make as a mom. After church we went to lunch at one of my favorite places, where I was given a rose. Then we lounged by the pool, got snowballs and went to the park to play a family game of t-ball. Throughout the day, Rob would tell me the reasons why he thought I am an amazing mom or the reasons why he loves me. It was a PERFECT day and I felt so loved/appreciated!
I, too, tried to make my mom's Mother's Day as special as I could without physically being with her. The boys chose a card for her that we all signed (other than Rob because I was racing to the post office to make sure I got it mailed in time). I called her and texted her to let her know I was thinking of her. But, our gift to her was a flop. I pre-ordered a book from her favorite author only to find out that she had already done the same thing. It works out, however, because it means I cancelled the order and we get to have a Mother/Daughter date in a couple weeks instead. Those are my favorites. I love spending 1:1 time with my mom because, over the years, she has become more than just my mom. She has become my friend. When we spend time together we talk, share secrets, reminisce, laugh and bond. It's a time I don't take for granted.
Moms are important. Not every child is blessed with a mom like mine. Sadly, we saw that yesterday while waiting to get snowballs. But moms are often not appreciated as much as they deserve. Their job is 24hrs a day some days (newborns/sick kids). Some moms do it alone. (My hat's off to single moms because it's all kinds of hard!) I am thankful that I have Rob. We have formed s strong team. We don't always see eye to eye and we're far from perfect. But I know he cherishes me and the kind of mom I am. That makes all the difference some days. So, please take time out of your day- not just on Mother's Day- to let moms know that you appreciates them: the moms who sacrifice, the moms who listen, the moms who play, the moms who provide, the moms who fill the role of mom and dad, the moms who guide, the moms who love you unconditionally. A little love goes a long way!