7 Quick Takes (Vol 21) The Mother's Day Addition

Well, in honor of Mother's Day I thought I would do a "Mother's Day Addition" this week. I bet I won't be the only one.

-1-

My mom is the greatest mom in the world, let's get that down right now. You may disagree, and that is your right, but you would be wrong. Now, this doesn't mean that Mom and I don't have our little disagreements, what mom and daughter don't. But she is still the greatest mom in the world.
Mom came out and stayed with us for almost two weeks to take care of me after the surgery. She cleaned, cooked, carted me around, let the dog out ten thousand times a day. We couldn't have done it without her.

-2-

Being a mom is a great thing and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I have to admit that I really didn't think I wanted children at one point. I hated babysitting when I was growing up, I didn't like other people's children and figured that maybe that was God's way of telling me that I shouldn't have any of my own. But then I got married and I knew, I just knew with certainty that I wanted children and soon. Our oldest was born 18 months after our wedding and we never looked back.

-3-

Things my mother taught me:

• Look at life with humor
• The Lord is my savior and loves me no matter what
  
• Always cook WAY more food than you think you might need when having company
• Pickles are good
• how to make a bed quickly and efficiently
• how to make a pie. That may not seem like much but it is a great skill to have let me tell you.
• liver is my enemy. Yes Mom, I know YOU love liver but the rest of us know the truth.
• anything can be made into a collection....even pine cones.
• hard work is good for what ails you. Especially hard work outside in the garden.
• it is very strange to have your mother be on Facebook. Of course, my kids may feel the same way about me being on FB. Now if she starts to "Twitter" then the world, as we know it, may end.
  

-4-

Over the 23 (24 this month) years of my marriage I have come to appreciate my two mothers-in-law. Two you say, how can you have two mothers-in-law? Well, my husbands parents are divorced and both are remarried. These two women couldn't be more different but they are both precious to me. My MIL (mother-in-law) is a person of strong character and decided opinions. She was very intimidating at first but I have come to enjoy and appreciate her take on life and her giving spirit. My SMIL (step mother-in-law) is just plain fun. I enjoy spending time with both of them. In fact I will see both of them next week when the oldest grandchild (our oldest daughter) graduates from college....with honors I might add.

-5-

Being a mom is hard and don't ever let anyone tell you different. I am still waiting for the manual to come in the mail as I seem to have misplaced the original that they must have given me at the hospital 22 years ago. However, for all of the hardness of being a mom (I understand why gerbils eat their young) the rewards and benefits far outweigh all the other "stuff".

-6-

Things that I have learned from my children

• Frogs are able to live for a VERY long time in a box in the closet
• Hearing your children laughing together is the best thing in the world
• Jimmy Hoffa may not be buried under all that stuff on the floor....but we aren't exactly sure about that since we haven't actually seen the floor in that room for YEARS
  
• Even when they are in their 20's, if they call you "Mommy" then your heart just melts.
• anything from the refrigerator can be made into a snack, even crackers topped with deli turkey, melted cheese and dill pickles.
• that teenagers + 2 week driving trips up the West Coast are sometimes not the best idea. They can turn out to be fun but........

-7-

It's Mother's Day EVERY DAY. Well, not really but I was stuck for a #7 and that is what came to mind.

See you next week.