Today was a relaxing, mostly peaceful Mother's Day, thanks to a wonderful husband and good-most-of-the-time children. I got to sleep in late, 8:00, at which point I was showered with gifts by a loving husband and three completely dressed for church children. Jake cooked my favorite pasta dish for dinner, a recipe that he invented and is divine. Then I lounged about reading a book the rest of the day, only to be interrupted by blackberry pie and ice cream. In fact, nothing much about the day was very motherly. Is it bad to celebrate Mother's Day by taking a break from motherhood?
I did have a few good motherly moments, like the moment in church that Eli sat on my lap being so adorable that I was so grateful that he's mine. A few minutes later he and Eleyna were not very quietly fighting over the Quiet Book, and Eleyna got mad and threw some things on the ground so I had to take her out. (of Sacrament meeting, I mean). Or the moment that Eleyna sweetly asked to do puzzles with me and we had a nice time until every child wanted to sit on my lap at the same time.
I got my garden taken care of yesterday and finished my book today, so tomorrow I'll be ready to pick up life again and try to be a good mother. Wish me luck.
Here are the things I am so grateful to have learned from my Mother:
* How to work. Working is a part of who I am, and when my family gets together we actually try to think of a project that we can do together. Jake and I were pondering over how to make work not a burden for the kids. When we ask our kids to help out, it's like we asked them to swim through a lake of crocodiles. It's not a pretty situation. So, how do you make work something you actually enjoy, or something you appreciate doing for the result? I don't know. Any ideas, Mom?
* How to cook. Growing up, cooking was a time to be together and enjoy each other's company. Now every time we come home, eating is an experience, not a necessity of life. We get to help Mom cook all the meals that we loved growing up- her famous Chinese food, tamales, chimichangas, roast and potatoes, stir-fry, cookies. One of the best parts about having a baby is having Mom come and cook for me. I also love to cook and even though it usually stresses me out with the mess at this stage of life, the girls love to help.
* How to be patient, how to have faith, how to love, how to care for other people, and so many, many other things.
And to my mother-in-law, wow, I can't believe she raised 7 faithful, wonderful kids. It's incredible. She is such a hardworker, so faithful, so talented, such a kind and caring grandmother. When she comes to visit she always helps me catch up around the house and the kids love to have her to play with. (Not that I expect her to come and help, but it is always appreciated.) I'm glad to have her as another example and another Mother in my life.
I'm grateful today to be a mother to three sweet children and to have two incredible Mothers in my life. Happy Mother's Day!
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2 comments:
What a great husband! You've got me curious about the pasta--want to post the recipe?
Jake is such a romantic. He gave you such a special day, that's wonderful. My kids were all sick, including the big one. It was sort of a miserable day.
Ok, as for the thoughts about kids and work, it doesn't seem to get better. Jeffrey is more mopey about work than the younger ones. But when I do it with them, that is the key. My question to myself; do I want it to get done cheerfully, or do I want work to get done? I pick the latter since the former is unattainable, and have found that only if I do the work with the kids (and without anger is a plus), it does happen. They just have to know I mean it, and if I walk out of the pic, even for 1 minute, they don't believe I really mean for them to complete their work. Work with them. Do the jobs with them, and they'll have that legacy for their kids. Rob has learned it from his parents.
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