my mom & me

today was a good day. by today i mean several days ago because i write my posts all at once then schedule them out. since i've had kids i typically spend at least one day a week with my mom. usually 2-3. we go to costco, i leave my kids with her while i go grocery shopping [the luxery!], we go get lunch and she takes landon to his 'class' [only one class left! i am quite sad but he has really outgrown it. it's a class designed for kids with learning/physical disabilities and allows a few community kids to come free of charge. we've enjoyed 2 sessions but landon has really outgrown it]. i am the only one of my sisters to live near my mom so i have enjoyed all the benefits that come along with it. like i said in my post about my home, she is moving to utah with no return date and i am extremely sadden by it. i've gone periods without my mom- 2 years when i was in college, my 2 sessions in carson city, but that's really it. i don't know what people do when they don't live their moms!

i wanted to write a post for mother's day but i wanted to be like a cool kid and write it a bit later. having kids has really opened up my eyes to what it really entails to be a mother. the sacrifices you make, the tears you shed, the moments you enjoy, the stress you feel. lately i've felt more of the hardships then the joys- the transition to two has been quite the feat for me. i could not have survived without my mom. whenever i wipe a poo

py butt or read a book for the zillionth time or endure the dreaded nap-dinner time hours, i just think 'wow- my mom did this. alone. with 6 kids'. she is beyond super human and is such an inspiration to me. i remember one time when i was younger i was embarrassed of her [in some situation- can't remember bc my memory is non-existant] because she was overweight and she knew it. i remember how hurt she was. i am still so ashamed of that. my mom is so much more then her white hair or fluffy figure. she has endured a lot of hardship and heartbreak, yet still is so faithful and loving. i hope i can be just an ounce of a good woman she is. so in honor of her moving [and not mother's day], here are some of my favorite memories with me and my mom.

my mom worked when i was younger at our family business so i grew up going to work with her every morning. i had such a great time going to lunches with her and my dad [and eating them under the table. i could pack away 6 tacos when i was 6. explains a lot now], begging her for quarters for candy or soda, drawing her pictures and watching movies in her office. i have 5 brothers and sisters so it was nice having alone time with her.

my mom forced us all to learn the piano and would wake us up at 5am so all of us could get 30 min in before school. i hated every minute of it and often fell asleep at the piano once i knew she was in the shower. but now i'm so grateful. i love music and it's because of her.

growing up i remember my mom cussed like a sailor. really. she had such a potty mouth. she has since corrected her ways but it's still nice to know she's human.

every morning growing up my mom made us a hot breakfast. oatmeal, pancakes, and the worst- eggs. my sisters & i would sit at the bar and pull the carpet back that was fastened to the wall right under it and stuff our eggs into it. really. when we did our kitchen renovation they pulled it off and black dust fell down. gross gross gross. i remember wishing more then anything that we could have cereal but she never let us. i thought cereal was a luxury.

when i was going through my punk teenage stage, my mom insisted that we go out for lunch once a week and i hated it. just 'hanging out with my mom'. can you imagine the teenage horror? despite how awful i was, she was still so sweet, trying to keep our relationship in tact.

i'm coming to realize i am a person that needs praise and recognition. i mean, who doesn't? but really, i'm ridiculous. and my mom is great at that. she makes me feel good about myself and tells me all my strengths, what i'm good at and what i could become. for example, she loves for me to sing to her [which i only do for her birthday, mother's day and christmas]. or to hear me teach lessons at church. she's my own personal groupie.

she is pretty fan-freakin-tastic and i'm going to miss her greatly. but i would never tell her that. don't want it to go to her head and all.