Happy Mothers Day

I have enjoyed reading everyone's Mothers Day posts and although I am a bit late getting mine up here, it is not without good reason....actually there are four little good reasons that have been intruding on my blog time as of late. My own mom is truly amazing and I am grateful for her example although I will most likely never come close to measuring up to her level of skills. I really can't comprehend giving birth to 10 children let alone raise them all into adulthood without ending up in an insane asylum....I might be there myself one of these days! My mom really sacrificed everything to make sure we were fed, clothed, and taught right from wrong. And by that, I mean cooking from scratch, sewing a lot of our clothes, and leading by example. I never really appreciated these things until having my own children made me realize how difficult it is. I am far more selfish and require "me" time, buy bread from the store, feed my kids instant oatmeal, pre-shredded cheese, and even sugared cereals from time to time. My mom is pretty great and I am so glad to have her around to show me how things should be done.

Now...for my little stint on the soapbox. To preface the next part of my post, I want to say how much I enjoy giving gifts to my close family and friends. There is nothing better than finding the perfect little something for someone close to you or taking the time to create a gift for someone you love. This is especially true with my husband, Travis.......I start watching for things I know he needs or wants far ahead of any birthday or other gift-giving holiday so that I am well prepared and find the best deals on the things I buy for him. He will tell you that he is the easiest person to shop for in the world because his life is an open book and all I have to do is give him Kansas paraphanelia and he is a happy man. I beg to disagree because I have given him many things over the years that are totally unrelated to the Jayhawks and even then, ordering things online takes planning ahead so it will get here in time.
I do not consider myself high maintenance by any means. I don't spend a lot of time on my beauty regimen, don't get my nails done, don't have a large collection of shoes or handbags, and I don't desire expensive jewelry. No offense to my many glamorous friends and family members.....I actually envy the way you pull it off with such style and flair and wish that I could do the same. Its just that I lack the skills and the know-how and I feel that it is really too late to learn in my case. With that being said, I feel that I shouldn't be that difficult to shop for when it comes to the gift-giving holidays throughout the year.
I have realized though, after careful observation, that my husband considers that any shopping experience is akin to spending time in a torture chamber. With that said, my friends and I have learned to find humor in the gifts or lack thereof that we receive from our significant others on the previously mentioned holidays. All we ask is that there is a bit of thought and time put in on our behalf rather than a mad dash out the door the night before to pick up anything they can find. I refuse to dignify any questions asked when calling on a cell phone from the store to ask what I want or need.....I mean, at that point, I might as well go out and pick out something nice for myself. Right?

Which brings us to this fabulous day to honor the mothers in our lives.......lets go back to Saturday evening to relive the whole experience. Travis took Emma out for a shopping trip announcing as they left that they had multiple stops to make and that they would probably be out pretty late. In my head I was thinking......multiple stops? wow! I wonder what he could possibly have up his sleeve......it must be something good since I am now the proud mother of four lovely children. I was shocked when I got the perfunctory phone call.......

Travis: "So is there anything that you really want?"

Me: "No"

Travis: "Come on, there has got to be something."

Me: "Okay, how about a maid?"

Travis: "Great! Lets hire you a cleaning lady for a day."

Me: "I am afraid that I am going to need her for more than one day."

Travis: "So what are you asking?"

Me: "How about you and the kids just start out by picking up after yourselves?"

Travis: "No, it's too hard to change habits"

Me: "Is it really too hard to take your shoes off and put them on the nice shelves I installed out in the garage, too hard to pick up your clothes and stuff I find laying all over the house?"

Travis: "That is a lame gift for Mother's Day"

Me: "Well, that is all I want....for you and the kids to start putting your shoes on the shelves instead of leaving them in the laundry room where we all trip over them....then we can work on the other stuff.."

Travis: "Okay, whatever"

I have to say that I enjoyed a wonderful Mothers Day with lots of hugs, heartfelt cards and gifts, AND to my astonishment........no shoes to trip over! We enjoyed a very nice church service with great talks and some beautiful songs sung by all of the children in attendance.

I love #3...it says "I know my mom is smart because she won lots of spelling bees" as well as #4 because apparently I show my love by teaching my children how to clean.

Hmmmmm, like a maid?

With extra love, from Emma

I was filled with anticipation over what the shopping trip could have yielded but I never could have guessed what Travis and Emma came up with to signify their appreciation for my mothering skills. So.......here it is!

A brand new nursing bra!!!!! I suppose that sums up what mothering is all about.

Just be glad that I didn't start my blog until after Christmas this year.......you would have had to read through a lengthy explanation about the fact that women swoon over the Kay jewelers commercials because of the romance factor and NOT over the actual jewelry.....(a gold heart pendant in my case)

I love ya honey! and I challenge you to make a comment to explain yourself.