Mothers Day

Well, Mothers Day is always interesting. Sometimes it is hard to just be grateful for our families and our children and the time that we have with them. I find that it is really easy to get caught up in the mystique of the "perfect Mothers Day".

My only wish for Mothers Day was to spend time with my family and to go to the Chicago Botanic Gardens in our area. I had been looking forward to the gardens for a while, last year when we went we were able to get a ton of wonderful pictures and had a wonderful day. Well this year, we had rain. Lots of rain, so the botanic gardens were vetoed. My moms wish of a picnic and playing at Independence Grove was vetoed as well. So, the moms, whose day this is supposed to be, didn't get their wishes.

But you know what, my Mothers Day was wonderful! It really wasn't about what we did or didn't do. I just had a great time hanging out with my husband and my son. Playing and eating pancakes and Reeses peanut butter cups. Josh made us breakfast and I gave Jack a haircut. We really took our time getting showered and out the door. It was leisurely, and fun, and perfect! I know, controlling and unflexible me had a wonderful time not doing what I wanted to do!

I think that us mothers get really hung up on the idea of Mothers Day. We build it up in our heads as this day when our husbands will suddenly realize how much we mean to them and miraculously rise up and worship the ground we walk on. They will intuitively know both our wishes and our needs, and meet them all. They will come home with gifts and kisses and thank yous. The card will be perfect and not for "My loved one overseas" ;) Our children will shower us with I love yous and hugs and perfect behavior. There will be no need for nagging or cleaning up as everyone will do what is asked and the house will stay neat.

This will never happen. We will always have to tell our husbands what we want in a gift, where we want to go and what time we need to be out the door. They will still ask us what they should wear, what the kids should wear and if they really have to shower. They will watch just one more minute of the race and they will be getting around to breakfast. But you know what, it's okay. It's okay if it rains (literally or figuratively) on our parade. It is okay if we still have to pick up the toys that got dumped out but not played with. It is okay if we have to get all the ingredients and utensils out for breakfast so that all our darling husband has to do is pour the batter. Because you know what, we love them and they love us. I am so blessed to have a husband who takes an active role in raising our son, in helping around the house, in keeping me sane. Even if he takes just as active a role in making me crazy in the first place. I am so blessed to have a beautiful, smart, funny kid who tells me he loves me with a laugh when I am being weird. Who sits still for the first time while I am cutting his hair and actually has an opinion about it (for the record, he wanted it short). I am so blessed to have two families that love me and my strange habits, even if I seem to pass all of them on to my son!

Despite the rain, despite not getting my way, I had a wonderful Mothers Day. It was perfectly imperfect. And I have everything that actually matters. I can go to a garden another time, now a day with my family just having fun and hanging out, that is a Mothers Day to remember.

And to all the moms out there, no matter how imperfect your day was, remember that you do make a difference. And even if no one ever says thank you, you still have the power to change your kids' lives. Even if you also do some blackmailing along the way... Happy Mothers Day!

Easter!!

Easter is right around the corner, I don't know if I like it being so early this year, it is throwing my schedule all off. I was thinking about the meaning of Easter and what parts of the holiday I want to celebrate with my new family and what to leave out. You see growing up both Josh and I only celebrated the fun, Easter Bunny and eggs part of the holiday. We just sort of skipped past the religious aspect. I know that we want to raise Jackson and any future children a little bit differently. Because of our upbrining we are not very religious, and organized religion is a very touchy subject for us. But because of events in our adult life, spirituality is very important to us. A lot of people cannot understand the difference. Basically, we believe in God or a higher power, we believe that our lives are overseen by this higher power and that He has the ability to help or hinder us. We do not believe the Bible in its entirity. You will never hear us quoting scripture. That being said, we do believe that stories told in the Bible have great moral value and can really help people in their time of need. So, when we get to holidays like Easter we have to think about how we want to address it as our children grow. I think that we will share the story of Jesus being reborn and going to Heaven with our kids but we will approach it as. a. story. I think that religious holidays are a good opportunity to teach children about the different belief systems in the world and to teach them about the morals behind the scripture. We will explain that the Easter Bunny is a lot like Santa Claus, he helps us to celebrate this wonderful story and reminds us about the joys of giving and cherishing family.

So, we are preparing for Easter. The baskets are out of storage, the gifts and candy are ready for assembly. We have decorated eggs around the house. Later this week we will hard boil and color eggs. I will also make deviled eggs, but not too many because Mom is making her own and I am sure that Josh's Aunt Margaret will make some for their get together (Deviled eggs are her "thing" so I don't want to step on any toes!). So we are excited. If Easter plays out at all like Christmas and Halloween, then Jackson will love it. I don't think that we will do the Bunny Tracks (flour footprints on the floor) this year, Jack is a little young for that still but maybe next year. I think that we will hide the basket as well as some plastic eggs and do a quick little hunt before breakfast and off to Moms. I don't want to do anything too elaborate because I am sure that Mom has a lot planned and we don't want to burn the kid out by 10 am.

I am excited! I love holidays and coming up with new traditions. I love to pass my excitement on to my children and hopefully, my husband. He does not share the same affinity for special occasions as I do. He really looks at holidays like they are a chore. I think that is sad, while there is sometimes work involved, I think that it is nice to plan something special and out of the ordinary every once in a while. And I also think that it is a nice treat to try and make a holiday special for your family and friends. Before we know it life will have flown by and we will wish that we had more time, more opportunities to spend with our loved ones, we will wish that we did more to show how much we cared. I just try to take advantage of every chance to bring a little joy to my family, every day would be great but I think putting a little extra care into the holidays is the least that I can do.

So on that note... Happy Easter! Enjoy the day in whatever way you celebrate. Whether it be with bunnies and baskets or crosses and scriptures, Sunday is a great day to remember the people you love and how lucky we are to have the lives that we do.