In honor of Mother’s Day around these parts (May 8th this year) I thought it would be fun to go back through and pick out a few awesome memories I have of my mom from way back when. These probably aren’t things she expects me to remember but they are some things she did that have stuck with me. Obviously there are more memories but I didn’t think you would want to read a novel. And she’s probably already crying.
Oh, and that’s not Cade or Jamison in a dress. Those boys are a spitting image of their mama. Like wow.
1. All the hours spent at the dance studio
Okay, so this isn’t a specific memory but now that I have my own kids I realize just how much of her life she spent driving us to and from the studio and sitting there watching us practice week after week. I know I still have the songs in my head so I can only imagine that she does as well. Then you throw in the extra classes, rehearsals at the earliest hour of the day possible, and competitions and it’s a little insane. She knew how much dance meant to us and sacrificed that time so we could chase our dreams.
2. Hitting up garage sales
When I was still pretty little my mom worked part time she would have every other Friday off of work. This was especially awesome during the summer. We would get together with some extended family and drive around hunting for garage sales and good deals. I’m sure most of what I bought was garbage and didn’t last long but she definitely instilled a love for a bargain. We still love hunting for a good deal together!
3. State fair
The state fair fell at the end of summer, right over my birthday, and it was one of the parts of summer I looked forward to most once I hit an age where long periods of walking in the heat didn’t make me turn into a crab monster (ha!). We would ALWAYS start the day with a “abuda foot” (about a foot) long hot dog. Later in the day would be mini donuts and funnel cake and we usually ended with a pail of chocolate chip cookies and all you can drink milk. I was never concerned about games or rides but browsing all the booths and seeing just how much food we could consume was a perfect day.
4. Foot and back rubs
My mom has a servants heart in this area. If I sat next to her on the couch she would instantly start rubbing my back or feet. I’m sure there were dozens of times that I fell asleep while she did this to me. I knew that if I was having a rough day or just needed to relax that I could count on her to calm me.
5. Christmas baking
My dad was the main cook in our house but Christmas cookies were mom’s domain. She had the old classic 101 cookie recipe book (or something like that) put out by Better Homes & Garden or some other magazine and we had our favorites. We would make batch after batch of cut out sugar cookies, spritz, rosettes, and peanut butter blossoms. The list never changed and I’m sure there are still sprinkles stuck somewhere in that kitchen from how wild we got but I don’t ever remember her getting grumpy about how messy we were being.
It goes to show that kids probably aren’t going to remember all the crap you get them for birthday’s or Christmas. Or all the other things we agonize over as parents that we are sure are going to make or break our kids. Turns out everything I remember and appreciate most are simple times together or a tradition that we kept up. I hope in 20 years when my kids look back at their childhoods they are able to remember similar memories. The times we spent together and traditions we created.
Photo credit: MKPhotozDo you have a favorite memory with your mom from childhood? How are you celebrating Mother’s Day this year?
