Mother's day was not typical for me this year. I LOVE LOVE LOVE any excuse for going out to eat and Mother's day is the perfect occasion for not cooking. The timing for lunch out didn't work though (Clive needed his bottle in the car on the way home from church). That was only a minor disappointment though as I got some free coldstone creamery ice cream on the way home. Brownies, pecans, caramel, and hot fudge mixed together in smooth vanilla ice cream was absolutely delicious! And Chloe liked it too. Surprise, surprise. Mother's day afternoon proved to be a draining one. Chloe cried and cried and cried in protest of her nap. Not sure what the deal was but after a spanking and more tears we decided to let her get up. Clive is a cat-napper (each nap is usually only 45 minutes) so I didn't get much down time. After all the nap hubbub, I decided to take the kiddos for a walk to get some rejuvenating fresh air before dinner time. And during the walk Chloe had a potty accident. Sigh. This is not what I picture as an ideal Mother's Day.
Thankfully, the evening went much smoother. I made an easy dinner of blueberry pancakes and sausage. Clive was in bed by 5:30 and Chloe was tucked in by 6:30. Then Matt and I folded laundry and watched a very romantic (please note sarcasm) Mother's Day movie - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
So, what were my precious mother's day gifts? After this disappointing mother's day, I reflected on what I'm thankful for and what's truly important. My heart swells with joy when I share Clive's infectious smile, when I snuggle with Chloe and feel her even breath on my face, when I see the little loving things Matt does to make my job as a mom easier. God's blessings of family are an outworking of His immense love.
It seems silly as I write this post to be disappointed in my mother's day. I wish I would have read this article yesterday; I had such a self-centered attitude about the whole thing. I have SO MUCH to be thankful for! A loving husband and healthy kids are not givens. I thank God for His work of grace in me. May He make me more grateful!
How was your Mother's Day? What are you thankful for?
p.s. Matt also got me a lovely card, a small box of chocolates, a bright orange lily for our front flowerbed, and also a subscription to Craft magazine. Thanks, Matt!
4 comments:
What a hard stage of motherhood--your potty accident on the walk had to be the most draining moment of an otherwise lackluster day. You had such a lovely idea to take them out for a walk! I'm sorry it backfired.
One day, though, Clive will make some tea and Chloe will stir up the blueberry pancakes and sausage for you. Or they'll be able to sit nicely for a leisurely meal at a restaurant.
Meanwhile, you wrote such a sweet tribute in the paragraph in which you highlight something very specific in each family member.
That was so touching. Hold onto that until they can make the tea and pancakes. And hold onto the Lord. It's these desperate times that we can see Him working through us.
(I hope that one day this week you get an idyllic day where naps coordinate and nobody fusses and everybody eats without complaint...you can pretend it's your ideal Mother's Day, just a few days late.
If not, just eat those chocolates.)
Mother's Day was nice but I was still "on call". We plan to go out next weekend as I despise going out to eat when there are TONS of people around. It must be the New Englander in me:).
I am thankful for many things but I praise the Lord for the privilege of being a mommy and having healthy pregnancies. Often, I complain about the little things - like when things don't go according to my plan. God gently reminds me that I am blessed in so many ways. :)
Happy Belated Mother's Day to you. Thanks for sharing about your day.
I was so tempted to think complaining thoughts about Krista's cold and not being able to put her in the nursery on Sunday. I mean, she wasn't sick enough to keep home, and I didn't want to miss corporate worship on Mother's Day. But I didn't want to sit through Sunday School and church with her on my lap trying hard to keep her quiet and even harder from not smiling at everyone causing distraction. Then, it hit me how selfish I was being and how thankful I am for my girls. They are what make the day so special for me even as I reflect on what my own mother means to me.
The rest of the day was wonderful, and I was thankful the Lord got me past my complaining spirit of her not sleeping through the night because of her cold and then her not being able to be in the nursery...sigh...what a growing process being a mom is!
Oh and I so remember the 45 minute cat naps. Kayla went through a stage of that, and Krista is just ending that stage. Seriously, it drove me crazy with Kayla because people would tell me if I would just leave her in there that she would settle back to sleep -- oh no! Not my little girl. I tried it, but when she was up, she was up. I tried a few times with Krista to break her of the 45 minute naps, but she was the same as Kayla so I gave it up pretty quickly. (My kids are so not textbook kids). And sure enough, just like Kayla, she came out of it and I think earlier than Kayla did. She now takes one nap for 2-3 hours and then the second nap for an hour or a little more. I love it when the 2-3 hour nap is at the same time as Kayla's nap but that doesn't happen regularly yet.
Sorry for the long comment. I must have gotten longwinded from being out of the blogging world for so long. I'm easing back in by reading others' and then need to get back going with mine (at least according to my mom). :-)
i enjoyed reading your post... i am sure it is a typical mother's day for most moms. i was cleaning up throw up, nursing fevers, comforting fussy babies and disciplining all afternoon. you know, just doing typical mommy stuff :) it is a blessing to have our kids and be a mommy. we are so blessed to be able to be this "full time" as well. - i even had one mom's day where antonio bought me a mug (with my aunt mary's help) and then he got angry at me for not getting his way and he smashed the mug in spite... these hard days will pass.
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