Happy Birthday Mom!

Princess and Prince have been battling some kind of virus this last week, which has kept me quite busy to say the least.  It is no fun for anyone to be sick, but I do feel badly when my kids are sick and there isn't much I can do for them except for try to make them as comfortable as possible.  I woke up with it at 4:00 this morning.  It was NOT fun.  My body is still trying to recover from it. 

In spite of that, today was a very special day because it is my mom's birthday.  My mom has always made our birthdays special and I wanted to do the same for her.  She decided that for her birthday she wanted to take all of us to an afternoon movie.  We went to see Mars Needs Moms, which was pretty good, but a little intense in places for our little guys.  Afterward we went back to her house and my sister and I made her favorite homemade pizza, bruschetta, and salad.  I bought some extras for the salad to make it special with mozzarella balls, sun-dried tomatoes and made homemade bleu cheese dressing.  It was a nice gathering and we celebrated this woman who has for many years given so much of herself.

My mom always made our birthday cakes and she would stay up until all hours of the night making sure things were just perfect the night before our birthday.  She is the person that took care of us, took time with us, and was so very patient helping with homework, making up little rhymes and songs to help us remember things.  As most kids do, I took so much of this for granted.  I just thought that's what all moms did and I came to expect it.  I also never thought about the time, energy and heart my mom has put into things.  Now that I am a mom, I look at what she did in awe.  I try to do all of the same things for my kids, although I have to admit that I have bought cupcakes a few times from the grocery store instead of making them like she always did.  My mom is the one person I have always wanted to be most like, to be able to do all of the things she did for us, and I constantly feel that I don't measure up to that standard.  She never got as far behind on the laundry as I do.  She stayed up and late and got things done.  I try to stay up but then end up falling asleep.  She always had some sort of green veggie on the dinner table.  There have been a few times that I just didn't open that can of peas or steam that broccoli.  I know my mom isn't perfect, but she's the standard by which I live in whether I am a successful mom.  I hope that when my kids grow up they will think the same of me.  I hope they will think I invested in them, believed in them, took great care to make them feel as special as my mom has done of all these things for me...and she continues to do these things for me.  My mom is a beautiful lady and when I grow up, I want to be like her.

Happy Birthday Mom!  I love you and hope you had a fantastic day. 

Ode to the Busy Mom

There are mountains of laundry that need done today.

We have clean clothes, but they aren't put away.

The dishes are done, but more are being dirtied.

I wish things in my life weren't so hurried.

The kids are whining, they need that, they need this

I've got tons of deadlines, none of which I can miss.

The kids are going to kindergarten this year

And I have already started with the tears.

Hubby says, "You're gonna cry for the next ten days?

'Till they start? You're gonna make me crazy."

Did I mention that all this has made me sick?

Baby fever it is...and it needs to go away quick!

I've got too much to do and not enough hands

To meet all of this Mommy's demands.

"Help me, Lord!" is all I can pray,

"Please help me to make it through this day,

Without screaming or pulling out my hair.

Help me to be patient with these blessings in my care."

I need more energy, more Diet Coke!

It may sound funny, but that's no joke.

It fuels my body, helps get me in gear.

Now I just need to persevere.

To get it all done, that's the goal,

But there's just too much, am I getting too old?

Focus now, what are the important things?

The beauty that each new day brings,

My children and their sweet, sticky faces,

The fingerprints they leave are just traces

and reminders of how fast they are growing!

I need a pause button, but they just keep going.

I need more time, more time to enjoy

These precious gifts, a girl and a boy.

The pressures and demands will always be.

But my children will grow up and I'll wish I could see,

Those tiny miracles that sat in my lap

For books to be read and kisses and naps.

My new goal for this day is to MAKE the time

To soak in the kisses and hugs without guilt, there's no crime

In taking the time to enjoy God's blessings.

My house is a mess, I am now confessing.

So off I go now to enjoy and to love

My two little blessings sent from Above!