A tear free Mothers Day woo hoo! (Kind of a rant but here for my own personal enjoyment)

I am happy to report that this was a tear free mothers day and that is a good thing. I remember my 1st mothers day. I was so excited to be a mom and loved the idea of getting to celebrate it. Little did I know that mothers day is no more than a day filled with lots of extra work for the mom and that the dads often just forget about it and leave it all up to the moms but then get mad when the moms think that is not fair. Grrrrr... For some reason it seems that every year I end up in tears on mothers day. I think I just have to high of expectations. I mean really wanting to have a nice calm day and not have to scream my face off to get them to get ready for church or wanting my husband to not ignore me 80 times when I ask for help getting them ready for church or etc. And not wanting to be criticized all day for the crappy mom I am and wanting at least some thought of token of acknowledgment for being a mom even it that is just a card and a candy bar. And wanting to not have to go to church on mothers day with rats nests in my hair or wet hair, or wanting to actually for once have 5 mins to get ready and be able to put on some makeup to hide Godzilla before we leave, are all apparently too much to ask for. Even if for just one day. So for sure the answer is that I have simply been setting my expectations way too high.

So this year I decided to:
#1 plan ahead. Yes a concept foreign to me I know. But I did find the perfect mothers day gifts back when I was at Scrapbook USA in April and I got to start working on them then. (also have the dad's days all figured out) But, did that mean that I was not still working on them at 3 am this moring. Nope I still was but at least by a little after 3 I was done. Better than in the car on the way to the dinner.

#2 SIMPLIFY: Instead of doing 3 dinners in one day we spread it out. I know I am a genius. LOL wasn't even my that did it but is is a great way to go anyway. So on Friday night we took husbands mother out to eat and it was fabulous and great to get to honor her and to give her a night out and the kids always love a nice meal out. Of course Will destroyed the restaurant and I wanted to die of embarrassment but what ever we can't expect too much and he is 2 after all.

And then today we woke up I made my chicken salad sandwich filler and then rushed off to church so the kids could sing to me. ;) Did I make it there with hair done and makeup on? Heck No of course not. But Jesse was AWESOME! He didn't forget that he has to help with Mother's Day this year and he even got me a present. (let me pick out rocking chairs while I was at Walmart yesterday getting my food assignment stuff) and he let me sleep in until 9 and also was very helpful in the kitchen so that I didn't have to take a 1/2 baked salad to the party. Church was fine one speaker read a little story that I had already read in an email earlier this week and I loved it. I saved it and think I will post it here too. It was good. Then after church we went to only one picnic for my mom and it was a nice and relaxed type of dinner. Sandwiches and Chips and salads and lots of chasing the kids but they loved it and it was nice to honor yet another great women. And we are going to his step moms next week for that family mothers day dinner. So it was a nice way to simplify things. Makes it much better when you can enjoy each event as a separate event and not just as a crazy stepping stone in one long day.

#3 I decided thanks to Cecily that I would embrace OMF day. She posted in a great comment on crazymama's blog saying that she celebrates OMF day she said: ...love or hate mothers day? Love it but its not really Mother's Day is it? We've renamed it Oldest Matriarch in the Family (or OMF for short)Day at our house since I just spend the whole time visiting my Mom, MIL and Grandmothers. .....

And you know, that is the thing that I LOVE about mothers day is the idea of celebrating moms! So I decided to not let all the little stuff of the busy day bother me and instead to put my hole heart into loving that I get to celebrate mothers day for the great mothers in my life. And it was great and when I am older I fully expect my kiddo's to pack up their kids and to come and visit me for mothers day. These OMF's in our lives have really earned a day just for them. They have lived through this stage that I am in with multiple little children pecking them like ducks, sadly they have passed the stage of the delightful hand made crooked mothers day gifts and little scribble cards, and past the teen years that I can only imagine and dread and yet they have already survived them, they have lived past the frantic calls in the middle of the night from us as new parents not sure what to do about a sick or non sleeping child and the joy of watchign grandchildren play. They have survived it all the good and the bad and then some and have passed with flying colors. So I would say they have certainly earned the right to a special day dedicated all to them!!!! So I hope you all also had a very happy Oldest Matriarch of the Family Day or Mothers Day or whatever you want to call it. :) I sure did!