ememby

My mom and I (with Jackers) at the Mackinac Bridge this past summer. Continue reading →

1. In the evenings, whenever I hear a car slowing down outside, I think maybe my husband is coming home early (he works until 11 p.m., M-F; please don’t come kill me, we have a large, vicious dog) and almost every time, it’s not him. Sad times.
2. We stopped to get $2 kid’s meals at Wendy’s tonight and after I finished our order and said, “Thank you,” Jack yelled from the backseat, “I love you!” When we pulled up, the guy working the drive-thru window gave me this funny little smile. Thankfully, Jack repeated the phrase – wouldn’t want the drive-thru guy thinking I was declaring my feelings for him.
3. I went through my closet and dresser to cull out the old stuff and stuff I’ve never wear, even if it fits again, and I ended up with three garbage bags for donation plus a small shopping bag for the trash. Why was I saving these things?
4. My husband never rarely takes two extra steps and moves his empty pop cans from the counter to the bag we collect them in that’s hanging behind our kitchen door. Why? I’ve decided that instead of being mad about this, I will choose to take that moment when I see the empty can to pray for him.
5. I have a tendency to take my shoes off and leave them in random places around the house. Currently there is a pair next to the stove, in the living room next to the couch, in Liam’s room next to his bed and another by the back door. My shoes do not “live” in these places… I can see how this drives my husband crazy… perhaps he will choose to pray for me when he sees them.
6. Liam’s school musical program is tomorrow, I’m curious about what they will be singing since he’s been singing a version of “This Little Light of Mine” in the car but it’s not a Christian preschool. I’ll let you know how it goes.
7. I love my roses from my anniversary – I wish I always had fresh flowers in the house because they make me happy. Plus, it’s expected they will die so there’s no pressure to keep them alive, unlike the house plants I have that I forget to water.
8. It’s a MOPS week – happy day!
9. Garlic scapes are delicious and have a super short season of availability – if you see them at a farmer’s market, get them and make pesto (garlic scapes, basil, parmesan, salt, olive oil, roasted almonds/toasted pine nuts [optional] – use whatever proportions seem good to you – throw in a food processor, adding olive oil while you are blending and enjoy over pasta or instead of sauce on pizza – freezes great, flattened in a gallon-sized resealable bag; end of super-long parenthetical). Also, share this pesto with me, I will be your friend forever.
10. Jack is going to be the death of me, today* he: a) crawled backwards down a muddy hill, b) brought me the tub of margarine with the lid off and his hand coated, c) spilled Liam’s glass of milk and squirted his applesauce across the table at dinner, d) climbed out of his buckled shopping cart seat at Meijer, e) climbed into the great lakes feature at Meijer Gardens, f) climbed into the fridge and tried to shut the door and g) is currently still awake 90 minutes after I put him to bed. But he is cute and asks to be picked up by saying, “Come here” and holding up his arms and when you do put him to bed, he asks to be covered by every blanket in his crib and says, “Tuck-a you in.”

*And by “today” I mean yesterday – I wrote this last night 🙂

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I want something fancy (a card and/or flowers will do me just fine) but there are certain gifts that are simply not OK for Mother’s Day.

• A collection of boogers (Liam, I’m looking at you)
• A vacuum (unless you are my mother who loves vacuums and owns at least 20 cleaning devices) or any other cleaning product unless it is cleaning services to be performed by someone else
• A membership to anywhere she will be expected to take her children (this sounds awful since Mother’s Day is about being a mother, but trust me, this would be more well-received as a “I was thinking about you” gift on another random day; at least for me but maybe I am an anomaly)
• A photo frame with the image of the models still in it, if you are going to give a mother a frame, put a picture of her kid(s) in it
• Decaf coffee
• Lingerie
• IHOP or Denny’s gift cards (unless she is pregnant and craving food from one of those places; if she is pregnant, then all bets are off and you will get her anything she wants)
• Fat-free anything
• Anti-wrinkle anything (though a gift certificate for a spa where they offer skin rejuvenation services is totally acceptable)
• A magazine subscription to Sports Illustrated
• Clothing from a second-hand store
• Something purchased at a gas station or airport gift shop, especially if it looks like a tourist gift (this can be tricky, there are some nice(r) stores in airports, but in general, avoid these stores)
• Toiletries from a hotel or makeup samples from a department store – unless those are hints that you are taking her on vacation or a shopping spree