Mother of the Year & Making Mom Memories

Mother’s Day is an interesting holiday. It’s so built up that it can be hard to live up to. But it’s good that we take the time once a year to be thankful for our mothers and pause to reflect on our own mom-job.  

When my kids were very young, I used to rush through the days to get to the evening when they were asleep and I could get a moment to myself. Honestly, I remember figuring that out one day and making a conscious effort not to “wish the time away.”

It took effort.

The Mom-Mode Flip

Today, my daughter is in 8^th grade and my son is a junior. Unbelievable. This spring, I know a lot of parents of graduating seniors. “It went so fast,” they all say, without fail. That’s scary.

To me, I’m now in Mega Mom Make Memories Mode. It’s like a new panic. I feel I have only 4 years left to soak it all up, before they’re both on their way…and only calling home once a week. If I’m lucky. I’m trying to write things down. Be the extra nice mom. Pack them lunch even (occasionally). Plan events. And especially take lots of pictures. Yes, I am “that” mom who asks total strangers to take our picture.   

Thank you total stranger from Loveland for taking our photo.

Making Family Time

There are lots of ways to spend your time. In these Make-Memory years, I choose not to spend too many extra hours at work, nor volunteering beyond what I can do with my kids to teach them giving. There will be plenty of time for that later. I make it to their games, cook family dinners and drag them off the couch for family field trips to museums, plays, tourist attractions, historic sites and parks.

This Spring Break, we did a staycation to save money and work on our house. As it’s on the home tour this spring and we need to do some painting, yard work and some serious-serious cleaning. But we did also make time for an overnight trip to a National Park only a few hours away. There were miles of trails and we got my son’s nose out of his phone (somewhat) to do some hikes. And, of course, take pictures.   

Beyond Kodak moments, best of all, I bought a pack of cards from the park gift shop. After dinner, we pulled together the chairs in our hotel room to play BS and Spoons. Our teens laughed and laughed and forgot all about being teens for a while.

One overnight stay at a park: $133 for the hotel

One pack of cards: Priceless

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Riding the Wave

On the last day of our Spring Break, to commemorate this last day, I dragged them off the couch again to rent bikes and pedal around downtown. My son does NOT like to ride, but I do. So I try to compromise. I just feel it isn’t Spring if we don’t ride bikes. My original idea was to ride about three miles to a local BBQ restaurant. My son complained.

“Ok” I said, “How about we compromise. We ride for a half hour then turn around and come back.”

“How is that a compromise?” he asked. “We are still biking.”

I laughed. He had a point. “Well, we are biking less?”

I paid him off by promising Eli's Barbeque and he went. He complained the whole way but we got out as a family. And yes, I got a picture.

Does my son look happy here? Seriously, I did see my teen smile several times during the ride. -Eli's BBQ 

Bringing It Home

That same evening, on the last day of Staycation, my daughter and I went for a walk. We decided to borrow our neighbor Jenny’s Corgi dogs to walk them. 

These two are the most spoiled dogs ever. They have no manners. But it is remarkable how much they love their “mom” Jenny.  As we walked away from the house, we practically had to drag them. But when we turned toward home and their “mom,” they ran as fast as their fat little Corgi legs would carry them. 

It was hilarious. But it also gives me hope. So I’m not Mother of the Year. But someday, if I’m good enough and give them enough memories, hopefully they too will run back to me. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all my mom friends, my mom in heaven and moms to be.