Every once in a while you meet a true kindred spirit in this world, and I feel so blessed to have found this connection with the lovely AnnMarie of Tidbits from the Queen of Chaos. AnnMarie, a mother of four on this earth and one angel in heaven, writes with amazing heart. When she’s done bringing the heart, she then turns around and brings even more heart. She blows me away with her genuiness, her sincerity and her kindness. If you haven’t been acquainted with her, head over and get to know this beautiful woman!
Her post below about what makes her a Mom of the Year, hits with a poignancy that will leave you feeling “got” and smiling…check it out and join me in saying thanks to AnnMarie for sharing this here today!
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When Meredith asked if anyone wanted to share their own “Mother of the Year” stories, several ideas came to mind. I could talk about the time I told my oldest daughter, Isabella that she shouldn’t be a scientist. I could talk about the time that Nico was excited about a project and I p***** all over it. I could talk about the time I talked about the birds and the bees with the twins. Actually, I could talk about a lot of times when I looked at myself and thought another Mother of the Year Award down the drain. However, I am not going to do that. I am going to talk about the times when I really feel like I deserve a Mother of the Year Award.
When we are on vacation, especially Disney World. Actually that is the only vacation where I can claim this award. See, I am the yes parent when we are at Disney. I can’t be in a bad mood. The kids ask for a Icee that costs $7.00 and I say, yes. They ask for Dippin’ Dots every chance they get and I say, yes. The kids ask if they can go on a ride again and I say, yes. The kids ask to go to the pool and I say, yes. Money for the hotel arcade? Yes, yes, yes. This is especially true if we are alone with just our family. Something happens when we aren’t on a schedule where other people are involved. We can go with the flow and it feels so good that I am in a good mood. I feel grateful for the change of scenery which leads to enjoying my family.
When I make a home-cooked meal. It is so rare with our schedule that when I do and the kids go back for seconds, it warms my heart and makes me think I’m doing something right. Hearing my youngest son say, “I love the way you cook, Mom,” makes me think I am not far off from Mother of the Year. Of course this is usually canceled out by the 5th run through the drive-thru of McDonald’s in one week or when I don’t make enough of what we are having for dinner (with Nico eating, it’s been happening a lot).
When someone stops me to tell me something nice my kids have done when I am not around. I love when this happens because I pray that when I am drilling it in their heads how to be an upstanding citizen, they are retaining some of it. People are always so quick to say negative things about teens so it means a lot when someone takes the time to tell me that Nico is behaving and being respectful. This, of course, gets canceled out when they are at home aggravating each other to the point of bloodshed.
When they are all showered/bathed, teeth brushed and in bed at a decent hour, I feel like I really have the hang of this motherhood gig. I can look at them lovingly while they sleep and forget that an hour before, they were complaining/crying about taking a shower or bath and fighting with each other to the point where I felt like I was a referee in a boxing match.
When one of them says, “Thanks, Mom. That made me feel better,” after one of our talks or when they hug me for no reason and say, “I love you, Mom.” This definitely makes me feel like that trophy of Mother of the Year is mine for the moment. All the fighting, all the complaining, all the not listening, they all go away when one of my kids utter either one of those phrases and if it is accompanied by a kiss or a hug, even better.
It happens more often than not that I feel like The Mother of the Year Award slips through my fingers. It’s a tough award to hold onto with kids that won’t cooperate in knowing how much I want it. However, it is during these five times that I feel like I can shout from the rooftops, “I DID IT! I’M MOM OF THE YEAR!!”
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