Date night

I get to have a date night tonight.  However it isn't with my husband.  It is with my oldest son.  I get the pleasure of taking my 6 year old to his first concert tonight.  Weather permitting of course.  After all, it is almost summer and I live below the Mason Dixon, therefore rain is a given, we just don't know when. 

Going along with us tonight will be my mom, her best friend, and my aunt.  My family is tight like that.  I am looking forward to this experience with him.  He is getting older and is turning into just a really cool kid.  We have similar taste in music, and we both enjoy riding with the windows down, with the radio turned way up.  Thing 1 has no idea we are going.  I am planning on surprising him =).

Mommy/son dates are pretty awesome.  I have to enjoy them now, when he gets older mom won't be near as cool to hang out with.

I am my mother's daughter.

Somethings I have learned to cherish in life are friends that are close as family and family that I count as friends.  I am blessed with a wonderful family, jokingly nicknamed the Cavalry.  The reason behind that is oh so simple.  These are the people in my family that rush in when they are needed, and all it takes is the simple sound of the bugle or in modern day terms, a phone call, text, email or even a status update on Facebook.  These are the same people that share my triumphs no matter how great or small, lift me up when I am having a rough day, and are there to wipe tears when it all falls apart; and even at times shed them with me, while holding my hand.  This is my one of my most cherished possessions in life. 

I have my own mini cavalry.  It is my mom.  She is truly only a phone call away and sometimes it doesn't even take that. I remember when I was younger little things that my mom would do that drove me crazy.  I find myself doing these very things now.  When she and I are together we often say things at the same time.  No matter what I do now as a parent, be it getting stains out of clothes, tackling illness or dealing with issues at school; it never fails, I call my mom first. 

I am learning more and more as I get older that the relationship she and I share is a rarity.  It is far from the "normal" relationship most mother/daughter pairs share.  I must say that being different in this particular situation is a wonderful thing. 

My mom has a birthday tomorrow and I am looking forward to another year with her, and more than anything I am proud to be my  mother's daughter.

Ahhhh

It's amazing how little things make realize just how lucky you are.  I had one of those moments last night.  As my little boys and I were hanging out watching cartoons, while the hubs was out doing a community service project, the boys were fussing and fighting about who got to snuggle up to me.  That is a good problem, both my kids want to be with me.  My house is always in need of cleaning, this is a good thing because 1) I have a house 2) my family and I have "stuff" that we want and need. I had to do laundry and dishes after eating supper.  These are good things because we have clothes to wear, and food to eat.  We had a friend show up at our house late last night needing to talk.  This is where it hit me just how lucky I am.  The friend was coming to us to talk, not one of us needing to go talk to someone else about a problem we were having.  It also made me realize how lucky I am to have friends that know that my husband and I are there no matter what the situation.

I am a very lucky person.  I have two wonderul children, a husband that while he isn't perfect, he is perfect for me.  A roof over my head, food in my tummy, clothes on my back, and friends that are more like family than anything else. 

I often consider my life to be very mundane, and somewhat boring.  THANK GOODNESS it is.  I am happy with my simple kind of life. 

In this house

With tomorrow being Mother's Day, I began to think what all it means to be a mom.  In this house being a mom means being the following, cook, nurse, personal driver, personal shopper, maid, organizer, shoe finder, nose wiper,hair washer, sock matcher, button snapper, lunch packer, party planner, pack mule,referee, and cheerleader.  It also means that I will be told when classrooms are out of supplies, because teachers know that supplies will show up within a day or two.  It means staying up late at night making sure things are just so for the next day of school, or everything is together for that night's ball game. It means keeping every one's schedule straight, and making sure everyone knows where they are suppose to be.  It also means, I  am the task master/slave driver, insuring that homework is done, supper is fed, teeth are brushed, hugs and kisses are given, and kiddos are happily tucked in bed by their 8:30 bed time.  It also means I am the one that gets the tightest hugs, the silly laughs, the little hands holding onto mine because they are just a little scared.  I am the one that gets teary eyed the first day of school, every year.  I am the one that gets to be called Mommy, by two little boys that stole my heart the minute I knew they were on their way.

"There is a boy that stole my heart and he calls me Mommy"

Silly boys

My children are often the stars of very funny stories.  The latest was this morning.  Justin who is 4, was in the back seat of my vehicle as we are driving to drop him off at my mother in laws for the day.  He is playing with an old cell phone and is pretending to carry on a conversation.  I hear the following from him " Hey, who is this, JASON ALDEAN, Mama I am talking to Jason Aldean"  "You live where, right beside me, in a wood shed, WOW", "mam here his mom wants to talk to you".

I love my kids

And it begins

One of the things that comes with having kids is the kids being involved in activites.  I am a mom that is uber excited that both of my boys are playing baseball this year.  Thankfully they are on the same team, which will make life so much easier. 

Last night was our very first game of the season.  It was also my youngest son's very first game ever.  I got a little teary eyed seeing my baby in his uniform, then stepping up to bat.  I don't have a baby anymore.  I do however have two little fellas that are going to be full blown boys of summer.  To the point that Justin cried at bed time last night because he doesn't have practice tonight. 

I love being able to sit and watch my little sweet baby boys growing into rough and tough little boys.  I love the looks on their faces, when we tell them how well they played, and it melts my heart to see them cheer on their team mates when they get a hit or make a good play.    It makes me very proud to be their mom.

Spring Break as a Mom

Wow, are things really different when you are a kid verses when you are the parent.  Snow days become the equivalant of weekends, that require babysitters, because work doesn't take snow days.  Days off of school are hiccups in the routine.  I don't like hiccups, especially ones that mess with my boring, stuck in a rut routine.  Spring Break is the prime example of this.  It is a teaser for summer vacation.  The down side is it takes Thing 1 exactly 2 days into to be thrown off his schedule.  It will take me 3 weeks to get him back on it. 

Did I mention there are only 6 weeks of school left. 

I knew this morning would be hard on him.  It was hard on me.  After camping all weekend, this mama was TIRED!!!  But you do what you gotta do, and I gotta get two kids out the door and one delivered by 7:55. 

This is about as simple as herding blind cats.  I would love to have a nickel for every time I called his name this morning.  I would be able to buy the whole office lunch.

Lets just home tomorrow is better.  The first t-ball game of the year is tomorrow night at 6.  Kiddos need their rest.