"Houston, we have a problem!"

*Cross posted to Her Rochester*

If I had a dollar for every time someone (maybe me) has said that to my son, I'd have enough money to move out of the ghetto ;). Sometimes it really fits the situation though. Like this past Sunday. We were in the middle of church when a very worried Logan tapped me on the shoulder.

"Mom! Mom!"

"What Logan?"

"Mom, Houston shoved a mint up his nose!"


*That got my attention*

I looked over at Houston who had a big smile on his face. He also had his finger shoved up his nose.

I picked him up and went to grab a friend of mine who is a nurse. At that point I could smell the mint that was starting to melt in his nose. Thankfully he hadn't managed to shove it too far up there, and with one good blow, if flew out of his nostril and into my hand. Houston started crying, not because he was in any pain, but because I had thrown away his mint!!

After church my mom took my dad and the family out to lunch. We went to a new Chinese buffet in town. At first I thought that I was in my own little heaven and so did my gang. But afterward when I was stuffed and still felt full that night I was like WTH? No one woman should eat as much food as I did that day. No really...It was bad!

Lesson learned: Never let this chunky girl loose at a buffet. She WILL eat her money's worth.

                                                     And so will her 4 kids!

Early that evening, we went back to my parent's house for dessert *Why Lord? Why?* And to just hang out. I don't know if it was all the MSG that he consumed or what, but at one point Houston thought it would be a good time to take off his clothes...

Add another dollar to my "Get out of the ghetto" fund.

Crazy like a MOTHA!

With Mother's Day coming up, I've been thinking a lot about my mom and what it means to be a mother. There are many times when I fail at being a good mother. Like when we were eating a late dinner on Sunday and the kids said they were still hungry. After a long day I was pretty tired (it was after 9pm). So I opened up a can of corn, and put it on the table (still in the can), and told the kids to help themselves. They didn't complain. Although Ethan did say it might have been better if it was warm ;)

If you're like me, you probably spend a lot of time beating yourself up about how you're doing as a parent. You always think you could or should be doing something better. But I think that it is in some of those "imperfect" moments, that we are at our best. In fact I know it is...

My mom was not your typical mom. She was the kind of mom who wasn't afraid of getting down on the ground and playing with her kids. She actually threw her back out once while wrestling with my brother! My best memories were probably times when she thought she wasn't at her best. Like when I told her I wanted to go to a club with some friends and she offered to "get dressed up" and take me rather then let me go alone. That may not have been the way some other mothers would have handled it, but it was exactly what I needed.

Maybe she wished at times she could provide us with more material things, but I look back on the Valentines Day that she lit candles and made us pot pies in the shapes of hearts as one of the best ever!

Maybe she wishes that she would have been more serious - she was always playing pranks on us. Hiding under our blankets and jumping out as we climbed into bed, setting off the fire alarm in the middle of the night, embarrassing us in public. Sometimes she still does ;) But I love the fact that she was able to let her hair down and have fun with her kids. And I hope I can do the same with mine.

Maybe she wishes she were more of the meek and mild type women that some of her friends were. I could tell the story of when she first got married and got into a fight with a girl who called her a bad name (there may or may not have been a weapon and jail involved) but I won't.  ;-)  But I will tell you that my mom doesn't take any crap from anyone and now neither do I!

Sometimes there is perfection in our imperfection. Instead of beating myself up in those can of cold corn moments, I'm going to remember that it's ok to make mistakes and for my kids to see that I'm only human. And if I get lucky, they may look back at those times and smile like I do :) So embrace your crazy side this Mother's Day and maybe embrace your crazy MOTHA too!

Going to the chapel of love...

Recently my kids were involved in a family heritage night put on by our church home school group. I had a lot of fun going through old family pictures and heirlooms. My mom has kept a bunch of cool things throughout the years in a trunk she keeps in her bedroom. I remember even as a little girl her letting me look though all her little treasures. Including the shirt my dad wore on their first date, our baby teeth (kind of gross), and other neat things. My favorite thing is my mother's wedding dress which she let the kids take to display.

My parents were married in November of 1976, in Las Vegas. At Circus Circus Casino.

They have been through Hell together, and are STILL TOGETHER. I am so thankful for the example they have set for us.

So the other night I spontaneously had the idea to surprise my parents and take some pictures of Evelyn wearing my mother's wedding dress (that we still hadn't returned). The dress still has a stain down the front where my mom spilled champagne.... I wonder if it had anything to do with the BELLY DANCER that was at their reception?!?  

They loved the pics and Evie had so much fun posing for them! I kind of wish I had taken the time to really fix her hair and stuff... But it is what it is. Simply beautiful :)