Friday, May 10, 2019

Mom's Day Off

Thought for the day: Good moms let their kids lick the beaters; great moms turn off the mixer first.

This coming Sunday is Mother's Day, when numerous little kids all over the country will be treating their mothers to breakfast in bed, and then they will oh-so-kindly get out of the way so said mothers can clean up the God-awful mess they've made in the kitchen. (How DO they get eggs on the ceiling...?)

Being a mother is one of the most demanding... and rewarding... jobs in the world. Looking back on our child-rearing days, I'm astounded that I ever had that much energy. But it wasn't necessarily energy... or determination... or even love... that got me through. It was a sense of humor.

True story #1: One of our sons and his best pal asked me to take them to the hobby shop, but I was up to my eyeballs in stuff to do that day, so I said sorry, but no. I said if I had to go out anyway, like if we needed milk or something, then I'd take them. You see where this is going? Yep! Those little turds drank an entire gallon of milk! Then they oh-so-sweetly told me we needed milk... Well, I may have cursed on the inside, but on the outside, I laughed. I mean, they'd beaten me at my own game. They played by my rules, and they won. So, yes, I took them to the hobby shop... and while we were out, we picked up another gallon of milk.

Moms don't yell. Sure, they may occasionally raise their voices a teensy bit, and sometimes, they may even raise it so much their next-door neighbors run to 'wash their hands' or 'brush their teeth.' But, really, what moms do is actually more along the lines of motivational speaking... for verrrry selective listeners.

True story #2: I'd spent the day making a fabulous pot of homemade soup. I mean, I went all out with it... it had wonderful homemade sausage and meatballs in it, and all kinds of fresh veggies, noodles... YUM! Kind of a minestrone kinda stuff, I reckon. Anyhow, I put it into a huge plastic container to cool on the counter a bit before putting it into the fridge, (We never eat soup the first day I make it.) and one of our teens was hanging out in the kitchen with me, just shooting the breeze. Hanging out. Being silly. Dancing around to the music that was playing on the radio. He did the bump with the fridge a few times, and... oh yeah, did I happen to mention that I kept my lidless Mason jar of poker-playing money on top of the fridge? You guessed it. One bump too many, and said jar did a swan dive off of the fridge and directly into that huge container of soup. The jar ker-splashed soup all over the place, and all those dirty coins and filthy bills were now one with the soup. He was stunned; I was stunned. Finally I was able to speak. I said, very slowly and precisely, "If you didn't want to eat the damned soup, all you had to do was say so!" (Yeah. Then we laughed.)

Being a mom... even on Mother's Day... means being in the bathroom with kids banging at the door like a mini SWAT team, because they 'need a drink' or whatever... when dear ol' Dad is already right there in the kitchen... And a Booty Call? HA! Man, that sure changes post-kiddie, too. After having kids, it means one of them is shouting from the bathroom for you to come wipe a butt.

Anyhow, enough of that. This was supposed to be a real easy-peasy post with a bunch of adorable mom-and-baby shots for everyone to enjoy... because, ya know,  being a loving mother isn't exclusively about us humans.





Moms are great for giving their little ones a boost... no matter how big they are.




Everything goes better with a hug.



It's easy for kids to be brave when Mom is nearby. 





A little Mom spit can clean anything from a kid's face.




Is there anything better than hanging out with your mom?





A kiddie's legs may be wobbly, but Mama's strength will support him.



There's nothing sweeter than baby kisses.




This mama looks unsure of herself. Having a new little critter to take care of can be a little scary for anyone.




Like mama, like baby.


A smart mother takes advantage of her baby's rest time by... resting.






NO! No catnip until after dinner!





Sheesh. All this kid wants to do is horse around...











Lest you think all animal mothers are good mothers, be aware. Some of them may use their cute little offspring as diversions...








Not all human moms are top o' the line, either. They can be a bit insensitive at times...

(Or maybe she just has a weird sense of humor!)




Well, that's it for now. Happy Mother's Day, y'all.


Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.


50 comments:

  1. Happy Mother's Day.
    I suspect I would have been a bad, bad mother. I would have fished the coins and notes out of that soup, heated it to a simmer and said the germs were gone and that we WOULD be eating the fruits of my labour.

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    1. HA! It was sorely tempting to ignore the germs and eat the soup, but just my luck, I'd been on a winning streak in recent weeks so there was quite a bit of money in that jar. Way too much to pretend a little simmer could make the soup all better. Funny thing, that was probably thirty years ago, and to this day, I've never made that kind of soup again. :)

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  2. "A smart mother takes advantage of her baby's rest time by resting."
    Yes, she does, and yes, I did. In the beginning when the slept between feeds, I'd get stuff done during the first nap, then nap with the second nap. when they were older I carted them all over the house to be in the same room as me while I got stuff done, then at nap time we both slept, or all slept, depending on how many kids I had at the time. All of them gave up napping by 18 months or thereabouts so I instigated quiet time where I could read a book and maybe surreptitiously doze in the chair for a few minutes.

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    1. You were a smart mom. Unfortunately, I wasn't, so I was usually half-dead on my feet. (I'm STILL not a good napper.) There was only one time I can remember when I was so exhausted, I thought I'd try taking a nap with the kids. I MAY have dozed off... but THEY never shut up.

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  3. Wonderful stories from your family, kids are sometimes too clever. That must have been bad with the soup! Beautiful animal mother and child photos, that white duck is clever! Have a great weekend and a happy Mother's day, hugs, Valerie

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    1. Thanks. Yeah, having clever kids makes life more fun. Annoying at times, but fun! There was rarely a dull moment.

      You have a wonderful weekend, too. Hugs back atcha.

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  4. My kids have bested me a time or twenty. It's so hard raising genius children. They were all more quick-witted than me by the time they hit puberty.

    Happy Mother's Day to you too!

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    1. Having smart kids keeps us on our toes. :) (Plus, your boys are so tall, they could probably reach the stuff on the high shelves for you when they were twelve...)

      Happy Mother's Day to you, too!

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  5. Hi Susan - have the most wonderful Mother's Day ... with the grown boy-kid Smarticus ... you can see where the boyz got their ideas from ... fantastic to see you laughing though ... yes the only way to go. Hope the big kids, grand kids and all will be around, or ring ... and you'll have a chit-chatter time with lots of hugs, laughs and food without hobbies or disasters! Happy Mother's Day - cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi-ya, Hillary. Yeah, you've got a point, there. It's no wonder our kids were such smart-asses.

      Thank you. Cheers right back atcha! Have a super weekend.

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  6. Happy Mothering Everyday! I am waiting for Grandbaby 7 to make an appearance today and looking after my elderly Mother-in-law - we're going to be full of girl talk :-) xxx

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    1. Thanks. The same to you, but the only "babies" I have to mother anymore are our cats. :)

      Congratulations on #7! How exciting. We've been stuck at thirteen for some time, so I think our younguns are finished procreating. For now. :)

      Have a fantabulous weekend!

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  7. haha that was a smart way to get to go out. Gotta have that milk. I've broken so many things I'm sure. Hope you have a great Mother's day.

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    1. You stinker. I have a feeling that's something YOU would've done... ;)

      Thanks.

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  8. They beat you at your own game all right.
    I imagine humor is the only way to survive. If we'd had any kids, I'm sure humor would've been involved.

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    1. Absolutely. I can't imagine how anyone can survive raising children with any degree of sanity left if they don't have a healthy sense of humor.

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  9. Happy Mother's Day! Funny stories and post. Your kids were sharp and I bet they have a great sense of humor too. My mom always liked my dad to take us kids somewhere, anywhere on Mother's Day...without her. She stayed home and read, had a nap, and enjoyed peace and quiet. We could not understand it. Now as a grownup I totally get her vibe. She was a hoot in her own right. Take care and have a super weekend.

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    1. Thanks. Yeah, for the most part, our kids... and grandkids... are just as wacky as we are.

      Your mom was a smart lady. Our older son takes all of the kids out to give his wife a break, too, but I was never that smart. :)

      You have a super weekend, too.

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  10. Love the animal pics, especially the hippos and the orangutans.

    Enjoy your Mother's Day!

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    1. I'm glad you did.

      Thanks, and the same to you! Have a great weekend.

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  11. I laughed out loud at both stories. Happy Mother's Day!

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    1. Then my mission here is done...

      Happy Mother's Day to you, too!

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  12. Great pic's, nice stories...I'd have strained out the coins and bills and reboiled the soup, sounds too good to waste!

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    1. Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed them. Well, I did retrieve most of the money, (I'm sure I must've missed some of the coins) and I cleaned it up so I'd be ready for our next card game, but the soup? Nope, I'm afraid it was a lost cause.

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  13. Wonderful post, Susan! Thanks for the smiles.

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  14. Well, I've never experienced the joys of motherhood but I appreciate your delightfully warm and humorous take on the subject.
    I especially liked your stories about the suddenly missing gallon of milk - and the mason jar in the soup. I doubt if I would have been so forgiving...

    And I love the furry, cuddly animal pics.

    Have a great Mother's Day, Susan!

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    1. The disappearing milk and ruined soup stories are but the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Our kids definitely kept things hopping around here. It was fun and challenging, but we also love having an empty nest. Now THEY can hone their senses of humor with their OWN kids.

      Thanks, Jon!

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  15. Oh Susan, these are RICH! Like Joeh, I may have tried salvaging the soup. Perhaps I don't want to know ….. but wonder if a smidgen of filthy lucre can be that bad for one's health?

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    1. I dunno. A "smidgen" of filthy lucre (great phrase!) might not be too bad, but there was quite a lot of lucre in that jar. First time I ever regretted having been on a winning streak. :)

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  16. Cute pics. I loved the Van Gogh joke.

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  17. Dear Susan, My dad died when I was 10 and Mom went back to school to get a California teaching credential. I still remember waking up at 6a.m. and finding her at the kitchen table, still studying for an exam or finishing a term paper. She would greet me and insist on cooking breakfast. I learned to brew coffee and that's as far as she let me help. I'm still the coffee guy here and I always think of her. She taught high school in her native Oklahoma for 6 years, then moved west and taught English, Latin and Spanish another 25 years. In between, she raised 4 exasperating children. So, when I think of Mothers' Day, I think of heroics. I think of her.

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    1. Dear Geo, Wow, that was a wonderful tribute to your mother. I already knew she had to be a remarkable woman to have raised a son like you. (She done good!)

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  18. Cute pics! Hope you manage to have a genuine day off this year :)

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  19. Loved your stories! Sweet animal pictures too. I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day today.

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  20. Thought for the day: Good moms let their kids lick the beaters; great moms turn off the mixer first.

    Ha! That made me laugh :)

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  21. Beautiful post. I wish you a happy Mother's Day. :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  22. Hi Susan. I just got home from a week in Knokke on the Belgian coast with a group of my friends. A certain amount of beer was involved. I was surprised to find that Sunday the 12th was their Mother's Day whereas it's on 22nd March in the UK. Now I find it was also the same date in the US. The world's gone mad!
    CLICK HERE for Bazza’s powerfully pervasive Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

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    1. Hi-ya. I hope you had a super time. (With a group of buddies and "a certain amount of beer," I have a feeling you did!)

      Nah, not mad. Every day should be Mother's Day. :)

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  23. OMG...the gallon of milk story and the soup story...I'm laughing!

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    1. Laughing at my pain, are ya? HA. It was pretty darned hilarious...

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  24. I hope you've had a great Mother's Day, Susan! And yes, all the fun is being a grandmother rather then a mom!

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    1. I did... and I hope you did, too. Abso-doggone-lutely... being a grandmother is LOTS more fun! :)

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