Monday, May 13, 2013

What a Mom Wants

I still don't know how I feel about Mother's Day.  I'm not super comfortable with people making a fuss and asking me all the time, "what do YOU want?," even though I pretty much always want people to actually do what I want.  I just don't want them always asking me.  I feel the same way when people call me a "super mom" because I have seven kids.  Just because you wear the cape doesn't mean you can fly, you know.  I am muddling through like everyone else, I just have to make more food.

But, I do know this.  My kids love Mother's Day.  Like lu-huuuve it.  They also love Father's Day and Valentine's Day and Groundhog Day and Arbor Day and National Hot Dog Day (July 23rd) and Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th) and so on and so forth.  They like to have little commemorations of the things they love through the year.    Don't we all?  Isn't that what we Catholics do with our feast days and holy days?  On a much less secular level, of course, but the party's still there.

So because my kids love it and they want me to be excited about it, then I'm excited about it.  There is so much I am curmudgeonly about, I figure I can take on for the team on Mother's Day.

I had a quick takes post halfway finished for Friday, but then a well-baby checkup with immunizations happened and grumpiness ensued.  Septimus wasn't too pleasant either, so the post got derailed.

No matter, though.  I'll save the draft for another Friday and in its stead I'll do The Mother's Day Wrap-Up List.

Dear sweet Sally was a major architect of my Mother's Day festivities.  She left me a note under my pillow and she wrote and performed a song, a duet with her father, in which she extolled my virtues.  This song declared, among other things, that I was more precious than a diamond and better than television.

She also made me this card in school and carefully hid it in her room until the appointed hour.  This is my favorite kind of Mother's Day gift.





One day, this kind of focus will serve him well.
Or land him in on some kind of watch list.
Bun did not give this to me specifically for Mother's Day, but I do get something like this from him nearly every day.  He taught himself to read and write and he never looked back.

He is currently teaching himself the states and their capitals, and he likes to write "songs" about them. His sense of humor is so zany that the results are often hilarious.

In case you don't have Superman vision, here is the translation (invented spelling intact, of course!):

The Olklahoma Song 

Olklahoma the capatl is Salt Lake City.  No that is the capatl of Utah. OLK-La-homa newest city ever. You no what? Olklahoma has a lot of trains. No it doesn't. What is the capatl? The capatl is Jefersin City. No that is the capatl of Mossori. Ok the capatl of Olklahoma is Olklahoma City.   OLK-la-homa! Salt Lake City is the capatl of Utah.  I already said that is correct to-day. olklahoma star of the united states, all of the united states.  olk-la-homa, olk-la-homa, olk-la-homa.  city's, city's, city's.  plain's, plain's, planes.

He's a little nuts about Oklahoma.  I showed him the "Oklahoma" song from the musical and blew his mind.  Now he wants to know if all the other states have their own musicals.  I've created a monster.

We also had the school May Procession.  I love May Procession and the crowning of Our Lady.  It was one of my favorite nights when I attended school and I love that my kids get to do it as well.

The first communicants.  I don't even have one in there this year
and I couldn't take the sweetness.  I will be a mess next year
when it's Sally's turn.

Sal (and her bff, K), processing to church.

Fiver, finally realizing that I was standing right next to him
with the little ones.  

Francie, the May Queen.  All the 8th graders wrote essays, and the author
of the best essay about the Blessed Mother got to crown her at the
May Procession.  Francie was so excited.

Crowning Our Lady (at Queenship of Mary Church)
 while the student body sang
"Bring Flowers of the Rarest (Queen of the May)."
Yes, I cried.

Yours truly with the people who have allowed me to
celebrate Mother's Day.  They are the best.



6 comments:

  1. I miss you all! What cute cards and a beautiful procession for Mary. When are you coming to visit us?

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  2. Oh, I could have written this--at least that first part. Only I have one less child...but I still make a lot of food. I love what you wrote about the cape. Gosh, I have to remember that one. And you are right about the kids loving to just celebrate all those little things and big things. I don't care for Mother's day...probably my least favorite special thing, but my kids love it and they kept asking me all day "Are you having a good Mother's day mama?" So cute.

    You look beautiful and so full of joy surrounded by all your beautiful children!

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  3. GeeGee9:18 AM

    I hope you had a wonderful day. You finally got into a picture with all of the children. Everyone is beautiful! I do like celebrating special days such as Mother's/Father's day, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I have very fond memories of those celebrations for my parents when I was a child. I loved making the secret presents in school for our parents, and I would always get all my siblings together to come up with something special for my mother and/or father. We did things like making "meals" or "cleaning the whole house" or picking a bouquet of flowers. And we always made cards. I'm glad my grandchildren are as excited about family celebrations as I was. And, as a Mom, I liked doing special celebrations for my kids and hubby as well. I tried to make everyone their favorite meal and cake for their birthday and I always had some little gift for them. I miss those days. I also miss my Mom this Mother's Day. It was strange not buying her a new spring outfit...I thank God for the opportunity to be a Mom. I am so glad to have my children and grandchildren. As hard as it is and even though I've made so many mistakes, it still has been a great privelege and joy....

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  4. Absolutely love the picture of you and the kids- just beautiful!

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  5. Oh my gosh, you're hilarious!! I'm so glad I found your blog...cause I'll be a-followin' you!
    And I love that song - Bring Flowers of the Rarest. I haven't heard it in ages and ages unfortunately, but tonight I'll be singing it on my way to sleep. Thanks for that!

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  6. do the other states have musicals?! I love your kids. way to take one on the chin and celebrate for/with them

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