Happy Mother's Day

Every day should be Mother's Day!  I have to brag a bit, because I was contemplating this very thing earlier today... 

I got up bright and early this morning, at 5:30AM, and was enjoying the quiet before the kids woke up and went for a 3.5 mile walk.  It was so pretty, and I had laced up a new pair of shoes.  Love Asics, they are the best!  But I digress...

I decided to go without my iPod this morning and just enjoy the peace and quiet of a nice sunny morning, no traffic, no noises, just peaceful.  I let my mind wander to what the rest of the day was going to bring.  I baked a dessert last night to take to my dad's house for dinner with the family, I was going to come home to a nice breakfast my dear hubs cooked for me, and hopefully the kiddos would behave themselves some what today! 

Even though it is hard, I try not to have high expectations for holidays or other special occasions.  Not only is it unrealistic, but then it can lead to days like this and then I am doubly, even triply, disappointed.  You think, gee, it's Mother's Day, the kids are going to be good today, right??  Or, it's Christmas, they'll be good for sure, because it's a holiday!

I have learned the hard way that sometimes it doesn't matter what day it is, and that they will be absolute stinkers on holidays, or perfect angels on a random Wednesday or Saturday.  But even if they don't behave, I will still have a good day.  I will still be thankful that I am a Mom.  And I will be extra thankful for the other parent in my house, which is the whole reason for this rambling post. 

I am lucky enough to have the best husband in the world, and even though it is Mother's Day, I am going to praise him because he helps me be a better Mom.  As I am sitting here typing this sipping my coffee, he is in the kitchen doing the dishes.  He does them every day.  He takes out the trash and cleans the bath tub.  He cooks dinner and he tells me I am beautiful.  And he does it every day, not just on Mother's Day. 

Best of all he knows how to read me like a book, and this is what helps me the most.  When I am tired and getting cranky, he will usher the kids into the other room and give me some quiet.  If I am stressed and going to blow, he says "It's time to go outside to play!" and off they go so I can have a few moments of peace.  When I need a break and want to go on a retreat for four days twice a year, he doesn't complain.  He just kisses me when I get back and asks if I had a good time, and helps me carry in all my stuff.  And then cooks me dinner ;)

He does all this for the kids too.  He takes them to the school activities I miss while I am working evenings and nights.  He gives them baths and brushes their teeth, and they are all ready for bed when I get home.  He takes them to the park every single day.  He finds them books, toys, and all kinds of fun stuff at garage sales and of all places, the RE Store.  He reads them stories when he would rather be reading a book.  He even walks our dog at least 3 times a day, and he doesn't even like Jackson that much.  One of those times is before he goes to work, at 4:30 AM every weekday.  He is just that kind of guy.  He does all of these things without hardly complaining at all. 

Now that is not to say he is perfect by any means, because none of us are.  He is just perfect for me.  And I certainly hope that he can say the same for me. 

So to me, every day is Mother's Day ;)