And the gifts are........

Thank you for your kind wishes for a Happy Mothers Day, I hope yours was as relaxing and pleasant as mine was. I started the day without any expectations, which is a first for a control freak of a mom. I lounged around not doing much of anything. When present time rolled around I was met with eagerness and excitement. Tansy brought me a very gold bag with a present rolled up in tissue paper. She told me I had to return the tissue paper so she could roll up the next present in it also. The first gift was a charm bracelet watch---pink gems and things hanging from it. It's tight fitting and REALLY dangles and she announced that if I didn't like that she had something else for me. A half pound bar of Hersheys chocolate with almonds in it. I love the candy but love the sentiment of the watch even more, though I'm sure by tomorrow my wrist will have turned green. Becket brought me two tubes for my 3.00 bike I got from a yard sale last week. The tires are flat and so he is fixing up my bike so I can go riding. And his poem is the following:
"Roses are red violets are blue Mom's are cool so are you! Becket May 13, 2006"
Oh yea that's a keeper.
Andrew and Daddy went in on their gift together. A Curious George CD and a gift card to Hastings. We have come a long way from putting the kids down on paper and tracing their outlines as my mothers day gift.
The biggest gift though, was having a day that was anxiety free, depression free, warm and sunny, joyful and free and just plain nice. That was a gift from God to this sometimes worn out mom. I hope your Mothers Day was just as peaceful whether you are a mother or not, you deserve a day filled with joy.

Happy Mothers Day to Me

Herman asked me a few weeks ago what I wanted for Mothers Day. I replied "Nothing really". I don't think he believed me though because since then there have been secret trips to the store, code talking between children, leading questions from Becket and an announement of a poem to be read. I think back over the last 10 years of being a mom. I have really blown it at times, and have been truly ashamed of my mothering "techniques". I'm pretty sure I won't ever earn the Mother of the Year award and I'm anticipating a bit of blame when my children are grown and are going through therapy. But there is one sure thing that never changed and will never change. The fact is I am a mom. Whether I like it or not, whether the kids like it or not-I am a mom. I am the mom that they turn to when they are embarrased or hurt. I am the mom they run to when their feelings are hurt. I am the mom that makes them mac and cheese when they are craving it and allow them to have some candy in the morning. I am the mom that gets up nightly to re-arrange covers and replace a pacifier in the mouth of a grumpy baby. I am the mom that makes sure everything is fair at least for my children. I am the mom that stands up for them when everyone else is annoyed . I am the mom that has been cut open three times to give life to them. I am the mom that listens to every detail of toys and adventures I truly don't care about. I am the mom that buys them a Happy Meal when they are sick at home. I am so far from ever being perfect, but I am the Mom. I am the mom they say, "I love you sooo much" to. I am the mom they make homemade cards and gifts for. I am the mom they beg to play games with. I am the mom they want to cuddle with. I am the mom that gets to hear, "You are the perfect mom for me, I wouldn't want any other mom" I am the mom.
Though I may suck at times, I am the mom they are stuck with. I am not just the mom, I am the luckiest mom in the world.
Happy Mothers to Me!!!

"Crap"

Today was room cleaning day. I tried to make it fun by making a chart that had room tasks and treats for each task completed. Yes, I know, I have given into the parental bribing league. I put on some good fast music and really tried to rally the troops. Tansy (first born) decided she would do her room according to HER schedule and not mine-well then all bets are off. She showed me, she cleaned her room and didn't get treats at first. She finally succumbed to my chart. I also cleaned my room while they cleaned theirs. I think I spent most of my time in their rooms though instructing and leading. Ok, so I was really helping them clean. Complaints were heard through the whole process which started to grind on me. First there wasn't any sugar for Tansy's tea, then Becket didn't want to pick up his two year old brothers toys, then Tansy didn't want to clean her clothes, then Becket didn't want to do ANY thing extra that wasn't on the chart and on and on and on. It was half an hour till lunch. I again rallied the troups to encourage them to do a fast push and finish by lunch. Then all heck broke loose as they just panicked. Ok, so that didn't work. We ate lunch and I was growing increasingly grouchy. It didn't help that Andrew pushed a chair through the house to get to the blessed bread on the mantel, then pushed the chair to the kitchen to retrieve a piece of licorice and continued to push the chair to reach the markers and ended it with a trip to the toilet to wash off his pacifier-Aghhhhhhh! Finally the kids announced they were finished with their rooms. I went to inspect and I was met with trash, and small toys pushed under where I had just swept. I lost it and exclaimed, "I want all this CRAP out of here!!! I am sick of CRAP being everywhere!" and I continued my day. Finally rooms were clean and we were calm-at least they were, I was pretty spent for the evening. Just a few moments ago I was washing a very dirty face, meaning, Becket's, and he proceeds to say, "you know Mommy, you said "crap" in my room earlier" I replied, "Yes, I know and I shouldn't have, but I was frustrated." He continues, "I was going to tell you then that crap is a bad word" I assured him it was a good choice on his part NOT TO. I also explained that grownups use the word at times, but it's isn't a word for children to use. Next thing I hear from the other room, "Oh I'm blogging about that one...." need I say whom???? Anyway I beat him to the punch and am blogging on myself. Hmmm, seems that's a new term now, when you see someone doing something they shouldn't, respond with , "I'm blogging on you!"

What I'm reading these days

First I have to mention that, on-line, I've been reading about hummingbird bees, wasps, yellowjackets and how to kick strep naturally (I'm not winning in that department).
I just finished reading Inkspell http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0439554004.asp
I really enjoyed this sequel to Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. I'm looking forward to the third in the series coming out. I'm in the process of reading Dragon Rider also by Funke http://www.scholastic.com/dragonrider/index_flash.htm I like reading this when I just want to veg out and think about nothing in paticular.
On the more meaty side I'm finishing Wounded by Love-the life and wisdom of Elder Porphyrios. http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/elderporphyrios_dispositions.aspx I have learned much about "love" and what it means to love God and others. Elder Porphyrios is such a simple and innocent being you can't help but smile much throughout this book. It reads easy and fast but serves up good beefy substance.
After reading The Arena http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/phronema/reading_arena.aspx I been on the hunt for The Herald which is mentioned in the book. I wanted commentary on the Holy Scriptures to understand them better. Matthew http://itislaterthanyouthink.blogspot.com/
suggested reading The explanation by Blessed Theophylact of The Holy Gospel According to St. Mark as well as the other volumes. I have found this to be so easy to understand and offers insight that I never would have been able to glean on my own. Following is an excerpt:

The Blessed Theophylact interprets the Lord's words in the ninth chapter of St. Mark's Gospel as follows:
Having warned those who cause offense that it will be worse for them than if they were cast into the sea (Mark 9:21–22), now the Lord exhorts those to whom offense is given to guard themselves against those who are always ready to offend and to tempt. Whether it be your foot, hand, or eye which causes you to fall, which means even if it is one of your closest friends or relatives, in close relationship with you by kinship or by necessity, who causes you to fall, cut him off, that is, reject that friendship or kinship. The worm and the fire which punish the sinners are each person's conscience and the memory of the shameful things done in this life, for they consume like the worm and burn like fire. "Everyone shall be salted with fire," that is, shall be tested. St. Paul also says that all things shall be tried by fire (1 Cor. 3:13). And every sacrifice, the Lord says, "shall be salted with salt" (Lev. 2:13). It is good for you to season your sacrifices with the salt of God, which means, do not make offerings that you have not carefully prepared to please God.
"Salt" is also what the Lord calls the Apostles, and in general, all those with the duty to preserve others from corruption. Just as salt preserves meat, and prevents worms from breeding within it, so do words.of teaching, if they are astringent, shrink the fleshliness of carnal men, and prevent the worm that never sleeps from breeding within them. But if the teacher is without salt, that is, if he has no astringent to preserve us from rot, with what shall we be salted, that is, seasoned? Have salt, therefore, in yourselves, that is, have the pleasing and preserving grace of the Holy Spirit, so that you may have peace with one another. For he who is bound to his neighbor by love has shrunk his carnal self, and it is he who "has salt," and he is at peace with his brother (The Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to St. Mark, pp. 80–81).
So there you have it, my current reading material. Looks like a little bit of steak and pizza all at once.