What my mom has taught me...

In the different stages of my life my mom has taught me many things that still stick with me.

circa 1980 or '81, yep that is me

When I was little she taught me that saying words like "crap" and "butt" were boys words and nice little girls do not say such things.

As she would drop me off to go to a slumber party or a play date. Mom would sing a song that I now sing to Wild Man as he goes to preschool. Now I will not be torturing you with the song but the words were just to remind us to be polite. As I was about to be dropped off she would say, " Now don't forget...Yes Ma'am, No ma'am, thank you ma'am, please."

circa 1986 or '87

We would walk through houses that were being built and would talk and dream on where we would place certain pieces of furniture and the color the walls should be.  I still love to do that.

I learned very quickly that decorating was my mom's passion. My brothers and I would make fun of the things she would rig up as curtains. One we called the giant Q-tip. It was simply a cardboard tube and on the ends Styrofoam balls all wrapped in fabric, then another fabric draped over. For about 3 or 4 houses we lived in she kept remaking them since the people buying the previous houses made sure all of her curtains stayed with the house. One time I went back to drive by a house we lived in around Memphis, TN and the Q-tip curtains were still hanging up! Mind you, this was over 15 years after we moved out of the house!

Then later on when I was a teenager she tried ever so hard to teach me to not touch my face so that my face wouldn't break out. This is also a way my brother's and I would drive mom crazy, by wiping our hands all over our face when she was trying to have a serious conversation with us.

Because the only job of teenagers is to drive their parents crazy.

Then while I was in college she helped me through a really hard time. I had some trouble with 2 friends and she cried with me, got mad with me. Then when I wasn't mad or crying. She still would. At the time, I thought she was just overreacting. But now that I am a mom...I totally get it.

When Mr. Genius and I first got married and we got our first apartment. She would drive from Knoxville to Nashville to go to the flea market with me to help me make that completely dirty and nasty apartment somewhat cute.

Then when I first became a mom... well she helped me become a mom.

 Mom with Wild man

I can honestly say that my mom is one of my closest friends. When I aced a presentation in college, she is the first person I called, when I sold my first item on craigslist and I thought the lady was totally crazy for actually buying something that all I did was paint, I called mom. When I have a hard day with my boys, I call mom. When Romeo first used the big boy potty, I called mom.

 Mom, Wild Man, and me.


I thought I knew my mom so well.

I thought she was a strong and godly woman.

But I was wrong.

When dad suddenly died a year and a half ago, I got to see my mom in a whole new light.

I can honestly say that my mom is the bravest, most Godly, wise, and strong women I know.

I have learned so much from her and I hope I can grow up to be half the woman that she is today.

Thank you mom for being my mom.

I love you.

Happy Mother's Day!