Happy Mother's Day 2009 - itouched

Well, if you're not a veteran Mom On The Rocks reader, know that the whole reason this blog ever got started was from email dissertations around Mother's Day. "Hey y'all Happy Mother's Day, just another day to celebrate that indeed I have survived motherhood, and the kids are okay, no one call the cops on me, yet."

In all the past dissertations, as seen here, here, here, here, and here. Maybe here too, it's been a lot of reflecting on being a mom. The kids were too young to really spoil mommy rotten.

This Mother's Day, I had their devotion though: "Let's get that fly! Mommy, you stay there. Cuz it's Mother's Day. We're gonna get this fly for you, Mommy."

"Oh Thank you!"

And then it was over.Aside from that, Ricardo worked is ass off to do whatever I wanted all day. Poor guy. It's certainly not Wife's Day. Still, I asked him and the kids to weed my little stick garden. But he did it all.

I think this year, my revelation is that kids will always be too young to really spoil you. Perhaps the kids are too spoiled to really make the entire day about Mom. I still am to do that for my mom. You know? I mean, really. Don't get mad at your kids when they bring you breakfast in bed and then want to know when you're gonna get up to help them with their lives. Think back to your mom. When did you, as a kid, and now even an adult, EVER devote your entire day to selfless antics for Mother's Day? Uh, never.

Ultimately, this is not your average household anyday. But the last two weeks, I've been very well taken care of. I would have weeded the stick garden myself, but I can't do all that tugging and digging. Just a few more weeks, but the weeds don't care. Neither do the dishes, the laundry, nor the carpets or the kitchen floor. It's all been taken care of for me. So, that it's Mother's Day, I'm good, y'all.

I tend to think this holiday is a bit trivial for someone like me. I think I've documented that I'm well taken care of here. I do have friends that this holiday was created for. I hope like hell they are getting their feet up. But typically what happens is, when making plans for (mom) the one who makes all the plans, it's just about impossible to not ask her, "Hunny, when you make the casserole, do you bake it or grill it on the bbq?" or my favorite: "You mean, we were supposed to make reservations for Mother's Day Brunch, but why? Who would I call to make reservations? How does that work? Why didn't my dry cleaning magically appear in my closet this week like it does every other week?"

Clearly, none of that happens in my house, but to all of you moms that it does. I wish you a Happy Mother's Day. I hope you've planned some wonderful festivities for yourself!

Yesterday, we were at one of my all-time favorite stores: Sam's Club, and getting some grocery shopping done. Some people like Banana Republic, or Macy's, I personall like food, and in bulk. These surgery restrictions say I can't even push a shopping cart, or lift no more than 10 pounds. At Sam's Club. Uh-huh. So, that's pretty much anything there. Ricardo refuses to get his own membership, so I have to be there anytime we need stuff in bulk. Which at this point is: dog food, laundry detergent, and strawberries. This is my life, and I love it. Who knew?

While we were there, I may or may not have suggested we just look, we don't have to BUY, but maybe just walk by the itouch (Ricardo keeps correcting me that it's an ipod-touch. But I like the itouch. Because it's itouching) section and seriously, no worries, just price compare. I lost my mind, y'all. I picked it up to see how pretty my hands looked wrapped around it. I could hear nothing but glorious choir bells echoing from within. The kids were missing and I didn't care. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ricardo just fling one of the Pick-up-actual-itouch-at-checkout cardboard thingies into our cart.

"It's for Mother's Day and your birthday." And he went and found the kids. Just like that.
You know, we do things a little weird here. Neither Ricardo or I are much of romantics. To us, romance comes in the form of chocolate that we do not share with each other and usually after the kids are fast asleep. And sure, our pals who hear me call him "Baby" or see us hold hands on the track while we're supposed to be working out, they think we're sickening. We don't do fancy dinners, I get flowers for me when I want them, and I'm a jewelry minimalist so he doesn't buy me that stuff. We're a modest income family. And Ricardo has to keep me in line...a lot. So, when he frivously flings an itouch - which is soooo not in the budget - he doesn't wrap it, no cards, just flings it in the cart, that was the sweetest thing he could do. To me, very romantic. Happy Mother's (and birthday, probably Memorial Day and Fourth of July, then Labor Day, and maybe anniversary) to me! And I'm totally good with that. From this day forward, Mother's day is a day to celebrate being a mom, while still taking care of my kids, and a big phat gift. Life is good.

That's how I roll.