My Mother’s Day May 13, 2008

I hope one day you will land on this site and think to yourself, “Self, what a fresh and innovative idea I see before me.” Today, however, is not that day!

For Mother’s Day I requested that we make terrariums. Terrariums are burning up the blogs, a few that inspired me: Angry Chicken, Two Straight Lines & one more that I can’t remember but her husband gave her a hanging round terrarium that was really cool. Anyone?

We started out Sunday by gathering the succulents and putting a sheet out in the yard to make our terrariums.

Oh yeah, before heading to the yard, we all watched this youtube instructional:

I have to say that making them was harder than I imagined. I think our biggest mistake was putting too much of each level; rocks, charcoal, and soil. It was a fun family project though and we made 2 terrariums from thrifted glass vases and had some left over to make a couple of pet plants for the boys to take care of. My oldest has a jade plant, he named Gardner Weaver, that he has taken care of for over a year now. Plants as pets work well for a family with allergies and an aversion to picking up animal poop and cleaning fish tanks!

My husband was thrilled to bust out his latest gadget to open the soil bags! My gift to him was pretending the bags didn’t have a perforated “rip here” strip.

After we finished the terrariums (word count on terrarium thus far, 6) we took a lovely walk in a local bird sanctuary. We saw a tiny turtle, 3 frogs, some red winged black birds, geese, lots of rocks and 16 airplanes! On the way to the sanctuary we happened upon a yard sale, it was magical. Plants, a walk, my boys and a yard sale! I found an old pyrex pot with a lid for 10 cents that will make a perfect t-word! I also scored a bocce ball set and an old yellow bread box and canister set!

I saw three lotus pods in the reeds which I took to be a sign of good luck as lotus is my favorite flower and 3 is my lucky number. I’m much less superstitous than I used to be, really.

A special message written to me in the dirt. It reads, “To the Wow”. You get the idea!

I think this was my favorite Mother’s Day so far. Good fun family time with my 3 guys. I really am a lucky mom. I have 2 healthy, funny, loving boys and a smart partner that is so supportive and makes me laugh at myself.

I love you.  Thanks for a wonderful and windy Mother’s Day!

When 2 Vowels Go Walking… May 11, 2008

We’ve never been a less is more family. So bail now or go get a snack and enjoy this tribute to my MOM (she’s been called a lot of things and shy ain’t one of ’em)!

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That dress, that smile, that little arm that just won’t stay still!

Thank you for having your head in the clouds!

Thanks for all those years of meals ma – your chicken and dumplings are second to none!

Here’s my mom, barefoot and pregnant with me, sitting on the kitchen floor preparing dinner.

Thanks mom for having an open mind and leading us on many adventures.

Here’s my mom respecting the local culture!

These are from our wanted poster passport.

I cannot however thank you for ever cutting my hair like that, I believe it’s called ‘the cheek framer’.

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I can still hear you “suggesting” I shouldn’t leave the house without “putting a little color on my lips”, Thank you for finally giving up. Or at least continuing to say it in your head!

Who packs up their kids, one very moody (well, thank god that’s changed) teenager and a little boy with energy to spare, and drives a camper around the southern island of New Zealand? (Hi Dad!) Thank you for being brave and having faith it will all work out.

Thank you for planning the best birthday parties for me: roller rink, dress like your parents party, invite the whole darn 8th grade class, Holly Hobbie, water park! That’s us below, en route to the slides. Thank you for being a rule breaker in general and specifically for ignoring the no food 30 minutes before jumping in the pool rule!

You have inspired me to try and make my own children’s birthdays special and memorable. Thank you.

And thank you for making the m&m costumes, for letting me wear the peanuts one, for dropping us off at the teen center for the Halloween Dance (where we were the only ones dressed in costume) and for picking us up early from the aforementioned function!

Thank you for being silly and encouraging us to do the same.

Thank you for documenting it all on film and being very generous, sharing the photos with me.

Full disclosure: I AM wearing a little color on my lips in this photo. I went through a heavy make-up phase in the late eighties. All shimmery and golden.

Thank you for being a traveler.

Thank you for being a bang up granny! The boys adore you!

Thank you mom for being fun, creative, supportive, daring, flexible, and loving.

Happy Mother’s Day!

I love you.