I hope all you moms out there had a wonderful day last weekend! For me, it was a real turning point. This was the first Mother's Day that we weren't around extended family. A friend and her daughter and myself and the two girls headed to a nice hotel and treated ourselves to an outrageous brunch with quite possibly the best view on the planet.
It felt so good to treat ourselves. We all left with a stomach ache of course, but were able to lay on the beach for hours as we recovered from the food comma we all put ourselves into.
When I woke up in the morning I found cards and handmade gifts of necklaces and bracelets laid onto my bed. We're not really keeping track of days right now since there is absolutely no need to so the fact that the girls knew it was Mother's Day and made this effort all on their own, was truly the most meaningful to me yet. No Dad to tell them to do it, or Grandma, or school to 'make' the gifts. They had just been sneaking off all week into their room to work on the gifts... It is a nice reminder once again of the age they are currently in. Right in the middle between the neediness of younger childhood and the challenges of the teen. I just love how they can both keep up now.
We can all go boogie boarding together rather than one staying back because she is not get a strong swimmer. They now race up a mountain while hiking faster than I do- something I thought would never happen when they were little and wanting to be carried. Now I'm the slow one and boy is that music to my ears! "Hurry up Mom!" I say, "Oh, say it again! Say it louder! I can hardly believe my ears!!"
It can be very nice to be around extended family on some holidays and it can also be incredibly freeing to just be around the little nucleus and have the entire day dictated by what feels best. A very good day indeed.
