Mother’s Day has come and gone; I am feeling the time slip through my fingers. As I sat and contemplated, with the few minutes of quiet time that I had, wait…did I have any quiet time. Well, anyway it was so fun to be celebrated and it was so much fun to see the items that each of the kids made for me this year. Nicholas drew a picture of he and I and his teacher took that picture and made it into notepad with that picture in the top corner of each sheet of paper…Natalee wrote a poem using the letter MOTHER as the beginning of each word she used to describe me…my favorite “H” for house ruler---isn’t that the truth! They just happen to hear me above the quiet rule of their Dad…Ultimately; he leads and guides our family through the obstacles of life. Natalee’s teacher had her friend come in and take pictures of each of the kids and they put the picture, the poem and a handprint of each of the kids on a nice piece of cardstock that I can frame. It turned out beautifully. Xander’s teacher had them draw a piece of art with watercolors and they took that art and turned it into blank cards that we can use to send thank you’s, thinking of you’s and well wishes... What great ideas! I just love showing them off to people. Motherhood is something I come to love as I reflect. It’s not easy; it’s one of the most life changing experiences of my life. It has caused me to ask myself who I am and what I want to be! I constantly have to think about the direction I need to take, not just for me, but for welfare of my kids. There are lots of things I would do different if I didn’t have to think of anyone but myself but in the long run the experience of being a mother is one I wouldn’t take back…if I had anything to do over again I would make the most of the time before being a mother, to better prepare myself as a mother. Innately I am very selfish, I want to do things for myself, I want to go to school, I want to read my books, I want to go to movies, I want to go to shows on broadway, the symphony, concerts, I want to travel, I don’t want to be tied down to anyone but my schedule and time frame…but I find that as the years go by those things are still there but I am a better person for having put those wants aside to do the things I need to develop emotionally and spiritually. Constantly thinking about me can get me down but when I am constantly thinking of others, my kids and my husband, I lose myself and find when I look back that I have improved and bettered myself in ways that I never thought possible. I know this is a long drawn out piece of writing but I write this for me and not for anyone else. Putting my thoughts down on paper helps me to organize the things going on inside my head. As I finished my Mother’s day, having cooked breakfast for dinner, with help from others, for my mom and dinner the night before, for David’s mom- I realized that I enjoy doing the work when it is for someone else. As David took the kids out of my hair and I cleaned up the mess from cooking- I wasn’t as annoyed as usual because I was doing it so my mom wouldn’t have too. I truly lost myself in doing something for someone else and realized that I love doing things for others because I want too, not because I have too! Being a mom is something I do because I want too, not because I have too and I need to remember that when things get monotonous, when I feel unappreciated, when I feel overwhelmed, exhausted and all that comes along with being a mom, that I do this because I want too…For me…my attitude is what makes all the difference to my life as well as my families’. I am so thankful for my kids who teach me more than I can teach them—who share with me a love that I could not find anywhere else in this world. are more understanding than anyone else and who bring me joy more than anything else. If I had 30 seconds to grab anything in case of fire the only things I want with me are my kids (and my husband). Everything else can be replaced.