Word to yo mother

This weekend was Mother's Day in the US. Hunter is a great partner and made sure I had plenty of space and time to unwind on Sunday. I did not cook a single meal, I did not wash a single dish, I didn't help anyone get dressed, I only assisted in breaking up 10 brotherly arguments which is a decrease of about 50% from my normal day. I call my "ma" as I call her and she was still asleep at 11 so there's hope I will eventually lead the life of luxury I have planned for myself. We tried a new brunch place (10 outa 10 would recommend), I got a workout in (0 stars, mimosas and lifting are not a match, no second dates for them), I napped by the pool, I played video games, and I had a steak dinner. I only helped fold 2 of the eight (maybe 10 who can keep track?) loads of laundry and I only took out the trash once. I didn't unload the dishwasher or even go through the kids' backpacks. Saturday was a different monster entirely lol. We had 2 soccer games with juuuussstttt enough time to squeeze in a partial workout between. I had a pb&j sandwich (not my favorite, I do not love them sam I am). It misted rain at both games, just enough to be annoying but not problematic to the games. Both boys won their games. Native 2 was able to manage himself and not have any meltdowns...its always a guessing game if he will be okay during a game. I'm hoping the volume of his emotions evens out as he gets older so he can enjoy social activities more but as of right now, its just so hard. Other kids don't really understand him and we don't have a large family network and what family we do have here seems to tolerate his differences at best and ostracize him when it gets too hard. I'm lucky we have friends who have raised little ones that were "different" so I have a place to turn to when the going gets rough. Social is hard for him so for now his best friend is his brother, Hunter and I get added to the friend list occasionally but are less cool because we don't play Minecraft or Roblox. Native 1 was awesome in his game. He said his coach calls him wall because the ball doesn't get past him. He wasn't ready to move up a level in travel, and I'm glad he gets the same coach next year, I can see how he is already starting to understand the game mechanics better. I certainly don't think we have the next Paolo Maldini on our hands but its been amazing watching him grow as a player and take pride in his accomplishments. You get one of two kids with Native 1, he either thinks he's the worst in the world and ruined it all OR he's the greatest can't nobody hold him down can't nobody stop him. With soccer he can be super hard on himself, but he's recognizing how dedication pays off. After Native 1's game, we hauled it back home as Hunter wanted to do a cook out for his mother. I'm usually the grill master and chef du jour but he took on the task and made bbq chicken, grilled corn, green beans, and asparagus. I baked a citrus daffodil bundt cake and made mac and cheese. I wasn't happy with either dish I made. The cake wasn't as moist as I had hoped, the glaze wasn't as thick as it needed to be, and I rushed the mac and cheese and it wasn't as rich and creamy as I like. My in-laws are fairly particular in what they like, they were polite and ate my contributions but I should have just let Hunter buy a dessert. I already know they don't like my mac and cheese and it was mostly for the Natives and they weren't really into it at all either (in my defense, they didn't want to eat much of anything).

Hunter had just finished the grilling when the first rain drop fell so all of the work we did outside to prep for a cookout when to heck when we had to quickly clear out the dining room and move linner (lunch/dinner) there. Also my kids hate eating at the dining room. I don't know why but it's THE WORST in their opinion. We don't let the kids play electronics when their grandparents are over because the whole point is to spend time together and bond. I find it incredibly lucky they have their grandparents near by and I want them to spend time with them. When I was their age I helped my Granny in her garden, we shelled and snapped peas, I sat on the dryer while she cooked, we watched Hee-Haw, Lawrence Welch, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy. With my Memaw, we sat in the kitchen and did puzzles, we watched the Braves, we sang country music and danced, we read books, we walked over to the neighbors and I listened while they told stories (never bad, just what was going on) about stuff in the neighborhood, and we took trips to the PX. It was the mundane and simple parts of life and just being together that I miss the most. I hope my kids will have the little memories of time with their grandparents because we live to far away from my parents for that to happen for them. We've been struggling to try and get quality time with the boys and my in-laws but they seem to find it easier to spend time with their other child's family. We aren't exactly extremely conservative Trump supporting republicans and I think they are disappointed in how we are raising the boys and I get the distinct feeling they would prefer if I was a little more seen and not heard. Post mealtime I cleared the table, packaged the left overs, and washed a billion dishes so Hunter and the Natives could hang out with their family. Needless to say it was a stressful Saturday between weather and passive aggressiveness so Sunday was a welcome reprieve.

Remember to hug your mom. If she's no longer with you hug the person who gives you mom advice. If she (or he!) isn't near by or they don't like hugs, hug a mom you respect (consent of course, only if you both like hugs). If you are a mom, I hope you felt loved and appreciated. If you can't be a mom, don't want to be a mom, have or had a complicated relationship with your mom, or have complicated feelings about Mother's Day, at the end of the day it's just a day and tomorrow is another day and every day is an opportunity to be good, do good, and feel good. So do that. Be good, do good, feel good.