Mother's Day 2008

Anyone that knows me at all knows that Mother's Day is not my favorite day. It's not because I don't enjoy being a mother to my children, but of the strained relationship I've had with my own mother all of my life. But, since President Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation of Mother's Day to be the second Sunday of May on May 14, 1914 it has become what I believe to be a quasi-holiday designed to trot out and display the guilt and failure we can sometimes feel in our own mothering.

I have, however, obtained a wealth of knowledge since becoming a mother. So, in that vein, I will share my musings of what I know.

What I Have Learned As a Mother

1. Laughter is essential.

2. Play with your children, don't be the stink who won't.

3. You children will remember every thing you say.

4. They will remember what you say, and then choose to ignore it.

5. Closing yourself in the bathroom is actually an invitation.

6. Read to your children, it brings out their imagination.

7. Let your children catch you praying.

8. You can never say "I love you" too much.

9. You can never give them too many hugs and kisses.

10. It's okay to make mistakes. Don't be too proud to apologize to your kids.

11. A silly made-up song can cheer up the surliest of children.

12. You can't keep your kids from disappointment.

13. Dance with your kids. It's fun!

14. Always answer their questions, no matter how uncomfortable they make you feel.

15. I would rather hear the truth, even if I don't like it, than to hear a lie.

16. You can't praise your children too much. Self esteem is essential.

17. Even when they are grown, they still look sweet when they are asleep.

18. Sometimes they don't need anything, they just need to know you are there.

19. Mom knows where everything is.

20. I am the most popular person at bedtime. (Drink, another kiss, etc.)

21. Live in the moment.

22. The baby of the family will try to wear their position to their benefit far longer than the older ones.

23. It's okay to put yourself in time-out.

24. Always be ready to listen, the opportunities will present when you are the most busy.

25. Mom is the biggest cheerleader. There will be occasions when our enthusiasm will be perceived as embarrassing to our children.

26. It doesn't get easier the older they get.

27. Your capacity to love just keeps growing.

28. Be flexible. They are not mini-me's.

29. Your children will grow up, so stop feeding them.

30. It's the toughest job you will ever love, with an unimaginable return on your investment.

Andrew, Brittany, and Mark, I am so grateful that Heavenly Father saw fit to send you to our home and allow me to be your mother. I love you with all of my heart and I thank you for loving me in return. I am so proud of all three of you and for the unique individuals you are and all that you have brought to my life. I am a better person because of you.

P is for the Perfectly Pretty Pink Prom Princess!

I did NOT look this great on my wedding day! This is my pretty Brittany all dolled up for the Prom this last Saturday.

Kristen Taylor in our ward, did her hair. Beautiful from the front and back!

This is Brit's prom date. Randy is her buddy friend from work. Aren't they cute?


My sleeves are right here, Mom! Can I go now? Yes, it is a strapless gown, however, I felt it a small price to compromise on since it wasn't backless or go down to her navel in front. She bought the dress with her own hard earned money. At half price! The torch of the thrifty has been passed, sniff sniff.

Real-life Enchanted. Need I say more?

They all ate at Cheesecake Factory.

One more shot of the hair. I'm a little verklempt. Pitted olives....have no pits, discuss.

Her dad and I never went to our respective Proms. I guess all of the boys were afraid of the Amazonian strawberry-blonde who liked to wear heels in high school. In retrospect, I'm glad that I never dated anyone in high school. Back to Brit, I was so happy that she went. She had a really great time and danced her hair out. I can't believe I have such a beautiful daughter, she must get that from her father!

Random thoughts.......by C. Johnson

It's a wonderful Spring we're having isn't it? Makes you want to buy a pretty new purse and go for a jaunt in the breeze. I just wanted to share a little nature with you and perhaps an anecdote or two.

Here is the agave in our front yard. Aren't the blooms so pretty? I have never had much of an appreciation for the foliage of the native Southwest, but I'm starting to. There are five blooms on this cute little thing. I think that the amount of rain and/or watering determines how many you get. Last year, we had just moved in, and it barely had one.

The Yucca. Why is it called a yucca? It isn't yucky. The fronds are little hard to trim. I have to use a saw. If you look at the base of it just to the left, a baby yucca is growing outside of it. How cute.

At the bottom is a gardenia I planted in the back yard in a hole that my Beloved Beagle Berkeley kept digging. He wouldn't leave it alone no matter how many times I filled it back up and scolded him, so I made use of his hard work in trying to dig his way to China. The top is a dwarf orange tree that Lee planted in the backyard. We won't have fruit for another couple of years, but we are at least able to keep these things alive. Now, don't worry, in the midst of all this desert rock is a lawn in the back yard. I have to have some grass, I'm from the Great Northwest for crying out loud!

I've saved the best for last. This is my next door neighbor's car. (Shhh, she doesn't know I took a picture) Notice the bird doody on the side just underneath the mirror. This is the handiwork of a particulary vain little bird that enjoys "flirting" with his or herself at any given point in the day. I see this bird every morning when I walk Mark to the bus. The bird stands in front of the mirror and then starts fluttering his wings at its own image, like its the most beautiful thing it will ever see. I tried to get a picture of the bird, but everytime I got close it would fly onto the roof. As soon as I walked away, it perched itself right in front of the mirror again. Oh the self esteem! I'm so very glad I park my car in the garage.

G is for girl and Graduate!!!!

Ladies, (I would say "and gentlemen" except hardly any of those types peruse my blog) may I present the culmination of nearly 18 1/2 years of hard work, toil, sacrifice, successes, some not-so-successes, waking up early, going to bed late, going to bed sometimes even later, prodding, poking, downright skewering, and labor. On May 22, 2008 at 8:00pm on the Skyline football field, we will have the extreme delight to see this face cross the field:

Brittany Charmen Johnson will pass center stage, shaking hands with school administrators that have made such a difference in her life, wiping away tears as she catches a glimpse of her mother, standing in the bleachers waving her arms wildly and crying out, "Brittany, I Love You!"

Yep, the Coyote will have left the building! Thank you and Good Night!

Ho hum.

I've been checking everyone's blog and surfing for ideas. My life is sssoooooo boring right now! Okay, maybe I just thrive on the minutiae of constant busy-ness and this could be the calm before the storm. It is May already, and the kiddos will be getting out of school for another year.

Things I'm Looking Forward To This Month:

Brittany is going to Prom this Saturday. Kristen Taylor is going to do her hair. Jewelry night. HOA meeting. Krispy Kreme re- grand opening. Mark's orchestra concert. Brittany is graduating from Skyline and EVIT. Between those two days, I'm hosting BUNCO. Something I don't want to publish yet. Memorial day. Not having to wake up early to get kids to school.

I tried to do the Disney Princess quiz that I saw on Kathlyn, Shellee, and Whitney's blogs, but when I tried to cut and paste it to my blog, it didn't turn out right. So much for "Thievery Thursday". Anyway, the quiz said I was "Megora". Who is that? What Disney movie is that from?

I think I'll watch "27 Dresses" tonight. Ho hum.

Hubby Tag Part Two

I saw this on Valynn's blog and thought I might do it too. I love these, you just never know what you will learn about other people!

What is his name? Lee Roger Johnson

How long have you been married? 20 years, 3 months, and 9 days.

How old is he? 42 years.

Who eats more? Definitely, him. He is usually finished before I am even half way there.

Who said I love you first? I did. We were sitting together in one of his classes at ASU.

Who is taller? He is, but you can't say that I don't try to be. What with my 4 inch heels and all.

Who sings better? I think I do, however, he has the best bass voice. Think Barry White.

Who is smarter? I think I am more "street smart", Lee is definitely "book smart".

Whose temper is worse? It used to be me, until these cute little pills. Now? I would have to say him.
Who does the laundry? Me, I have forbidden him to ever touch my laundry. He will put whites and dark together. An atrocity!
Who does the dishes? Me, I am a very proficient dishwasher loader.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? How do you really answer this question? I mean which is the "right" side? Which way are we looking at the bed?
Who cooks dinner? I do. If he did, we would have burritos every night.

Who drives? His truck, he does. My car, I prefer to. I get antsy about the way he shifts in my car. He stays in lower gears too long, and I think that uses up more gas because it causes the engine to rev higher. Car 101, thank you very much!
Who is more stubborn? Definitely him.

Who is first to admit they are wrong? I believe this question is in direct correlation with the stubbornness issue. If I'm right, why would I admit I am wrong! Dr. Phil calls those "right fighters".
Whose parents do you see the most? His.

Who has more friends? I think this one is a draw. I think I have more friends. He is more likely to recall each and every co-worker he has ever had and we run into them everywhere.
Who has more siblings? We are both the oldest of 5 children. Could be where the mutual stubbornness took its root. We are both used to being "the boss".
Who wears the pants? I try to, but occasionally I like to wear a skirt so that I can feel more girly! He won't wear a skirt.:)

Oh, bother......

It was a weekend like any other. Of course, most people in the Western world are not without water for the whole weekend, but, sadly, we were. Never have a leaky pipe on a Friday night. No one will care until Monday morning. So the plumber finally made it out to our home today, you know the old, "I'll be there sometime between 10:00am and 2:00pm" scenario. We had been contemplating whether we would renew our home warranty, which expires this Thursday.

This you may not know. If you even so much as attempt to try and fix it yourself, the home warranty people say they will not cover it! So, I'm on the phone with the guy from the home warranty place, and he asks me if I have any questions. Me, being overly vexed at this point, says, "What would you like me to ask you?" Yeah, rude I know. Anyway, now instead of the $50.00 call out fee I would have paid, has turned into a $275.00 job!

So, in that I was desperate to wash laundry and dishes, I agreed. Now I'm a little terrified of being alone in my home with a strange man. Fortunately though, I did not have to deal with this:

I must apologize if this is offensive to anyone. I was not quite as lucky. All I had to do was drive down to Hawes and Southern where some workers were digging to install the new street light that will be going in. Brittany and I almost tossed it. DISGUSTING! Pull up your pants fellas! So not attractive.

It's just been that kind of day.

Oh, bother!