You learn from days like yesterday. You do. It's there for a reason.

I feel like I've been in hiding. Not on purpose. Just kind of happened. Not that I think anyone noticed, nor that anyone should care, but I definitely feel like I've left this little space behind for a bit. That's okay though. I learned a long time ago that if you have nothing to write, then don't write. If you don't have anything to say, then don't say it. If you are just not that into it, than that's okay--- don't be. And if you just don't have the time, then you take care of what you need to take care of and come back when you can.

I wish I had a better reason than that. That I've been doing some big things, working on a book deal, or traveling the world. Yet, the only big thing that I've been busy doing is mothering my children. To me, that's pretty "big" and extraordinary on its own. I read somewhere the other day about how important it was for women that are working to show their children independence and that women shouldn't stay home to be with their children and that we are bigger and better than that, and I couldn't help but stop and think---- that's where society is wrong. I never want my children to think that being a mother and choosing to invest the majority of my time to that is somehow minimizing my role in this world. In fact, I want them to see the opposite. 

And so this past weekend I thought a lot about what being a mother meant to me. I even started writing an entire post specifically on this topic {I know, me and the rest of the world}, but decided to step away instead. I couldn't exactly put into words what I wanted to relay and how I wanted to explain what was on my heart, but I felt like I didn't have to. 

Instead, I just want to use this Mother's day to talk about what I've learned. Some serious. Some funny. And some basic life lessons. A way to remember this year and how mothering my children has impacted me this past year.

1. A mother should never be sick on this day, or the days leading up to it. From Thursday through Sunday I was sick. I mean stuffy nose, can't breathe---therefore causing anxiety, sick. I could breathe, but the thought of only having my mouth to breathe just drove me absolutely bonkers. So then I blew my nose literally every 2 seconds, which I know only made the inflammation worse. As a result of that, I was exhausted physically. And then top it off with one other hacking child, traveling, and Mother day preparation---I was over it. I thought surely by Sunday I would feel better, and I started to. But then I had to go to work that night.

Complaining aside {although being suck on a holiday does truly suck}, the fact that I got to spend the holiday with my family is good {more than good} enough for me. 

2. The best toy for a kid to be busy is this. Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards   Not sure if the Mother's Day Gods just knew what was going on, that I felt crummy, that I needed a break, or that I just needed to relax, but this beauty that I ordered a couple weeks ago happened to arrive on Mother's Day {the day before, but we didn't come home until Sunday} and I kid you not my oldest played with this all day. The youngest tossed it around, but it was plenty enough entertainment to keep him busy. Seriously? This makes one of the top 5 toys in our house ever purchased. 

Worth.Every.Penny.

3. My favorite quote from the day, by far that I have ever read about a mother is this:

And trust me, I read a lot of quotes. I'm not sure why exactly really, but I sat on Friday night drinking wine with Andrew and reading him these quotes about Mothers while he cooked. He cooked. Yes, I was spoiled, and it was lovely all around. We laughed at a lot of them, but definitely agreed that this one just really defined it all around what a mother truly meant.

4. Projects are even more fun as the kids get older. Really, with each passing holiday I get all giddy about the fact that we get to make little crafts and the fact that the kids {well one of them} can understand this process and actually enjoys doing it and giving it. This year we made all the grandma's the same thing using the kid's hand prints and thumb prints {I used just dots for Graham's "thumb prints" because just doing a hand print three times was more than plenty and more than he can handle}.

5. The best gift to get:   Words from the heart from the significant other. Andrew wrote me the most beautiful email {yes email} while I was napping and it seriously touched me more than any of the {many} letters that he had ever written to me. It was so heartfelt and so touching, that I just could not have imagined a better gift. Even 

6. Sleep is the second best gift, and chocolate. Really, when you ask me what I want for the day? I want all the diapers changed, all the kids fed, dressed, teeth brushed, and while you do that... I nap. Really? Awesome gift. And I mean it... it's a gift.

7. Lastly, and most importantly, never take motherhood for granted. Not just on this day, but I am reminded daily by hearing stories of infertility, loss, and pain that others go through that help to remind me that this life that I am given is not one to be taken for granted. That although we are human and although we will have bad days, hard days, and even days that we are at our wits end, we should always be thankful for these children and to have someone that calls us mom here on Earth.

Not only that, I have a pretty amazing mother and mother-in-law that are the greatest grandmothers to our children.

Sickness, tiredness, and wits end aside, being a mother is the best and only gift I will ever cherish the most every day of my life.