Five Things

Today I would like to share Five Things I wish I could say "Thank You" to my Momala for.  If you don't know already my mom passed away on March 9, 2012 from a 15 month battle with Stage 4 Glioblastoma (brain cancer).  To read about her battle you can click HERE to the blog we set up.  It has been extremely difficult and trying at times living life and raising my daughter without my mom to help guide, answer questions, and reflect on my own upbringing.  While there are SO many things that I am thankful for, I wanted to share 5 today.  I love you Momala and miss you everyday.

[ONE]
Thank you for making your children a priority in your life.  Not a day passed that you didn't tell me "I LOVE YOU" at least 20 times.  This is something that I have continued with my sweet little Ellie.  I want her to know how loved she is and that I care very deeply for her.



[TWO]
Thank you for making up songs and singing for just about everything - and continuing to sing them into my adult life.  Many of these songs I remember and sing to Ellie often.  I remember you telling me that you have to make things "FUN" for little ones so they are better behaved or deal with them better; like blowing their nose, changing their diaper, brushing the tangles out of their hair, or waking up in the morning.  So far it has worked for the diaper changes, hair brushing, and morning wake ups - the nose blowing will come soon, I hope!


[THREE]
Thank you for teaching me the importance of manners.  Manners were HUGE in my family.  Not only were we expected to have them at home but whenever we went out places.  Often times my parents were given compliments on how well their children were behaved at restaurants (we went out a lot and not to family restaurants).  Proper table behavior was taught and enforced at home, so that when we went out it wasn't anything new or different.  My mom also told us before going into the restaurant that we needed to be on our BEST behavior because many of the patrons were here to get away or have a break from their children, so we should not disturb them.  I plan to continue this with Ellie and we already have because she goes just about everywhere with us, including our date night restaurants!



[FOUR]
Thank you for teaching me the importance of respect for others and their things/rules.  My mom didn't believe that she was raising children, she was raising adults.  We were taught that we could not talk back to adults, that certain things were "off limits", and that every home has a different set of rules that we were to follow.  She said that consistency was key in achieving this and that sometimes she felt like a "nag" because of how many times she had to "remind" us.  My mom had a lot of nice things in my childhood home (many of which are now in my home).  We were taught early on that these things were "Off Limits" meaning we weren't allowed to touch them or play with them.  She had to keep a Hawks eye on us at the beginning but eventually we learned and that is why so many of these things have made it into my home.  This was extremely good practice for us so that when we went shopping with her or over to family and friends houses we had an idea of "off limits" and my mom was able to be successful in helping us to keep our hands off things and not give the homeowner or shop owner anxiety.  She also took responsibility for us, so if we were to break something she paid for it.  Now don't get me wrong, we had A LOT of fun and were able to be "kids".  I believe that she taught me to value people, rules, and things so well that I am choosing to raise Ellie (and my future children) this way.  I don't think that I am going to truly be able to "enjoy" a visit at a friend's house with Ellie until she is probably 8 years old - because I am going to have to (choose to) keep an eye on her at all times.



[FIVE]
Thank you mom for teaching me how to cook.  As I have mentioned before my mom was blessed with being a SAHM (my dream).  While she was already very interested in cooking, she learned to pass the time in the kitchen.  She watched cooking shows a lot, had a huge library of various cookbooks, and was always trying out a new recipe.  She was an aspiring Gourmet Chef and most of our meals were made from scratch.  She put a lot of LOVE into her cooking and was very good at it.  She included my sister and I a lot for meal prep and taught us along the way.  I learned a lot of tips and tricks from her and gained a great base knowledge of how to cook.



What are you thankful of your mom for?

♥ Ashley

 

  

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