It’s not a candle. Or a necklace. Or even a really nice bag (although I wouldn’t refuse it). Here’s a short list of a what I actually want for Mother’s Day:
A couple of uninterrupted hours to read, without stopping after every other paragraph.
And if that happens, to be able to spontaneously fall asleep and stay that way until I wake up on my own.
A day where not one conversation directed at me begins with the words “Can you. . . ?” or “Can I . . . ?” (I don’t think it’s humanly possible, but just throwing it out there.)
For my teenage boy to kiss me.
To eat an entire meal without someone calling for bathroom “assistance.”
And for dessert, a large Wendy’s Frosty (chocolate, not vanilla).
To not set foot in the kitchen all day long, but to return the next day to a sparkling clean space.
To feel a lot of sweet little arms hugging my neck.
For all of my people to be happy, happy, happy!
To watch consecutive episodes of Jeopardy and Judge Judy without pausing and/or rewinding continuously throughout. (Yes, I know I sound 83.)
What do you really want for Mother’s Day?
PS– Honestly, I can’t think of Mother’s Day gifts without thinking of The Middle and the time Frankie got a yellow, inflatable foot bath. (Please tell me you watch and are as sad as we are about the soon approaching end.)
PPS– A few other posts on motherhood you might enjoy:
Photoshopping Crumbs (and Other Truths)
Is It Out of Style to Be Happy?
Those things will come sooner than you think and then you’ll wonder where the time has gone. My sweet girls are in their 20’s now. We’re celebrating a bit early tonight with a girls night out, just me and my girls. Time spent with my girls doesn’t happen often enough these days but I’ll surely enjoy tonight.
Sounds fun! Hope you all have a wonderful night together.
oh Mother’s Day…i used to run for the hills when they were really little and have a peaceful day alone. Every season and year as they grow my desires change.
This year looks like peace in the household for the day, church and a nice meal around a table I didn’t set, prepare the meal nor clean it up and everybody brings their manners, indoor voices and clothes.
Sounds like a great day to me!
This list sounds perfectly reasonable to me and like a wonderful way to spend Mother’s Day! I hope you are celebrated with lots of love, Emily!
I want the yard mowed/cleaned up and the dog to get her summer haircut!
And yet, oddly, I didn’t see this on one Mother’s Day “gift guide.” ;)
Oh, how you nailed my Mother’s Day wishes! I know they say it passes quickly and I’ll miss these days, but we are in the season of fighting siblings, kids wanting seconds and/or drink refills before mom has her firsts, lots of bathroom “assistance” (but only when mom is actually eating – while standing – cause mom never gets time to sit), and if you let them attempt a refill themselves, the mess they make takes more effort to clean up than if you had just gotten it for them to start with, baths/showers that shouldn’t count if they don’t actually use soap……I could go on and on, but I’m pretty sure you get it……so, here’s wishing you a peaceful day, with lots of love and hugs and memories made to carry you through the years when you actually miss the chaos. Cheers, mama!
Sounds like you have sweet boys. :)
Girls, actually……all girls….go figure!?! And, yes to the parallel lives! Except throw in a geriatric dog and a cat that the kids promised they’d be responsible for (I think you know who takes care of the pets without me even saying)! Also, the pets are female too….my poor husband.
I think we live parallel lives…
Sadly, I’ll be at the baseball field all Sunday. Baseball stops for no one, not even moms. But, since I can’t go to church, I’ll take a sweaty hug from my baby, who is 13 now and not afraid to hug his mom in public. I’d love a hug from my 15-year-old son, who will likely indulge me because it’s my day. And, I’d love a hug from my 18-year-old son, who isn’t teenagery and hugs me all the time. A dinner out with family- that sounds perfect for the circumstances of this Mother’s Day. 😊
I assume you’ll get a lot of comments that are along the lines of “enjoy it now, one day you’ll miss it.” But I’m right in the thick of it with you, and I get it. Mommin’ is hard. Wonderful and hard. Wishing you a restful Mother’s Day.
Ha! My boys are still very small (almost three and nearly six months) so we are getting a nice brunch bag from a local place to eat at home. After I put the baby down for his first nap and get a quick meal in the oven, I will head to the theater to watch the latest Avengers movie (yep, my husband married a woman with a few geeky tendencies) while relaxing in a recliner. That’s pretty perfect in my book.
Here’s to all the moms this Mother’s Day and everyday! I’m so thankful I get to be one even with the messy diapers, potty training mishaps, and constant needs! :-)
I’m not ready for the middle to end. I’m just not!!!!
Happy Mothers Day. Now let me get off internet and clean my dirty kitchen again.
remember . she wanted the yellow foot bath, but instead she got…..yellow pants!
Oh my goodness! You’re right! Well, that’s even funnier. 😂😂😂
When I was a kid, my siblings and I (4 of us) would always ask my mom what she wanted for Mother’s Day/birthday/Christmas and the only answer we ever got was “Peace and quiet”. It wasn’t until a year or two ago when I was venting about my frustration with my toddler son that my mom asked, “Sam, what do you want for Christmas?” which I snapped back with a “I can’t even think about presents right now, Mom” and she looked at me and asked her question again and replied for me: “peace and quiet” and it clicked for me. My son is far more independent now and but man, to be uninterrupted for a couple hours is golden!
I’ve always been a fan of The Middle. I’ve been watching it on reruns on the Hallmark channel recently. My very favorite is the one where Frankie is watching an old classmate who is competing on a game show when she picks up a nearly empty chip bag left on the sofa and is eating the crumbs on the bottom when Sue walks in and tells her she’s eating Axl’s toenails 😳😫😂 I just about wet my pants every time. Sorry to report, I have had similar parenting experiences and I can very much relate. I occasionally wanted to run away (I never did). Being a mom is hard, and funny, and sweet. But mostly hard. It demands an extraordinary amount of hard work, patience and selflessness. Mine are grown now and my reward is sweet grandchildren.
Also, I redecorate the Heck house in my head every time I watch, I can’t help it…seriously, if they don’t fix that wallpaper in the dining room for the finale, I’m not certain I’ll be okay.
Happy Mother’s Day, Emily. I hope all your wishes come true 💞
Oh we talk about Axel’s toe nails in the chip bag all of the time! I can totally see that happening at our house…😳
I have never seen that show, but I just busted out laughing by your description! I need to look it up! sounds like my house…
You MUST go back and watch. They air reruns all of the time on Hallmark, I think. It’s the funniest.
I already have my gift for Mother’s Day: to be alive to spend more time with my children and grandchildren. Just one week ago, I was in the hospital following a fall and my heart stopped twice and, miraculously restarted on its own. I now have a pacemaker. I also had a serious facial injury. Through it all, my husband and my three beautiful daughters were around me, holding on tight. They got me through that terrible week. On Sunday they are bringing dinner, along with my sweet grandchildren and we will celebrate how very fortunate we are to even have another Mother’s Day to be together. Family is everything!
So glad you’re okay. Very scary.
I was just thinking after writing this post that having five healthy kids (even very wild ones) is the best gift. :)
I was late to watching ‘The Middle’ but love that show and sad that kids have grown up and series is ending
Happy Mother’s Day, Emily! I’m getting my gift right now. My husband is planting the summer annuals. And my daughter has something planned but won’t tell me what.
I am sick about the end of The Middle… LOVE that show, and everything about it. The year of Sue is probably my funniest one. so much like my life. Hahaha…
The year of Sue was the best! I love her so much.
I really wanted my car cleaned out — you know the grossness of kids and dog — food crumbs, random wrappers, fur, dog nose prints. But my husband’s been on call for the last 2
Mothers’s Days. I’d also like for my oldest son , who is on the Autism spectrum, to have a good baseball game without having a meltdown for some unexpected reason. I could really go for cheering at a game and enjoying it without being on pins and needles wondering when the next one is going to happen.
Dang! I should’ve added my van to the list. DISASTER.
Hope your son has a great game tomorrow. The worries we carry for our babies!
Since my own Mom lives around the corner Mother’s Day always seems to be about me planning for her. That sounds terribly selfish and snarky, but it’s true. So this year I asked my husband to handle meals anyway he sees fit and I plan to escape after church for most of the day to go clothes shopping with my Mom, something we never do together. Neither of us NEEDS any clothes, but who cares.
Oh Emily, I have always loved you, but knowing you watch The Middle makes me love you even more, I love when they do laundry and have to duct tape the washing machine shut. And shop at the Frugal Hoosier. Sue is my favorite. Always the optimist. Happy Mother’s Day. You have a beautiful family.
Love to find a fellow Middle watcher. I always tell my kids I’m going to wear my hooded sweatshirt with pockets when I go to Aldi so I can bring more stuff home without bags. :)
That’s a great list! My husband took care of dinner, let me enjoy a long nap, and didn’t judge me while I are junk food and binge-watched HGTV in the middle of the afternoon. :)
This sounds very similar to how my day turned out. 🙌🏻
We take joy in the simple things. :)
I *ate junk food
I laughed out loud at your list. Funny and so true! I’m sad to see The Middle end. My daughter and I still talk about “security condiments” and laugh so hard. And Jeopardy is one of my all-time favorites. I watched it in my 20’s and so do my kids. We joke about being old people because of the commercials they run during the show.
Your antelope stair runner is gorgeous, where did u get it?
I want one so badly but the hubble says it’s too trendy 😳
What does he know 😂
Do you live in ATL?
I need someone to help me find amazing thrift store deals like your entryway mirror… It just takes vision, and yours is, clearly beautiful!
Just bought the crane and Co bedding you recommended and love it!
Thank you for sharing so much with us all!!
Here are the details on the stair runner :)
https://emilyaclark.com/2017/08/antelope-stair-runner.html