The Extraordinary Ordinary: BEST MOTHER'S DAY EVER!!!

My girls and husband usually do a great job of making feel loved and appreciated. But this weekend was especially wonderful. Yes, I had a whole Mother's Day weekend!

Friday after work I had a craving for ribs. Matt offered to take me out but the thought of getting into clothes after I had already put on my sweats just seemed liked too much. Plus, I wanted to make asparagus risotto with the wonderful asparagus I bought at the farmers market. And a loaf of homemade bread was already in the works. But I didn't have to cook the ribs, Matt got carryout for a local restaurant, so it was almost like I didn't have to cook that night. Carolyn was sweet and was my "helpie", helping me stir the risotto and knead the bread. It was shaping up to be a relaxing night. With a wonderful dinner on the table, things took a turn for the worse. Eleanor refused to eat. Carolyn wanted to sit on my lap. And with a 2-year-old wrapped around my neck trying to eat my saucy rib, I looked and Matt and asked "Now why didn't I let you take me out?" Oh well.

Saturday morning, while everyone was still asleep, I got myself showered and dressed. This may not sound like much to some of you, but it's a big feat for me. On the weekends any how. We all ate a nice breakfast of biscuits and gravy and then I was able to get out of the house all by myself. Again, doesn't sound all that impressive to some, but when you have a 2 and 4-year-old, it's a wonderful feeling to go somewhere and not have to buckle and unbuckle two kids into car seats, hold hands through parking lots, answer no to all the "Can I have...?"s, etc., etc. So all alone with no where else to be I headed for Hobby Lobby. After two hours shopping, I left with: a book shelf for Eleanor's top bunk, fabric a foam board and ribbon to make a bulletin board for the girls' room, little flower pots to paint for Mother's Day gifts, decor for the girls' room, two wood dolls for the girls to paint, a wood ABC block and blue, green and yellow paint for Eleanor to paint for her soon-to-be baby brother, and HANK chipboard letters and boy paper to put on the wall in Hank's room (currently Carolyn's room). A quick stop at Target to make a return and buy clip-on lights for the bunkbeds and I was on my way home. Ahhh, what a wonderful start to my day.

After lunch, while Carolyn napped, Eleanor and I did crafts. And once Carolyn woke up, she joined us for the painting of the pots. And I once again got away on my own and bought some begonias for the pots.

After a dinner of leftovers, Matt's brother Jon came over to watch Wall-E with the girls while Matt and I went to see "Date Night" with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey. Very good, wonderfully funny actors!

Sunday started out quite typically with a nice breakfast and quick house clean-up. Then I went to the grocery with both girls while Matt went to Lowes. I happily took my girls who were both in a great mood and cute as could be in their car seats wearing their sunglasses. Grocery shopping was quite pleasant. No whining, no begging, no getting fingers stuck in the cart, and believe it or not no trip to the restroom.

We were home in time for lunch then it was off to bed for a nap - the girls, not me though I thought about it. In the meantime, Matt has bought me a beautiful Hibiscus tree and two large pots and flowers for the front porch. He was also in the process of building a cute little fence for my garden.

After naps, we got cleaned up and met family at Heston for dinner. On the drive there Eleanor sang me her "Mother's Day Song" which was beautiful and if I can get her to do it again, I will try to video it. Dinner was wonderful! I ate a lobster tail and enjoyed relaxing and chatting while both girls stayed occupied with coloring and sat the entire dinner. Amazing! Like I said, BEST MOTHER'S DAY EVER!!!