Things My Mom Has Taught Me

(That's a photo from 2009, when I did the 500 Festival half-marathon. I walked it with my mom and my friend Mandie. The pictures from that race became my official "before" photos. I was shocked when I saw them and I started losing the weight a few month's later.)

I actually wrote this as a Facebook post, but I thought it appropriate to share here, too. Considering today is Mother's Day, I thought I'd share a post about my own mom. She's a huge part of my life--she lives less than a mile from my house and I talk to or see her several times a week (lately, with the social distancing, it's been different of course!).

We don't have much in common (then again, I don't have much in common with ANYONE in my family) but I've learned quite a few life lessons from her over time. This is meant to be slightly tongue-in-cheek--there are a couple of "inside jokes", so it makes more sense if you know my mom! But here goes... 

Advice my mom has given me over the years that I still use today:

1) Garage sales are the greatest! But to get the good stuff, you have to get there an hour earlier than listed in the newspaper. I have gotten the most amazing deals at garage sales! Love them. 

2) When faced with a difficult decision, always pray and listen to your gut feeling, which will feel like a sense of peace way deep down. (This is probably the most important item on the list. I truly listen to my gut feeling when I am trying to make a difficult decision; and it rarely fails me). 

3) When the kids are little and they make a mess (example: when my kids emptied an entire bottle of baby powder all over my living room while I was in the shower) make sure to take pictures of it. Don't get mad; you'll laugh at those photos some day. When I came out of the bathroom, the kids told me they were "cleaning it up" with the towels, hahaha. By the way, Eli was ALWAYS naked. It's hard to post pictures of him from age 1-3, because he hated wearing clothes! 

4) If you see a large, ugly plastic Santa on the roof at Christmastime, it's not our house. Just drive on by. (This is one of the "inside jokes" I was talking about. We had this horrid plastic Santa that my dad would put on the roof every year--but we had no other outdoor Christmas decor, so it looked totally out of place. My mom hated it and begged him to get rid of it every year. Eventually, it was "lost" in our move when I was in tenth grade. Hmmm...)

5) Invest in good kitchen knives. If you buy good ones and take care of them, they'll last as long as you do.

6) Spending quality time with people is ALWAYS worth more than spending money. (She's a fantastic grandma to my kids--she loves to spend quality time with them.)

7) Buy good quality paint when painting walls. It may not seem like it'll make a difference, but it'll last so much longer and look nicer. (I learned this lesson the hard way, several times over. She was definitely correct! I spent a small fortune on paint from Sherwin Williams over the last couple of years (literally about $2,000!) but it has made a huge difference already.)

8) Buying birthday cards (or Mother's Day cards!) is a waste of $5--save it for the gift or give a "Gobby card" instead. Which is why I'm posting this on Facebook instead of in a Hallmark card! ;)  (Gobby was my grandma--my mom's mom. When she gave a card it was basically just folded up money with a note card attached, which she just slipped into your hand instead of making a big show of it.) It's known in my family now as a "Gobby card". 

And here are a few photos of my mom and me...

My mom is fantastic! Ask anyone that knows her, and they will tell you that she is one of the kindest, most caring, and most generous people they know. I'm so glad I learned what I have from her.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there (including pet moms!). Hope you had a great day!