Happy Mother's Day!

Here are a few mother's day tidbits for you for all of you wonderful moms!
First up, is a bouquet of my favorite flowers, peonies for everyone.

I saw this blog post, "How to Miss a Childhood," from Handsfree Mama and it really hit home with me.  You might enjoy it too.

I recently posted this as a guest for my friend Lisa at Shine Your Light for her "Celebrating Motherhood" series.   In case you missed it, here it is again.  I enjoyed writing the post and it made be think about all of the things that I truly love about being a mother and how fortunate I am to have had a great mother as well.

A little background info.....

Hello everyone!  I'm Suzy and I blog over at Saved by Suzy.  I was thrilled when Lisa asked me to be part of this series.   I've enjoyed getting to know Lisa over the past year or so.  She is an amazing mother and I know that family is very important to both Lisa and I.

On May 22nd, my husband and I will celebrate our thirteenth anniversary.  We have three daughters, ages 9, 7, and 3.

I also have two dogs, a golden retriever and a goldendoodle that I consider my babies too.

What have you found hardest about being a mom?

I think the hardest thing is when I see my kids hurting - either because they are sick, a friend has been mean to them, they are sad, lonely, etc.  It breaks my heart when the girls feel badly and there is nothing I can do about it.  I want to be able to swoop in and fix all of their problems, but I can't. 

What came as the biggest surprise to you in your motherhood?

I was never a baby or a child lover growing up.  I didn't like babysitting or holding babies like other girls I knew.  When I was a teenager, I thought I would never want to be a mom.  I thought it was more important to have a high-status, high-paying career.  However, this all changed as soon as I had my first daughter.  Of course, I knew that I would love her, but I was surprised at the overwhelming depth of that love.  I thought it would be easy to leave her at daycare while I worked as an attorney.  In fact, this ended up being one of the most difficult things ever.  So difficult, that I ended up quitting my job when my second daughter was born.

What is your greatest wish for your children?

I hope that I can teach my children to be happy, independent adults.  In other words, I hope that I am teaching them to make good choices and the skills to live a happy and productive life doing the things that they want to do when they are grown up.  I would settle for them being happy and healthy!

How has motherhood changed you?

I used to be a very Type A, perfectionist, driven, organized-type person.  I think I've become much more relaxed.  Before children dishes in the sink or clothes left on the floor would have driven me crazy.  Now things are left undone, the house is not always clean and life is not always perfect, but now I'm OK with that.   I've been making a conscious effort to focus on the things that really matter (my family!) and let the little things go.

In what way(s) do you aspire to be like your mom?

My mom has so many good qualities.  She is selfless and will do anything to help anybody.  She is a very hard worker and always wants to be the best she can be.  I don't think I've ever seen her slack or not try.  When I think of my mom, I think of a smart, kind, and giving lady.  I hope that is how people remember me.

How would you spend your ideal Mother's Day?

I would love to be together with all of my family.  My sister lives in New York and just had her first baby in February, who I've not met in person yet.  My brother and sister-in-law live near my parents in Minnesota.  They have a seventh-grade son.  My grandma is still living in Minnesota too.  My mother-in-law lives my my husband's sister and her family in Missouri.  So it is a rare occasion when we are all together. 

Two years ago, my side of the family was all together in Mexico and it is one of my most favorite memories.  Maybe we could all have a Mother's Day get-together in Mexico?!?!?

Thanks again for having me visit today Lisa!  I hope I didn't overwhelm all of your readers with this post filled with family pictures.

Happy Mother's Day!!!