Happy Mother's Day... sort of

Mother's Day was... different.

Let's face it, mothers are usually the ones who do the prep for any and all special events and holidays. Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong. You can't do it, can you? When she's the one who's being celebrated, it's up to the other people who reside with her to take charge. Sometimes they really come through, and sometimes they... well, they try.

My hubby was gone all last week on a business trip. He returned on Saturday afternoon, after I'd spent 7 hours at the ballfield for three games. I looked like I was there for the long haul as we had snack duty for two of the games. Add that to our own personal snacks, drinks, sunscreen, camera, camp chairs, etc., and I believe you have a visual. It was also unexpectedly cold, misty and windy.

Ugly thoughts can tend to creep into one's mind during these unpleasant times and one can start to feel a tad resentful. Of course I'm not referring to myself, but some people do have these thoughts. One can also start to ask questions such as "Why is this always my responsibility?" or "How come he never has to do this stuff by himself?" Of course, once again, I'm just suggesting that some people might ask these kinds of questions.

We had take-out for dinner that my hubby picked up, therefore I didn't have to cook. And thankfully he'd managed to get his laundry done before returning from his trip, so I didn't have that to do before he left again the following morning on another trip. Yes, he left on Mother's Day. I know it wasn't his fault. Really. Duty called, as it has a tendency to do.

He was hitching a ride to the airport with a co-worker and his wife, and they were to arrive at 7:30am to pick him up. At 7:22am, my hubby rolled over in bed, and upon seeing the time on the clock, immediately jumped out of bed and yelled, "The alarm didn't go off!" I don't think I've ever seen anyone move so fast.

I went out to the driveway, in all my morning glory (You know, in my jammies & robe, with unbrushed teeth and bedhead hair... Yeah, LOVELY!), to chat with our friends while my hubby hurriedly got ready. I know he was really glad he'd repacked the previous night.

Right before my hubby left, he ushered the boys and me into the dining room where my Mother's Day gifts were waiting to be opened. I received a new watch (Remember what happened to mine recently?), a Yankee candle and some Croc sandals. I also received some very sweet cards from the men in my life. This all took place in about a 2-minute timespan. My man had to get out the door! We said our goodbyes and he was gone again.

Now the boys were briefed the night prior about things they should do for me for Mother's Day. My hubby knew his being away on Mother's Day meant that he wouldn't be here to do the planning and prompting. He told the boys they should serve me breakfast in bed (a little hard to do when I'm in the driveway stalling the airport shuttle service), get ready for church without being prodded (That's actually possible?) and invite me to brunch at the base chow hall.

I hopped back into bed for a while so that I could have my breakfast of cereal, toast, banana and O.J. brought to me on a tray. My youngest son and I hung out and watched a cartoon, and just as I was starting to get ready for church, the phone rang. It was my husband. Seems my man forgot his Blackberry and sunglasses. He said he could make it through the next couple of days without them, but...

Yeah, right... he can make it without them. Are you kidding me? If he could make it without them, he wouldn't have called, would he? I know how attached my man is to his "Crackberry." He'd surely go through a severe case of withdrawals without his extra appendage. I threw on some clothes and headed to the airport to deliver the forgotten items. The look on his face told me he was very happy, and yet a bit embarrassed to see me.

I made it home just in time to finish getting ready for church. I could hardly believe it, but the boys had gotten ready in my absence. Wonders never cease! We arrived a few minutes late to church, but we were there. The boys took me to brunch afterward and paid my way with money their father had given them. It was all very sweet.

Later at home, my youngest asked to have a friend over. I mentioned that since it was Mother's Day, his friends might actually be doing something with their moms. That's the general idea, or so I've heard, on Mother's Day. He sighed heavily and looked as if he'd lost his best friend. Are you feeling the love here? I caved and he and his brother ended up playing with a couple of other kids who were also blowing off their moms on Mother's Day.

When I tucked the boys in last night, my youngest said, "I was a little bored today because Dad wasn't here." What? I'm evidently not his first choice of playmates as I don't know how to play any Wii games. Yeah, well, I thought Mother's Day was about me, not you! Yeah, Mother's Day was... different.

Why do they have to grow up?

Friday morning I volunteered in my younger son's 3rd grade classroom. He LOVES it when I'm there, and that's such an awesome feeling. My older son is in 6th grade and I don't think he's particularly keen on me being in his classroom anymore as I think I cramp his style. I always knew the day would come when my presence was no longer a cool thing for him. It's part of growing up, right? I can accept that, I guess, but I have to admit, it's nice that the little guy still likes his old ma around.

With Mother's Day being yesterday, I found myself reminiscing about my boys when they were much younger. I looked at old photos of them and realized just how much they've grown in what feels like a very short time. Where does the time go? It seems just like yesterday...





































My sons are no longer little boys. They're growing by leaps and bounds and are too big to carry. They're becoming young men.





Sometimes I want my boys to look like this again...

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Who sends the cards at your house?

Today I discovered something interesting, or at least I thought so.

I recently ordered a greeting card organizer so that I can purchase and/or make several cards and have them on hand, at my fingertips, whenever I need them. Here's what the organizer looks like (I ordered the gray/white one on the right)...

The organizer has dividers and labels inside so that one can categorize the cards. This is so down the alley of those of us who have OCD tendencies. There are labels for several different categories... General Birthday, Juvenile Birthday, Humor Birthday, Religious, Wedding, Sympathy, Thank You, etc. I think you get the picture.

There are also labels for "people" such as Mother, Father, Son, Daughter, etc. The maker of this organizer covered nearly every relationship under the sun, but... and here's where the interesting part comes in and I make my point... while there is a label for "Husband," there isn't one for "Wife."

Hmmm... What does that say to you? Does that mean husbands don't give their wives cards? Nah, I don't think that's the answer.

What that says to me is women are more apt to purchase and/or make cards, send them out, and evidently they're more likely to have OCD tendencies in that they feel the need to organize their greeting card stash in the first place. What do you think? Do I have insight or what?!

This is not good...

See these sandals? This is one of several pairs of shoes I've owned for many years. In fact, I've had these since my 12-year-old was a baby. What can I say? They're really comfortable... or at least they were really comfortable until Sunday...

I wore them to church on Sunday, and as I buckled them, I noticed there was a little nick in the heel of one sandal. Hmmm... I didn't remember ever having done that.

As I walked into the chapel, I noticed my beloved sandals felt different. They felt "wobbly," and lo' and behold, upon closer inspection, I found this...

and this...

My sandals were literally disentegrating a little more with each step I took. I have been forced to part with these old trusted friends. It was a sad, sad day, indeed!

Now I'm on the lookout for a new pair of sandals, but you know my issues here with shoes. This is not good.

Are they home?

Two of the cutest kids ever live next door.


MJ is 4 years old.


Younger brother J is 2 1/2.


These two love to play with our boys because they chase them and "scare" them with loud noises and goofy faces. MJ and J have a trampoline in their backyard, which sweetens the deal for our boys too, as we don't own a trampoline.

Not too long ago, MJ came over and rang the doorbell. As always, she asked, "Are they home?" I told her one of my sons was spending the night elsewhere and then she asked if my other son was home. He wasn't here at the time as he was bike riding with a friend. When I explained his whereabouts she wanted to know if I could call him.

MJ and J ring my doorbell nothing short of 5 times a day as they're looking for their playmates. They will not be deterred either, as I've attempted to ignore the doorbell a couple of times, and they don't give up. Those kids are determined! MJ and J have no concept of time and are always dismayed when they discover the boys are still at school. It might be 2 o'clock when they ring the doorbell, and I'll tell them the boys won't be home until 4 o'clock, and they'll come back at 2:15. They're so cute!

Who would have ever thought our 12 and 9-year-old boys would find playmates in the 4 and 2-year-old kids next door? It's an unlikely friendship, really, but it somehow works for the four of them.

Feria Fashion Show

Feria season is upon us here in southern Spain and it's quite a big deal from what I can gather. This is a week long party of food, carnival rides, drinking and flamenco. I was told Thursday was ladies' night in Rota, but unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to join in the festivities. We're planning on going tonight, so I'll share more about that later.

A few weeks ago we attended a feria fashion show on base. Several of my girlfriends and their kids strutted their stuff on the runway. I was asked if I wanted to model a feria dress, however, I politely declined. Yes, I was a party pooper because I had serious doubts about the possibility of finding a dress large and long enough to fit me, plus I'm just more comfortable watching and taking photos.

This adorable young man started off the show. His mom is one of my friends. You'll see her later.

Here are some of beautiful dresses modeled that evening...

This little cutie is the daughter of one my girlfriends. She's quite the character too. You never know what she's going to say. We can always count on her for comic relief.

This blonde beauty is the previous little girl's older sister. I'm told they're polar opposites. This one is more sensitive and a little less vocal than her sibling, but they're both adorable.

Here's another daughter of a friend of mine. She's also one of my older son's classmates. I liked the skirt and blouse combo on her. Isn't she cute?

This is the mom of the young lady in the previous photo, and she's a fellow Air Force spouse. She's also a wonderful photographer.

The young lady modeling this dress is the daughter of another fellow Air Force spouse.

This is one of my closest friends here at Rota. Meryl is a Navy spouse, a neighbor and a hoot.

"N" is a fellow Air Force spouse and about as gentle and kind as they come. Isn't she beautiful? That dress was perfect for her!

This sweet friend is the mom of the little boy you saw at the beginning of the fashion show. She's also an Air Force spouse.

Notice a pattern here? Most of the models are Air Force spouses as the fashion show was organized by a fellow Air Force spouse.

The dynamic duo in this photo is a mother/daughter team. They are fellow Air Force chicks, neighbors and friends. The short one is my younger son's age, and although they're not in the same class, they're buds. The tall one and I spend lots of time together and she's one of my closest friends here.

Here's another Air Force mother/daughter team. They're also neighbors and good friends of ours.

This lady organized the fashion show. After the fashion show was over, she performed a flamenco dance. She's an Air Force spouse, but also a Rota native, and she's a character!

There were so many beautiful, colorful dresses!

I think we might have discovered a few promising models among these local lovelies.

Maybe I'll get myself a feria dress next year...