la vie en rose

Over the holiday weekend I worked on sewing a dress (not quite done; once I am, I will put up a picture). On Saturday I took one of the Mia Maids to the fabric store to learn how to sew (she picked a more difficult pattern and more difficult fabric than I would have liked her to learn on, so we'll see how that goes). It got me to thinking about my mom, because she was the one who taught me how to sew. And then I realized that I didn't do a Mother's Day post. I don't know how that slipped by me! So here are some of the things my mom has taught me, in no particular order:
-She taught me how to sew. She sewed my dress-up clothes for me, and recreated the American Girl outfits for my dolls. In every house we have lived in, she's had this little sewing area that my dad makes for her - it's in a closet, with a table that folds down to put the machine on. She would put little labels in the back of my clothes that said, "Made with Love."
-She taught me how to cook. We always ate dinner together as a family, in the dining room, no TV. One time, though, she counted all the meals she had made during her married life and it was so many that she decided we should go out to dinner that night. I love that when any of the kids come home to visit, she asks them what kinds of food they want (I, for one, don't care if our family gatherings are centered around food. Because it's always good food!). She grinds her own wheat for the most awesome bread, she makes good cheesy potato soup and Mexican condiment soup, she even got J to like salmon (as long as I make it the way my mom makes it). I am glad that both of our moms, actually, taught us how to cook and that we don't have to rely on fast food or frozen stuff to get by. If we want something, we know how to make it.
-She taught me where to look for answers. She took every moment she could to make it a teaching moment. It actually drove me crazy when I was younger, but I see now why she was doing it, and I find myself doing the same with the YW. I'm sure I'll do it with my kids, too.
-She taught me how to play. She would say that I came up with all that on my own, but I could always count on my mom to play Princess Mombi in my Return to Oz playtime or whatever I wanted. She let me be me and wasn't embarrassed when I wore dress-up clothes out in public or acted silly - in fact, she's pretty silly herself. And from that I learned that when I have kids, I will let them be whatever they want to be and I will encourage them to be the best at whatever it is they want to be the best at - no preconceived molds. "To thine own self be true," as her mother told her.
-She taught me how to bargain hunt. My mom is a champion shopper (and has the closet to prove it!), and she taught me at an early age how to get the right clothes for the "look." I still remember shopping for school clothes in 3rd grade, and beforehand my mom asked me what color I wanted to base my wardrobe around. We picked plum purple and navy blue that year, and everything was either in those colors or matched those colors. I wouldn't say that she necessarily endowed me with my shoe obsession, but even as a kid it bugged me when people would go through all the effort of a cute blouse and hairdo and all that and then pair it with running shoes. My mom is way too stylish to do that. This lesson could be a blessing or a curse.
-She taught me how to serve. My mom is always watching someone's kids or cleaning someone's basement or taking loaves of bread to people's houses. It's always been like that - she just knows what to do to help people. It's something I'm still learning, but my mom is such a great example of selfless service.
-She taught me how to be a friend. One of her sayings is, "Kill them with kindness." I've thought of that many times when I've had to be around people I don't like. And then, when I do something for them, I end up liking them! (And not killing them.) I also love that I can call her up to chat - not everybody can do that with their mothers, and I am grateful that I can.

Thanks for everything you've taught me, Mom!