Momma Always Told Me...

...And other lessons from my mom.

1. Life's Not Fair. Mother always says we aren't allowed to say that life isn't fair and in a house with 8 kids you learn nothing is "mine" or "yours" pretty quickly and we're not going to whine about what's fair and what's not. Period. As I grow older I understand this more everyday. The mere gospel of Christ isn't even fair. How fair is it that a sinless Jesus had to die for my sins so I wouldn't have to experience eternal separation from Him? It's not. And now I know that Life is all about Grace and Mercy, and NOT about fairness. Mercy is not receiving what I do deserve (death/hell) and Grace is receiving what I don't deserve (life in Christ). Oh how I'm thankful that Life isn't fair. 

2. Believe half of what you hear and all of what you see...  Especially when it comes to teenagers. Oh really, they said they did their homework? Why is their report card showing otherwise? Momma didn't raise no fool!

3. How to snap, whistle and blow bubble gum bubbles before all the other kids. This was one of the perks of being the firstborn...complete focus on me. Along with special trips to Chuck-E-Cheese, tickets to every Sesame Street Live or Disney on Ice show, and amazing birthday parties. Ask the 7th born about this, a conversation about #1 will likely ensue.

4. How to play Scrabble. When I was in middle school and was too old for spankings my mom made me play Scrabble with her as my punishment for poor grades or back talking. Yes, it's unconventional, but I HATED Scrabble, and then one day I began to enjoy it and now it's one of my most favorite games! Now, instead of Scrabble she makes the kids run laps.

5. Distraction is one of the greatest techniques when out in public with a misbehaving child. I'm living this lesson first-hand these days!

6.  How to make icing smooth and chocolate smoother. My mom is pretty much a culinary genius (yes, mother, it's true!) and everyone raves about her sweet treats. Her icing is perfection and her chocolate-covered-anything always looks like silk. She always has little secrets for how to do things and while I don't know all of the secrets, I know a couple. Which reminds me--Mother, you said if I grew-up to be a Stay-at-home-mom you would give me your secret recipes... well, guess what I happen to be these days...and I have barely any recipes!

7. Being a mom is hard work no matter if you have 1 kid or 10, so lend a hand. Rarely is there a time that I meet my mom at Costco for lunch and she doesn't help a stressed out momma cut up her kids pizza, or help her carry hot dogs to her antsy kids, or help her to her car because that mom has a screaming baby, a hungry toddler, and a pouty preschooler that she's trying to juggle along with her industrial size box of cereal, 5 gallons of milk and 10lbs of goldfish crackers. My mom knows all to well just how hard it is to be a mother. Yes, it's a blessing, but it's hard work too, so help a girl out when she needs it.

8. How to make cutting a kid's fingernails fun for them. I can't explain how, but it works. My 21-month old begs to have his nails cut daily.

9. Someone is always watching! Whether it's a younger sibling watching how an older sibling is doing something, a parents friend who sees how your acting at the pool with friends when you're 15 and then tells your mom, or if it's a 27 year old daughter watching how her mom helps another momma out at Costco. Someone is always watching.

10. How to make some awesome memories! When I asked my mom what a good Mother's Day gift is in general, she said: Something that would make a great experience. And that's how she rolls. Whether it's dancing in the rain at a Paul McCartney concert, or loading folks in a 15 passenger van to run the Peachtree Road race, and let's not forget all those trips to Disney World! It's all about the memories.

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy Dearest!

What lessons have you learn from you momma?