Mother's Day 2013

My Mother's Day was nice and low-key, with just the right amounts of family togetherness and me-time. My brother and his family were visiting, which gave me an excuse to cook an elaborate breakfast. You know I love elaborate breakfasts. JW got up to help cook. X and I made a cake together and it turned out to be enormous so I brought half to the neighbors.

I got presents: a painted vase from X, a box of super-fancy chocolates from JW (look how pretty! Originally I said I didn't need a present, but I was enticed by these at a school fair the day before and justified buying them by handing the box to JW with instructions to give it to me for Mother's Day), and a book that K made at school.

Here's the text of K's book:

My mom is special because... she loves me.

I love it when my mom... buys me things I like. (With an illustration showing K at a toy store and saying, "Can I get it?" and me replying, "Yes!")

It bugs my mom when... I am impatient. (Check out the angry face I'm making in the picture.)

My mom likes to relax by... taking a nap.

I wish I could buy my mom... a treasure chest.

MOM: Loveable, great, porch, nice. ("Porch?" "Because you like the porch.")

About the author: I like Megaman and of course I love my mom! I am a boy and I have a baby brother.

After breakfast, we took the kids to the annual Make Way for Ducklings parade in Boston. It was a little disappointing this year. Instead of following the route around the city streets that the ducklings take in the book, we just walked around the park. But afterwards, the weather cleared up and the kids had fun chasing each other around. X's duck costume was filthy by the end. K enjoyed wearing his police officer costume and blowing the whistle.

When we got home, I got to relax by... taking a nap. I've been so tired for a while now and have been needing a nap to get through the day. I actually thought I might have mono. I can't remember the last time I woke up in the morning without a raw throat. But I've been feeling a little better each day so I haven't gone to the doctor.

I woke up when X did, and spent some time hanging out with the kids while JW did yardwork. Then I finally got to go to the store, by myself, to return a bunch of clothes that had been sitting by the door for weeks. I picked up pizza for dinner, also by myself. Running errands with no kids, such a luxury!

After some quality family bathroom time (how do I always end up in there with both kids at once?), K and I read a few more chapters of The Case of the Nervous Newsboy (from the McGurk detective series, a gift from my brother and one of my favorites as a kid) and went to bed.

I also had quick phone calls with my own mom and with my stressed-sounding mother-in-law, who spent Mother's Day looking after her mother who recently moved into an assisted living facility.