A Mom's Year

Creating a comfortable life one moment at a time

Olympic Tribute to Moms: The Best Job in the World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NScs_qX2Okk

When I watched this video posted by a friend on Facebook, I wasn’t prepared to react so emotionally. I’m not exactly a competitive athlete (or trying to raise one), but I think the idea of supporting your child in whatever his or her passion is, whether it’s sports or music or writing, is a wonderful thing. Maybe the next time I stand, overwhelmed, looking at our calendar, I’ll think of this video and find a renewed sense of purpose!

Of course the video makes me think of my own mom, who carted me to piano lessons week after week, year after year. My parents were so young and didn’t have a lot of money, but Mom made that commitment and I’m so grateful for it. Did you have a passion that your parents helped you pursue?

And speaking of the Olympics, are you a fan? I enjoy watching the events, but my favorites are the “how I got here stories.” So much inspiration.

Life Lessons: The Perfect Gift

I don’t pretend to know why bad things happen to good people. My brain understands that there are cause-and-effect relationships behind everything, but when something terrible happens I don’t care about logic or scientific explanations—I just want someone to fix it.

But we all know it doesn’t work that way. How and why it does work is a conversation much bigger than my simple blog could handle. And although we have to accept the fact that much of what happens in life is beyond our control, we still control a lot. Because as I tell my kids (and constantly remind myself), you can make every situation you’re in better or worse.

Today I’m taking the liberty of sharing a gift that was given to our family shortly after Tim’s mountain biking accident on Labor Day weekend 2010. I say “taking the liberty” because I don’t like to embarrass my friends by talking about how wonderful they are. And I don’t want to encroach on someone else’s grief. But this gift is a reminder that you can take the pain from your own life and make it into something meaningful for others.

[Read more…] about Life Lessons: The Perfect Gift

Your Ideal Bookshelf / Weekend Links

A book-loving reader told me about Jane Mount, an artist who “paints portraits of people through the spines of their favorite books: the ones that changed your life, that defined who you are, that you read again and again.” Jane will paint your personal bookshelf, but she also sells prints of ready-made bookshelves that feature everything from Jane Austen to Tolkien to contemporary literature to children’s books. As I clicked through shelf after shelf of wonderful books, it was hard to pick just one to show you! Jane also sells notecard versions of the bookshelves. Wouldn’t a set of cookbook or gardening notecards be a fantastic gift?

What books would you include on your ideal bookshelf? I’d love to hear.

While I’m pondering which books to include on mine, here are some fun links for you:

  • I’ve never had roasted radishes before, but I’m intrigued.
  • I’d love to learn how to make these. My gift-giving would rise to a whole new level.
  • This game sounds like fun—should we save it for a hot day this summer?
  • Have you ever been to an Around the Clock Bridal Shower? I went to one long before cool free printables like this were around.
  • I love this gorgeous new poster for kids by Rosa.
  • Free fonts for your crafting projects.
  • Birthday cake batter popcorn. For real.
  • I know my life would be easier if I used the slow cooker more. These 15 recipes look promising—especially the lemon garlic chicken and the carnitas.
  • If you’re short on space (and even if you aren’t), you might love this charming wine box garden.

Do you have fun plans for the weekend? I’m hoping to get caught up on things around the house in between baseball (Andrew has a 50-inning game on Sunday!) and the usual round of activities. I’m itching to buy the baskets of ferns for the front porch and plant the window box, but I don’t know if I dare. We have such tricky weather around here.

I also wanted to say thank you for your thoughtful comments about love notes. You reminded us that what lies at the heart of simple traditions like this is mindfulness. I thought of all of you with gratitude this morning as I tucked notes into lunchboxes.

I hope you have a great weekend!