All I Want For Mother’s Day is This

For Mother’s Day this year is it wrong to want everything to stay exactly the same? The hustle, the bustle and every single moment in between that keeps me running daily is enough of a gift. My kids are in the thick of spring sports with my three oldest all doing at least two athletic ventures simultaneously, while my preschooler tries his luck at soccer. Throw in field trips, class parties, practices, scrimmages, music concerts, driver’s education and a few family birthdays and it is a rainbow plethora on my color coded phone calendar.

Bustling Life=Happy Wife

My husband is busy, too. He slingshots around with work, coaching and planning his mythical garden that we do not have the time or space for maintaining. I am writing (not enough for Family Footnote, but for other outlets), parenting, playing pickleball, carpooling and using my public relations minor to mediate insignificant youth sports drama and siblings fighting over the best seat in my minivan. For both those last two scenarios, I would rather take “Get My Four-Year-Old Out of Pull-ups” for $500—Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik.

But I still wouldn’t change a thing. Especially for Mother’s Day. 

My crew will be going eight million directions over the holiday weekend. Hopefully at some point we will all convene within the same circumference for a few hundred seconds or more, but I won’t hold my breath. Because a busy life means active kids and typically a whole lot of fun.

I Know I’m Fortunate

There are a lot of things I take for granted, but racing around for my children is never one of them. I had a hard pregnancy road. There is no need to dwell further because everyone has a sad story or two, but that bumpy life chapter probably made me a much better person, mother and wife. So Happy Early Mother’s Day to me from my pre-pregnancy days. It was a hard and meaningful gift that continues to give.

I have written before about running and gunning or losing steam which is why I continue to embrace the chaos. That’s the mantra I go with everyday. Many probably think my spouse and I are crazy because we constantly chase our kiddos, but busy adolescents have less time for drugs and alcohol. Right? And super active youngsters get breaks from the screens and social media that plague daily life. At least that is my hope!

Carpool & Conquer

The carpooling efforts get tedious. However, time in the vehicle with my children and their friends or teammates gives me an almost secret backstage pass to kid life. I can overhear conversations and have some heartfelt one-on-one talks. I wish my husband and I did not have to divide and conquer so much, but even that has a plus side. He and I always have stories to retell after a long afternoon of him shuttling the boys to their activities and me directing traffic with our daughters. Or vice versa. The moments of catching up after a busy day let us connect and see sides of our children from a different set of eyeballs.

I will take that for Mother’s Day and every other day out of the year. Always. Twenty-something Kelly endured a time when being a mom really did not look like it would be in the cards. So forty-something Kelly is ecstatic to have a gang of kids to trail after and call her own.

Fun Full Days

For this weekend, my celebration of motherhood will involve my husband packing up our eight-year-old for flag football and baseball happenings. Both of which occur in the span of four hours. Meanwhile, I will most likely ride with a fellow mom to my daughter’s out of town soccer tournament. Then if the stars align, my sons and husband will make it in time for the second match because “Fútbol is life!”. My oldest will be missing in action as she attends a band trip, but she knows to send me text messages and a few selfies.

I might not get to see my own mom for Mother’s Day, which is a bummer. I already have her gift though, which means I am winning! Also, in the next few days, my folk’s house has a high percentage chance of being a pit stop location en route to a long and cold track meet. This means gift delivery and early celebration could occur. That is if I can remember to grab the present and my insulated pants as I head out the door to watch running and field events.

For actual Mother’s Day, my family has a solid chance of all being together on the pitch that Sunday while my youngest daughter does what she loves. Being on the sidelines for my kids is probably my favorite spot right now, so I will take it! (And maybe enjoy an iced coffee or large diet coke to keep the contentment flowing.)

Happy Mother’s Day

And that is why it is easy to write that I just want what I already have for Mother’s Day. Fun times with my family in this busy life. I am okay with it not slowing down, but I wish it didn’t always have to go so dang fast. Because these moments make precious memories.

For Mother’s Day, I don’t want a bouquet of roses or chocolates. I really would prefer this time to freeze because we are all in excellent motion as a family. I worked hard for these babies of mine, so enjoying them is the best possible present.