Monday Musings – MOM edition
No more music! The website I used the music before from is out of business or something? Strange – I guess I need a new music company… I wish I could post songs from my iPod on here to play.
Well, here we go – questions in honor of mom! Comment away! 
1) What was your favorite meal that your mom cooked for you growing up? (And maybe still your favorite today!)
2) What thing did your mom do that embarrassed you the most?
My mom passed away from Alzheimers in 2005 – a little over three years ago now. She was sick and didn’t really know us for at least three years before that. It’s weird that Mother’s Day is not really hard for me though. I guess I have my own kids and me being a mom is a distraction. But, I guess to me it’s no harder than any other day. I thought about her a lot more today than usual, but I guess it being Mother’s Day doesn’t make it any harder than the other days to me. God gave me a GREAT Whisper today – one I can’t wait to share this week. (Are you listening and watching for your Whispers? Check here if you don’t know what I’m talking about! What a blessing to read this week!)
Mom started to get sick around the time I got married – age 20; she was only 54 when she died. That makes a lot of years – 11 now – that I’ve been without her as an active part of my life so I guess I’ve had time to heal some. I’ve missed her at the birth of every child, holidays, and tough times. She was a great listener and was very empathetic – I miss that the most day to day.
My mom wasn’t perfect – who is?, but I definitely choose to remember all of the good times. I regret most her not knowing her grandchildren as she ADORED children, and I know would have been an exceptional Grammy!
It’s funny the random things I do remember about her. I always wrote her notes on Mother’s Day – never store bought cards. And, my mom always lit up when you gave her anything. She loved holidays! She also was a beautiful seamstress and always had us in beautiful dresses – usually my sister and I matching – almost every Sunday. She also made me sleep on those pink foam rollers every Saturday night to have curly hair the next morning. (I didn’t have super curly hair until puberty – interesting huh? My cousin is the same way!) She also was so proud of us and our achievements – she was our biggest cheerleader and could always be heard down on the soccer field, the running track, or out on the basketball court. She could be so LOUD, but I secretly always loved it.
Okay, so enough rambling – let’s have the answers!
1) LASAGNA!! It was my favorite. I have mom’s old cookbook, and I make that lasagna now. It’s one of my favorite ways to remember her, and I made it this weekend. And, I haven’t shared that recipe yet with anyone. It’s definitely been requested! It takes forever to make so she didn’t make it very often. But, we got to pick our meal for birthdays, and that was always my request. I remember her making it for me my first weekend home from college as well. Oh, what a great cook she was! Interestingly, Katie Beth was in a Mother’s Day video at church this weekend and was asked her favorite food that her mom makes – her answer? Lasagna!
2) My mom used to dance and sing a lot! She kind of sang off tune which annoyed me to no end as a teenager. That was all fine and good, and I loved dancing with her at home when we were little. But, sometimes we’d be in a parking lot walking into Target or in the mall or something, and she would bust out with random dancing – IN PUBLIC – LIKE WHERE I KNEW PEOPLE. Oh, that was SO embarrassing! I guess it’s funny now, but I would have given anything to have been miles from her at those times! LOL!
Okay, so writing this makes me miss her a lot! I am so very thankful for the memories I do have. And, I can’t wait to see what things you write down!
I loved reading your post. My dad passed away a little over 12 years ago and as I was reading about how you knew your mom would have been a great grammy I so understood. My dad never got to see my boys either and he would have been such a good granddaddy Bob.
I was thinking of you yesterday and praying for you.
1. Banana pudding- I know its not a meal but it was awesome made from scratch down to the meringue. I’ve never been able to duplicate it. Same goes for her stuffing. I had my mom and my grandfather up for Thanksgiving several years ago and I made stuffing- it was awful!! But my sweet momma and grandaddy just ate it and smiled.
2. My mom loved to go grocery shopping (yeah I never understood that either) and I always went with her. She was one of those women who took up the whole aisle with her grocery cart as if she was the only one there. And to top it all off, she would run into people with her cart- not purposefully. I would be so embarrassed!
1. My Mom was not a cook. We had a lot of rice and frozen vegetables at dinner growing up to go with pot pies. However, she made me mosticcoli and a heart cake every year on my birthday and I treasure that memory.
2. Oddly enough, I can’t remember a lot that Mom did to embarass me (though I am sure she did a lot). I do remember her listening to 50’s and 60’s music in the car during car pools in middle school and that mortifying me as I didn’t understand why we couldn’t listen to Coyote McCloud and the Zoo Crew on Y107 every morning instead. She would let me every once in a while, but not enough for my young liking.
I know how you feel about your children not being able to know your mama. My mother is still living but my dad passed away when Britnee was a baby. My son, Brett always asks what kind of person my dad was. It is good that you can still share a piece of your mama by serving her lasagne and someday passing on that recipe to your daughter. Here are my 2 answers to your questions:
1. I am with Susan on this one, my mama’s dressing. I have tried and tried to make it the same but I need a lot more practice!
2. My mother did not embarrass me very often in public. I would get embarrassed whenever a boy came to pick me up for a date and she all of a sudden became a private investigator. She would sit the boy on our couch and ask him all sorts of questions. “What does your daddy do?” Where are you taking me daughter?” I understand now after having a daughter why she did that. Nowadays I have the best time embarrassing my own children. I did the dancing in the store a lot and sometimes still do.
My mother said “my daughter” not “me daughter.” She is Scotch-Irish but not THAT Irish!
1) Manicotti
2) I can’t remember much about her embarassing me either. We’re just alike so we’re both very aware of not wanting to hurt someone’s feelings (almost borderline people-pleaser).
Sweet post Sarah- I remember you telling me you have never given out those recipes of your Moms…
What a great way to remember your Mom though with her famous lasagna! Oh and Katie Beth was precious in the video at church yesterday!
1- Favorite meal- she used to make homemade pizza for us- it had a thick yeasty, crust that was delicious! She always made them in the same pans, the small thicker pan was for her and Dad which usually was topped with pepperoni and green pepper. My other fave would be her ribs (which she put in our MOPS cookbook), white beans and cornbread meal, which I requested and she made on my birthday Friday!
It was yummy!
2- Mom didn’t too often embarrass me- she was always around whatever I was involved in, so I was used to her being there. I love her silly wit though- she makes me laugh by some of the silly things she says sometimes. We have a few running jokes in my fam with her about past things she has said.
1.) I have tried to think of just 1 thing my mom cooked that was my favorite that is just to hard my mom love to cook and try out new recipes so I have a hard time coming up with just 1 plus almost everything she makes turns out well
2.) my mom embarrass me. now I know that it did not happen to often but I could think of a time or two in a store where she embarrassed me after signs were not marked right or if the customer service was not good.