like mother like daughter
Though Sunday was the official day we celebrated all the mama's, there's not a day that goes by I don't think about my Mom in some way.
We currently live on opposite sides of the country from one another, and I know I don't tell her enough how much I have appreciated everything she's done for me and my brothers.
She made our brown bagged lunches every day growing up and dedicated an incredible amount of time driving us to & from soccer games, dance classes & a variety of after school programs. She made our home not just a home for our family, but all of our friends (which meant oatmeal chocolate chip cookies made regularly). My mom was my biggest encourager growing up, always pushing me to go beyond what I thought I was capable of. It was that encouragement that built up my confidence and has significantly contributed to the creative risk taker I am today.
Lately, I've been catching myself thinking of my mom when having major ""I'm turning into my Mother" moments.
We've all been there, right? Maybe?
I think sometimes there's a tendency for people to get weirded out when these instances pop up.
For me, I find it funny and am just embracing it.
Today I want to share some of these idiosyncrasies with you.
I know I'm turning into my Mother when...
1.) Ordering food at a restaurant. My brothers and I like to poke fun at the fact our Mom always asks the wait staff what they recommend before place an order. I now often find myself narrowing down to two choices and pulling the, "I'm thinking of getting ______ or _______; what do you recommend?"
2.) I turn off overhead lights. My Mom used to come into my bedroom growing up, turn the overhead light off and switch on a lamp. I never understood why. I still don't, but I've also come to really dislike overhead lights and turn them off whenever I can.
3.) In the passenger seat. I've become such a backseat driver. It's probably the most annoying thing ever for my boyfriend/road trip partner in crime, Will. But I mean...safety first.
4.) In the drivers seat. I always told my mom she turned her blinker signals on too early. I am definitely guilty of that now.
5.) I choose to walk every morning. I used to run whenever I could, but now I just walk....and that's pretty much my Mom's jam most mornings as well.
6.) Watching movies or T.V. shows & I rattle off random facts about the celebs on screen. This one honestly amazes me because I don't keep up with celebrity gossip like I used to, nor do I own a T.V. But then there's Netflix...
Anywho, My Mom is so good at watching something and being able to tell you facts about who's on screen. A few weeks ago, while watching GIRLS, I felt so inclined to share that Marnie's Mom = "Rita Wilson, who is married to Tom Hanks" <-- such a Ceilism (Ceil is my mom's name by the way).
7.) I cringe at loud noises. Whenever anyone in our house would accidentally drop something which was followed with a boom/bang/or crash, you'd here my Mom immediately get up and go "what was that?!" ---I too get startled by loud noises. I find myself biting my tongue when my natural reaction is to blurt, "what was that?!" ---even after a bar of soap falls on the ground.
8.) Collecting things for people because they just once told you they liked a certain something. For example: my friend Justin is into documenting mushrooms & fungi; whenever I see a mushroom postcard or notebook I pick it up for him (my Mom does this kinda thing too).
9.) I get cranky at night. I generally don't call home after 6:00pm PST because that means it's 9:00pm on the east coast and Ceil is not a happy camper. But that's okay, I'm not really either. But at least we're both very chipper in the morning :)
10.) I fall asleep in the car. Ok I actually don't think my Mom falls asleep so easily as I do in the car, but recently found this picture and really identified with it.
These clearly don't glorify my Mother, and I could certainly go on about all the amazing and incredible traits she possess. But I want to celebrate these simple instances, because day to day, when I find myself turning off the overhead light and telling Will to slow down on the freeway, I smile on the inside knowing my Mom would do the same. -emidobz