I recently blogged about a great mommy moment, and it's still sitting in the front of my mind as one that I'll remember for a very long time.
(my post ~ http://retta.blogspot.com/2007/04/being-dylans-mom.html)

Dylan being the oldest has earned me the title of Miss Dylan's Mom quite frequently in life. Even kids that know the younger three have called me that. The exception to that has been the baseball team, a lot of them will call me Miss Loretta, but hey, I'll admit that my name is hard for a kid to remember and sometimes to say, especially with those missing front teeth! So, this year I've also been called Miss Coach, Miss Coach's Wife, and a bunch of other crazy things.

But this morning at the bus stop I was once again Dylan's Mom. With all four boys in school I've been called that less frequently. Sometimes I get to be their mom too! So the kids are getting on the bus and there's a substitute bus driver so it's taking awhile as they all say hello to her. And a young girl at the end of the line looks over and says, "Bye Miss Dylan's mom have a good day." I was surprised by it because I didn't recognize her from Dylan's classroom and she continued, "you know, I like Dylan a lot, he's the most nicest kid on our whole bus. All of us think so." And she kind of motioned her hand to her three friends standing with her in line. I was so proud of him at that moment. Then I realized that's the little girl that always sits behind him on the bus, and he helped her little sister when one of the big kids was picking on her. She was thankful to him for it (and I think she might have been crushing just a tad too!) How cute and sweet is that?? I am very happy to be Dylan's mom today (and everyday!)

This is a cool mother's day contest! Good luck everybody :)

Help! You have the perfect ICON for "Don't Buy Gas May 15" . I wrote to crumely@crumely.org and it came back... Can you please reply to me "con permiso, por favor" to use the logo on myspace.com/club562 AND theprimespot.com I also want to mention it on TPSradio.org . It is hilarius and so true, boo hoo! KaRi

PS This is a great idea, and I believe "A Family that Blogs Together Stay Together". Communication is key in every family!

When my father passed, I think my mother and I exchanged roles somehow. I find myself worrying about her, and when she goes out, I want her to call and check in, letting me know she is okay.

My mother has started dating again. She met a nice guy, and listening to her talk on the phone to him, I hear the joy in her voice again, and a spark has been lit. It's fun to watch her "come back" to herself this way again. After 4 years of her being alone, to see her become part of a relationship with a man is neat. All I want is for her to be happy, and seeing her vibrant and excited to be sharing time with someone special, it's sort of like coming full circle. She wanted that for me after my divorce, and I was blessed to meet another wonderful man and companion.

Who knew I'd be the one waiting to hear how her dates went, and listen to her giggle and smile as she falls in love all over again. It's dynamic. I love her dearly and it's a beautiful thing.

My very first blog a few weeks ago was about my mom:
JC Penney Catalog Model

When my now 16 year old stepson was in second grade, his teacher hosted a cookout at the lake for the class. The kids were all finished eating and were ansy to go play, but the teacher told them to wait until an adult could go with them. i stood up, told her I was finished, and would go out with them. We went outside the pavillion and started playing and chasing each other around. One of the little girls came up to me and asked who I was. i told her I was Matt's "Step Monster". We all laughed and went back to playing. A few minutes later, a *very* shy little girl walked up to me and quietly said, "Most people don't like their stepmoms, but you're kinda cool." It made my day.

My grandmother was the most important woman in my life. She was ahead of her time. As a young woman she joined the Army and served as a nurse during WWII. She worked as a nurse and returned to college after she started her family. Armed with a masters degree in education, she devoted the remainder of her life to helping the children in the rural South Carolina town that I grew up in. She wrote one of the first federal grant proposals advocating free & reduced breakfast provided at school for children who would otherwise go hungry until lunchtime. She was an amazing woman. In a cruel twist of fate, she was stricken with Alzheimer's disease. The disease had robbed her of much of her memory by the time I gave birth to my first child. It was hard for me to come to terms with the fact that she would not know her great-grandaughter.... her namesake. After her passing, my entire family met at her house to tackle the difficult task of cleaning it out. Tucked in a drawer by her bed, my mother found a small photo album. On the first page it said, "My Baby." It was filled with pictures of my daughter.

I miss you, Mamaw. Happy Mother's Day.

to tell you the truth i can't just pick one story about her life that stands out. she overall is such a remarkable woman that everyday being around her is such a blessing.as far back as i can remember, she has always worked at least two jobs to be able to support me. she always wanted the best for me so when she was never home to spend time with me i knew it wasnt because she didnt care, but becuase she wanted to make sure i could get the best education at my private school. she even worked up until 8 days before she had me, so she could save as much money to support me as she could. my dad has never been around and it has been only her through it all.
not only is she a mother to me ,but she looks out for everyone i know as well. when she was only 16, her mother committed suicide while her father was fighting in the war. all of a sudden, she was forced to get a job and raise my aunt all on her own. she also does so much for the people in our neighborhood. theres a bunch of elderly people around our home and at least once a week, she will be the one taking them to the docotrs or to get check ups because their family is too busy for them. she told me that she will neevr be to busy for anyone in need. thats probably why she is a paramedic. she works not stop, doing 24 hour shifts at a time and even though that seems like alot, she has even more on her plate than that.
last december she was diagnosed with breast cancer. when she first found out she didnt tell me in hopes to keep my spirits high. well eventually i found out and she told me what was going to take place. her birthday is on christmas eve and this year she never got to celebrate it. she had to get her surgery a day before and was in so much pain and misery that she was barely awake enough to get a birthday hug and kiss from me. as bad as that was, the doctor informed us that she had to get a second one, to ensure the cancer wouldnt come back. now that all ofther sugeries are over, she is going trhough chemotherapy and is getting very sick. she lost all of her hair isn't the same old active person she used to be but will never let anyone see how saw she is inside. even with all of this going on she is still working full time and you can never seem to catch her with out a smile on her face. i just wanted to say I love you mom and your truly are my hero.

Hi. 'Icia's mom here. She asked me to read these and "judge" 'em. Well, I began dabbing tears almost immediately. I'm telling Alicia in a e-mail where the Wallhog should go so she can present it in her own way, but these are all wonderful.

I had wanted to put something in, but my head is sort of full of junk right now. Alicia's dad is in Afghanistan and when he comes back we have to move to Texas because his Air Force career has suddenly been lengthened. We hadn't been planning on this so it's already more overwhelming than any other move we've made.

I'd like to say something about being a mom to Alicia, Austina, and Sarah-Ginny that's related to our "move-here-and-there" life. All my girls are beautiful young women now and I'm so proud of them. But right this minute it occurs to me that I'm most thankful and proud that they weathered the rootless life we had and only the good from that life remains. It was never easy for anyone, but I know they had it hard with changing schools and houses and friends. Thank you, A-1 Daughters (that's their dad's e-mail tag for when he writes to all of them) for truly being God's Princesses and blessing me as your mom.