A Growing Appreciation

Something that I have learned quite a bit lately is how much I regret not saying "thank you" more often to my mother.

Over the last few months, having my own place (with Mike) has been quite an adventure. I never knew how much work it took to keep up a household. And I don't even have kids yet!!! When I was little and even to this day, my mom would always work an 8+ hour day, come home, vacuum, dust, pick up after 3 very busy and messy kids, take us to all of our sporting events, cook dinner, do the dishes, do the laundry, walk the dog, brush the dog, mow the yard, go to bed, wake up and do it all over again. And how many times do I remember giving her an extra hug or saying a simple "thank you" or offer to do the dishes one night?? Nothing comes to mind.

It wasn't until recently that I realized how much I appreciate my mom for all the things she did for me while growing up. After getting up at 5 AM every morning, leaving for work at 6:50 and not getting home til 6:00 or 7:00 if I'm working in Scappoose, the last thing that I want to do is come home and pick up and clean a house just for it to get messy again the next day. I just want to sit and relax. But having a messy house drives me INSANE so, I clean and do the dishes and cook (which I do enjoy) and do the laundry (which is the chore I despise the most) and by the time I am finished with that I am ready to go to sleep at 8:00 and do it all over again the next day. Weekends have turned into laundry days and deep cleaning days (cleaning the bathrooms, the closets and refridgerator) and its turning into my second full time job.

I now have a great appreciation for my mom and it continues to grow everyday as I struggle with keeping my sanity with always having to come home and clean.

Now, I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining, I'm not. There are somedays where I enjoy cleaning my home. There is something refreshing about having a nice clean home and it allows me to relax. I can't sit down and relax knowing that my house is a mess and there are things that need to be done. Once the house is cleaned and picked up, it's very refreshing and I enjoy that. The point of this blog is really to say:
Thank you, Mom for everything you did for Matt, Kyle and I. You really are the best. You worked hard and came home after a long day to put in another 8 hours of non-stop work. I love you!