I was a really great mom, before I had kids. I was going to show everybody how it was supposed to be done. It’s easy to be exceptional when it’s all in theory. But when the reality of life smacks you in the face, you see things a little differently. Running a home and meeting the needs of a family is very hard work.
What’s the old quote attributed to Mark Twain? “My father was an amazing man. The older I got, the smarter he got.”
Well, it applies to mothers, too. I used to roll my eyes so far back, I could see my brain. Turns out, Mom was right about a lot of things. Here are some gems:
“Clean from top to bottom” How much time does this tip save? Doesn’t matter if you’re dusting furniture or washing windows. Use gravity to your advantage and let the dirt fall where you’ve yet to clean.
“Try washing towels without soap” Are your towels feeling a little crispy? Run a load of towels with a cup of vinegar and no laundry detergent and see how soft and fluffy they turn out.
“Nothing is better than a cast-iron skillet” Cast iron is having a trendy comeback but in my family, it never left. Mom swore by the well-seasoned, nonstick surface, even when us kids bought her the newest, coolest Teflon sets. Nothing retains heat better for even cooking. It’s impervious, from stovetop, to oven to grill and easy to clean without a worry. You use less oil, there are no harmful chemicals and you get trace amounts of iron added to your food. Cast iron, for the win.
“Eat your veggies” Moms have said this long before we had the scientific data to back this up. But now we do. There’s no denying our bodies need vegetables to be healthy. I’m kinda glad we didn’t have “Eat the rainbow” or “Get your five a day” as a kid. Mom would have been all over that. Did your mom go through the carob kick? It’s not chocolate, Mom, we can tell.
“Have a good cry” Few things are more cathartic than a good snotty cry. It releases those feel-good chemicals in your brain and you can deal with whatever ails you in a better frame of mind. When you were done, Mom knew a slice of cucumber over each eye would reduce the red, puffy look.
“Everything looks better in the morning” I’ve always been a worrier. So much so I couldn’t sleep at night. Mom gave me a yellow legal pad to keep by my bedside. She told me to write everything that was spinning around in my head, so it’d be there to contemplate in the morning. Looking at the list with fresh eyes makes everything manageable. I can’t thank you enough for this one, Mom.
If you’re still blessed to have your mom, give her a hug or a call. Plan for Mother’s Day on May 13. And remember: If at first, you don’t succeed, try doing it the way your mom told you to do it.
Frugal and Fabulous fodder contributed by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! www.divasonadime.com Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom