Mother's Day gifts

So another Mother's Day has passed. Even though I had to work half the day, it was still a wonderful day and I was blessed to spend most of it with my family.

Earlier last week I was asked what I wanted for Mother's Day and so I spent some time contemplating my answer. I remembered thinking that back in the day, when I was a young mom with little kids, that all I really wanted when Mother's Day rolled around was maybe a nice new purse instead of a diaper bag or a pretty new dress instead of more comfy clothes or maybe date night with free babysitting. Those were the things I truly wished I'd get for Mother's Day.

But last week as I sat for a minute and thought of ideas, I wondered if I should ask for flowers or some new kitchen gadgets or maybe a new necklace. I would like all that but as I looked around my cluttered and dingy house, I thought to myself, to be honest, you know what I really want? I want someone to walk in here and clean the baseboards in the whole house. Serious. And I want my ceiling fans and wood blinds dusted, and someone other than myself to replace the toilet paper roll. I want my couches professionally cleaned, since they haven't ever, and I want someone to go to the hassle of taking down all my drapes, washing them and hanging them all back up.

And for crying out loud, I want my third daughter's black and white baby picture, printed 9 years ago, finally framed and hung with her sisters. If you walk up the stairs, a stranger would think I only have two kids. Speaking of the stairs, I want the stairwell walls finally finished being painted, which has sat unfinished for over 6 years, so long I've almost totally forgotten about it. And while I'm talking walls, every single one of them needs a good scrub down and the paint touched up. The bathroom walls are starting to change color cause they need cleaned so bad. That would be glorious to walk in and have a fresh clean room!

These are all things in the house that NEVER get done but yet I look at all the time and wish it would magically be completed. Like, what about all the wall vent covers? Every one of them needs removed and soaked but they are so low on the to-do list that it's not even funny.

They are right there on the list next to baseboards. Above them on the list would have to be getting my plants repotted, which currently are barely squeezing themselves into ancient pots and begging me for space! And maybe above that would be the inside of the oven with all the blackened and caked on frozen pizza spillage, which is in a three-way tie with the top of the fridge and the stove vent filter. All those guys need some major attention.

So I guess what I'm saying is, that when it comes right down to it, those are the things I REALLY would like for Mother's Day. Someone to fly in and tackle all that dumb stuff that irks me when I see it but I don't have the time, energy, or will, to do it. To wake up on Mother's Day and all the weeds are pulled, all my windows cleaned, and the deck furniture shampooed, I would think I hit the jackpot!

This year, though, I appreciated my homemade cards, flowers and dinner, and all of my family did vacuum and dust while I was at work so that was great! But maybe next year, I'll ask for some sparkling clean baseboards and dust-free blinds instead ...