Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Tuesday Ten - Ten Things I Learned From My Mom

Mother's Day is this Sunday.  So for today's Tuesday Ten, I wanted to honor my mom.  She's a great mom and gramdmother!  Since I've become a mother, she's also become a great friend.  I'd be totally lost without her!  I've learned more from her than I sometimes even realize.  So, Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!  I Love you!

Tuesday Ten on The Golden Spoons
 


Ten Things I Learned From My Mother
  1. How to cook. My mom is always cooking.  She cooks for our family and for other families.  If there is ever an occasion to take food somewhere, you can be assured that my mom will be there with enough to feed an army.  Throughout my childhood, I spent many hours with her in the kitchen.  I treasure those hours and I know they are the reason I enjoying cooking myself today.
  2. To carry myself like a lady.  My mom is a true southern lady and she taught me well.  She taught me the importance of manners and the importance of presenting myself in a respectable way.
  3. Proper grammar.  My mom was a high school English teacher.  In fact, she literally taught me grammar since she was my ninth grade English teacher.  She frequently corrected our grammar when we were growing up.  Although there were times when, I'm sure, I found it annoying, now I am very thankful for it.  I know the difference between your & you're.  I know when to use I or me.  I try to never end sentences with a preposition (Where are you AT = nails on chalkboard!!!) As a writer (and a person who occasionally speaks to other adults), grammar is very important and I appreciate that my mom taught me to speak properly.
  4. To Proofread.  Going along with the grammar, my mom also taught me the importance of proofreading.  Nothing irritates me more than reading silly errors on someone else's blog post or when I post myself only to find later that I missed some errors.   
  5. "Character is what you are in the dark."  This is a quote my mother repeated to my brother and me many, many times.  (Yes, mom, I still remember it!)  Basically, it means to me that you are only a truly good person if you are a good person even when you know nobody is watching what you do; when you could do the wrong thing an get away with it, but you choose to to the right thing anyway.
  6. The importance of keeping a tidy house.   Growing up, I'm sure our house wasn't spotless, but it was always generally clean and organized.  Every Saturday morning, my mom scrubbed the bathrooms and vacuumed.  She always knew where to find anything we were trying to locate.  I was always proud to have friends over.  Now that I'm a mom, I realize how difficult that must have been.  My house is certainly not spotless, but I try to keep it as neat as possible and I hope that, eventually, my girls will learn to appreciate my nagging!
  7. How to Shop.  Those Saturday cleaning sessions we often followed by an afternoon of shopping!  Mom and I talked and bonded while we went from store to store.  Those are times I treasure and we still like to shop together!
  8. Faith.  There was always an undertone of Faith in our house as I grew up.  It wasn't an in-you-face kind of faith, but it was always there.  That solid foundation has allowed me to further explore my own personal faith as an adult.  
  9. How to have a strong marriage.  My mom and dad have been married for almost 45 years and I don't recall having ever seen them fight.  Sure, they each have quirks that annoy one another from time to time, but they have a wonderful, strong relationship that is based on love, respect, and communication.  They have supported each other through all of the ups and downs of life.  They are a beautiful example of what marriage should be and what I hope mine will still be many years from now.
  10. The importance of family.  My mom and dad always put family first.  When I was younger, we had supper together around the family table.  We went to church together.  We spent time with grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Family was the center of their life and, therefore, the center of mine.  Now, we have family reunions every summer.  Who still does that anymore???  We do!!  We do it because family is where you come from and, when everything else is gone, there will still be family there to love you and support you IF you cherish them and stay connected.
**Bonus -  My mom has taught me that I am stronger than I realize.  Through a recent conversation, we were discussing an issue I struggled with for many years.  While I saw it as a struggle, my mom viewed it as a triumph.  She even says that I am her hero because I overcame it.  I had never looked at it that way and I thankful for that perspective.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!!!  I love you and I appreciate you more than you know!!!

Next Week's Tuesday Ten topic: Ten Places I Want to Visit


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24 comments:

Martha said...

I thought it odd that you didn't do a Tuesday list post, so I clicked over and Sure Enough - you had! It didn't appear on my blog reader, though. Hmm. Blogger has these little quirks now and then. Glad I checked.

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Glad you checked, too!! Blogger seems to be doing that a lot lately. I've noticed lots of bloggers joining Bloglovin, so I might have to look into that. Or try to beef up my Facebook following since I always link my posts there, too. Anyway, glad you came by and linked up!!

Tonya {The Traveling Praters} said...

What a beautiful post! Did you print this out and frame it for your mom?

Robin Reed Grosland said...

What wonderful lessons, and ones you can now pass on to your daughters. I love this: "Character is what you are in the dark." I'm going to remember that. It's perfect. What a great mom you have!

Allie Burdick said...

You're so lucky to have such an amazing relationship with your mom. This is a beautiful post!! She is obviously a very strong, smart and loving mom and has helped you become one as well.

Michelle Nahom said...

These are good ones!! The best things about the life lessons we learn is we have the opportunity to pass them on to our children as well! I think my favorite one is "character is what you are in the dark!" That is awesome!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

That has always been one of my mom's favorite "teachings." Of course, I used to find it annoying, but now that I'm a mom I totally get it. :-)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Yes she is and I hope I am as well! :-) Thank you so much for this lovely comment!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Michelle! when I was younger, I didn't realize just how awesome that one was, but now I do and I'm glad it stuck with me. :-)

Sheila Skillingstead said...

My mom was a great cook except she couldn't make spaghetti. Not bad to have one flaw. Enjoy your SITS Day.

Chris Carter said...

AW!!!! What a lovely tribute to a wonderful mom!! It looks like she taught you so many valuable lessons... :) I especially liked the bonus!!

Savvy WorkingGal said...

So many great lessons. I especially like she taught you that you are stronger than you think. Happy SITS Day.

Lauren @ Sweat The Sweet Stuff said...

Very nice! I bet your mom is proud! Visiting from SITS btw. :)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks so much!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

I especially like that too! ;-)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

I struggle with the cleaning, too! My mom set a great example and I am just trying to live up to it!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

:-) Thanks so much!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

I certainly hope she is! Thanks for stopping by!

MamaRabia said...

Becoming a mother myself has made me cherish and respect my mother so much! I love that we can share this journey together and grow closer through commonalities!

Bonding A Blended Family said...

Awesome. Sounds like you have a fantastic mom! I'm thankful that I do, as well. Hopefully some day our own kiddos will be just as thankful for us. :)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Absolutely! I couldn't agree more! :-)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Yes - hopefully they will! :-)

Mo at Mocadeaux said...

I read this post after reading your list of 20 things to teach your daughters. I love that many of the things your mom taught you are things that you want to pass along to your own daughters. I am the mom I am because of my own mother. I happy that I had such an amazing role model. Sounds like you did too! Happy SITS Day!

Andrea Millard said...

LIsa, this was a lovely post! It sounds like your Mom is one wonderful lady! She reminds me of my own Mom... How wonderful that we can have such strong women as role models in our lives! Hope you had a lovely SITS Day!

Andrea @ Cloud Nine Chic
http://www.cloudninechic.com

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