All About My Mom

My mom came and stayed a week with us while my daycare was closed for the Christmas holiday. She has done this the last couple years, and this year, as part of my way of telling her how thankful I am, I thought I'd write a little blog about her.  She reads my blog, she comments, so I know she'll probably be thaaaaa-rilled to be a topic of one!

My mom, who many of you know, is Darla.  I feel weird posting her last name, partially because she hyphenates it, and also she already has enough problems with buying things online herself and having her credit card information stolen that I'm not about to make it easier for someone to steal her identity.

Darla still lives in my hometown, out on a homestead with my dad (cantankerous old man that he is) and my little sister, Tona (cantankerous 11 year old that she is).  She also has a dog, Gizmo, whom she has found a little furry life partner in.  Gizmo and I don't really get along, but he's here staying for the week.  And he's still alive.  Nuff said.

Darla...  I can't even find a good starting point to begin to describe her.  So I will instead begin to explain all the ways I'm MOST like her.  That will illustrate what a fiery little dynamo she is.

- We're both short.  She's shorter.
- We're brunette.
- We love to laugh.
- We like to tell stories that make people laugh (Sidebar: I'm considering becoming stand-up comedienne.  More to come!)
- Some might call us "crazy".  I prefer the term "colorful".
- We both love my kids, but she gets to spoil them and I get to be the hard ass.  (Sidebar: I think I should also become a private detective, and get a reality show, and have my mom be on it so we could do good cop/bad cop interrogations and solve mysteries.  More to come!)

My mom is giving.  Almost to a fault, but I think that brings up a huge difference I find between my mother and I.  She is very giving, and I'm considerably less giving.  I give charitably on occasion, but Darla goes out and gets an entire family presents for Christmas.  She wrapped each and every one of the gifts, with a name tag and spent hours doing it, for people she hadn't met.  They were just a family that she knew that were in need.  She tries to make sure she's available to those that really need her.  She's a life-long friend, unless you do something like lie to her, but if you are good to her she'll be a listening ear and shoulder to cry on whenever you need one.

She's also currently going back to school full time to further her degree in nursing, and I thus far have not even called MSU to find out about seeing an advisor (or paying my 11 year old parking ticket).  She just completed a semester and will be carrying a full course load in January.  The last few years have been a little bit of a quagmire of medical crap and she hasn't always been feeling 100%, but 2011 really got a kick in the ass when she decided to make some big life changes, so far all for the better, and I couldn't be more thrilled to see my mom excited and determined to finish what she started.

Also, she cleaned my entire kitchen, you guys.  Top to bottom.  My kitchen hasn't looked like this since I moved in.  I didn't ask her to, it wasn't part of her staying here, but I feel like a thank you card will be in order for how much she (and Tona) did while they were here.  She tries to make my life easier, she encourages me to follow my dreams and she is a role model for me in a lot of ways, just as I hope to one day be a role model for the kind of person I want Elora to be.

To all my readers, please offer Darla a hearty thanks for being such a good mom to an ingrate like me.  Without her, there would be no "La Madre Loca".  She's the original, she's the best, and I love her very much.  Thanks for being amazing, Mom!  ILYBAM!