But as I grow up and have my own children I am starting to learn things about her that I never realised.
1- she does not have OCD.
When I was growing up my mum used to vacuum our house 2-3 times a day and I used to always joke she had OCD about vacuaming. As I sit here tonight after vacuaming the house four times today. I realise that no she wasn't over the top, no she wasn't OCD, but unless you want your ten month old to fill up on a mix of cut paper, old food, dirt and whatever else your older kids have dropped, vacuuming becomes your best friend.
2. She wasn't blonde, just sleep deprived. We used to joke that my mum was blonde, there were many stories that bought tears of laughter to our eyes, of wallets in fridges, orange juice on cereal, to my favorite paying for drive thru food and driving off, but now I sit here with a growing list of my own embarrassing stories and I realise that sleep deprivation causes you to do crazy things.
3. Why she helped us clean our room.
Now growing up mum used to always ask us to clean our room, and often after us attempting to clean our room and ending up with it still messy a week later we would come home from school to a clean bedroom. As a child I used to think mum liked helping us, that she got pleasure from cleaning, and whilst there may be so people out their that do. I think there is a much simpler reason. Trying to clean with young kids is hard work, they don't want to throw anything out, all of a sudden they need to go to the toilet repetitively, not to mention there level of clean is not the same as yours.
4. Washing.
It's evil.
Enough said.
Seriously though your washing pile is never ending, and even if you do wash, dry and put your clothes away that moment of satisfaction will last 1-2 minutes max before your kids get changed, spill something and it starts all over again.
5. How much work went into our birthdays.
I am one of 5, and whilst we didn't have parties each year, mum would always make us a cake - (gotta love the women's weekly birthday cake book)
My oldest sister would start the year with the first birthday mum would make her favorite meal there would be Presents, decorations. Then five days later she would do it all over again for my twin sister and I. This time there would 2 cakes and 2 favorite meals.
There was the year she let my brother invite all the boys in his class over for his birthday. I think 20 eight or nine year old boys.
Now as our birthday season is upon us and I spend late nights continuing the tradition of homemade birthday cakes and favorite meals I really appreciate the time and effort she put in
