Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Mothers Edition

Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~ Every Thursday at Like Mother Like Daughter

This week's edition is brought to you by two moms, though one is just pretending:

First off, the music is gone!  Sheesh, it was really getting on MY nerves and I'm the one who selected it and put it there.  My apologies.

Second, because it needs to be mentioned as it's rattling around in my brain and won't stop until I do, the last of the purchases in preparation for the prom (say that three times fast):

Pretty

Which to choose, which to choose?  We felt the one on the left (her right) was more suitable, but it's actually a necklace that will need to be converted.  The one(s) on the right (her left, just to be extra confusing) are a set of three that aren't quite as suitable but they're actually honest-to-goodness bracelets.  So we bought them both (all?) just so we have a back-up plan.  And I've kept the receipt, of course...

Happy 

I pretty much despise Mothers' Day.  It's just a day with many painful memories and has become fraught with anxiety for me.  So it's a very low-key event at our house.  No gifts, no flowers, no hoopla.  But this year Redheaded Snippet did give me a gift: she played Mama and did my work for the day.  I was made to relax all day long, and was even unceremoniously shooed out of the kitchen at one point, while she did the cleaning and cooking I usually do.  She made the dinner as seen above.

Lasagne.  With meat.  From scratch.  Well, she didn't make the noodles, so perhaps it can't be considered strictly homemade, but she did everything else herself.  It was dang tasty, too!  She thought it was too savory, but everyone else thought it was wonderful!  And it was wonderful not having to cook or clean up!  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Funny

I think Calvin thoroughly enjoyed himself as well.  This is pretty much the face I get whenever I point a camera in his direction.

Pay no attention to the disembodied "practice" head in the background!

I would imagine this needs some explaining for it is truly weird.  Cooking and cleaning in my place wasn't the only Mama role-playing Redheaded Snippet did this week.  She has a project for her Psych class that requires her and a male partner to "become parents".  They had to "create" a baby, create a birth story and bring the baby and photo documentation of the "birth" to class.  So she and a friend teamed up and made "Molly" by using software that morphed images of their faces into that of a baby girl.  I'll explain the lightning bolt on the forehead in a moment but I bet you're probably way ahead of me there if you read the same books I do...

This is the story they decided on: Molly was left on their doorstep a la Harry Potter, hence the lightning bolt tattoo.  This is the "discovery" of their wee foundling (like a photographer would ever be on hand for such an event).

"Do you have something to tell me?"
"It's not MINE!"

This project is pretty involved.  They "bought" a house today and Redheaded Snippet actually spent 20 minutes telling me about its three bedrooms, basement, family room, deck and the amount of the mortgage.  It was a really weird conversation to have with one's sixteen-year-old daughter, actually.  Now they're "working on their budget" and next they're "buying" a car.  And they have to take the "baby" on outings and take photos.  Snippet's "Baby Daddy" (a term I don't think I will ever type out again--icky!) is even going to get his minister father to simulate a baptism for them so they can include those photos in their portfolio!  I think that's kind of hilarious.

Real

And, finally, this is what it looks like when the reality of how exhausting it is to be Mama settles on a teen-aged girl.  I've never seen that look on her face at dinner before, but I recognized it immediately because it's usually on mine!  She was one tired but grateful young lady that night!  I got a big hug and a long thank you before she went to bed.  Sweet, sweet thing...she'll make a great mother someday when the time comes for the real thing!

Where have you found contentment this week?  It may take a little practice to recognize it, but I bet it's there!  Come join us!