Things I miss about my mom

-just hanging out and talking about anything and everything
-commiserating about weeding and yard work (she never stopped with the yard work even when she didn't feel well--I think it was therapeutic for her but it was still fun to complain together about the never-ending weeds)
-how she taught my kids about yard work-having them pick up sticks, plant flowers, and work alongside her
-her cooking and how we used to plan Sunday dinner together
-how we both loved food network and Bobby Flay and talked about recipes and trying new things-successes and failures in the kitchen
-how fun she made birthdays--she always made the best birthday dinners and made me feel so special on my birthday
-how she would go to the temple on her birthday
-her ability to talk and relate to anyone and make anybody feel understood, respected, or appreciated.
-how she loved to walk, swim, or do yoga--anything to keep the body active and the mind healthy.
-her strong belief in the power of the sun and the importance of getting a good 20 minutes a day of vitamin D
-being able to call her to ask her all my silly medical concerns and questions-especially concerning my kids
-asking her about kid issues or asking advice on parenting-she was the best mom ever, after all...
-having someone always checking on me and making sure I'm okay when John travels.  She would have us over for dinner, sleep overs when the kids were younger, or even just an afternoon hang out.  She also would come hang out at my house if I had book club or anything else I needed to go to when John was gone.  I just knew I wasn't alone when John traveled.  It's a little more lonely these days.
-how she taught me to be a good wife and mom.  She was a really good example of that.  She liked to talk about being a submissive wife mostly because people are so anti-submissiveness these days.  :)
-talking about books.  She was always reading.  Her book club only read books but we still had great discussions about what she was reading or what I was reading.
-talking about healthy eating and healthy habits with her--with all the cancer in our family we both had an interest in getting better at this to hopefully prevent any more cancer.
-her faith and trust in God. She was diligent in her scripture study and when she couldn't sleep at night she would usually listen to general conference talks, over and over.
-her loving my babies.  She loved my babies and my kids almost as much as she loved her own kids and always wanted to hear about all the funny or weird things they were saying and doing.  I wish she could squeeze Wes.
-how she would give my dad a hard time for his frugality and extreme punctuality (it drove her crazy that he had to always get to the airport SUPER early for a flight and subsequently board early as well).  :)
-having someone around that would watch my kids for dentist or doctor appointments
-her generosity--she was always buying things for us or the grandkids, giving us money for gas or food or buying us lunch or dinner.  My sweet dad is a little bit tighter with the wallet.  :)
-being her personal shopper.  She HATED shopping and would often have me go to Costco for her or even order things online for her (she didn't even like that).  I miss running errands for her.
-mowing the lawn for her while she hung out or had my kids do other yard work.  I like mowing.  Especially the small break from my kids and she even still paid me to do it.
-her love for music--she always wanted to sing or play for her.  Or she would turn music on and do a funny arm dance with her arms to try and get us or my kids dancing with her.
-her patience with my kids--she would answer any question Esther threw at her
-her family traditions-some things are just not the same without her around to do them with
-just having someone close to me that stayed home too so I could always call her and talk or stop by and visit.  We were both in a way, "stay at home" moms.  I liked having that in common with her-I liked learning from her.
-the way she lived one day at a time. I'll admit it sometimes drove me crazy she never planned very far ahead but she was pretty fun the way she took each day as it came--I think a large part of it was she had to live that way because of her health but she seemed to enjoy it to
-holidays.  Holidays aren't even close to as fun or special without her.
-how she brought my family together.  We are not nearly as close as we used to be--she was our glue.
-her laugh, her spunky hair, her unselfish conversation (she never complained about her own pain and suffering-she would talk about anything but that!)
-most of all how she just made everything ok.  She used to always say, "It will all work out." I REALLY miss that.