Pharrell, The Voice & Dancing with the Stars–Happy Mother’s Day to my UBER-cool Mom

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Happy Mother’s Day to one and all that have the privilege of being a mom, stepmom and Grandmother.  

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My Days of being a Mother started 17 years ago when my eldest daughter graced my world.  She was followed by a sister almost three years later and a brother two years after that.  They continues to inspire me and make me a better mother.  For me, their is no greater job then being their mother.  I could not be happier then I am today with my three teens – honestly, no word of a lie.
Today I told each and everyone of my children, when they wished me a Happy Mother’s Day, 

To be truthful, the only person that has made me a better mother is MY MOTHER. Lita.  She is the single most important person in my life today (well most days) but how do you have favourites when you have a husband, children and other family members that impact your life.  I cannot just single her out one day a year because most days is Mother’s Day with my mom.  She is that important.

A few years back I wrote a post on Father’s Day about my father when he was still alive and I read it to him one day.  He loved it.  It was a post about lessons that I had learned from my dad.  It stands true today as the day I wrote it. My father is not the only one with words of wisdom.
My mom recently told me that she was so glad that my dad had heard my words of love and admiration. She then said to me: “Don’t save those words of praise for when I am gone.  Tell me them often when I am still alive to hear them”.  So as I have been percolating this blog post for Mother’s Day for a while, I wonder what I can say to my mother that she doesn’t already know.  I tell her I love her whenever I see her, heck, I say that whenever I say good bye to her on the phone.  I tell her she is the greatest mom ever.  I guess the one thing that stood out recently, is that my mom is UBER-cool and that is why I love her so.

My mother is on Facebook.  She discovered the virtues of being on FB when she realized that she could connect with her sisters and brother that live abroad.  She is friends with her grandchildren (unbelievable to me).  She mainly takes it in and posts infrequently unless one of her children posts for her.  She also communicates on Skype with her sisters. Recently she was speaking to her goddaughter (my cousin) in Colombia and my aunt in Quito, Ecuador.  She loved it… I mean really loved the technology that lets her do that.  Nothing phases her… she has embraced electronics and loves the iPad my sister gave her a few years back.  Her only lament is that it does not have a camera…Why?  Well because she is also on instagram, of course…
I love it… she is on I.N.S.T.A.G.R.A.M… just so she can keep track of her globe-trotting grandchildren.  Word of warning: don’t post anything you would want your grandmother to see…#justsayin’.  So when we take pictures now she says: “Don’t forget to post that on Facebook so my sisters can see it”.

Recently, we had dinner at her house and as part of the usually lively and entertaining conversation after dinner, she was telling us about the great music award show that she had watched earlier that week.  We couldn’t figure out which one she was referring to. She said all her favourites from The Voice where there: Shakira (She’s a Colombian national – need I say more?), Usher, Blake Shelton and her ‘favourite’ Adam Levine (he is so ‘churro’ she said – that’s Hispanic slang for ‘hottie’).
She was apt to go on about all the singers, what they were wearing, what they sang and she even said she just loved that guy with the hat… the Mountie hat (we all know that it Pharrell Williams, right?).
Just then my second daughter turned to her and said “You know Pharrell?  Lita, you are so cool”.

Yes, she is indeed cool.  

If I told you her age, I would not live long enough to see my next birthday.  Suffice to say, I am celebrating my big 5-0 this summer and I am the youngest of five children.  I keep telling her if people actually knew your age, they would be amazed because you don’t look like you are in your…. oops… I almost slipped.  

My UBER-cool mom is also a big fan of Dancing with the Stars.  Don’t be messing with her schedule and invite her to dinner on the wrong night.  If you do, she’ll need you to wrap it up so she can head home and watch the show.  She just loves it!

Another favourite was Piers Morgan (she was so disappointed when they cancelled his show on CNN) but she is just as happy watching Anderson Cooper 360.  An avid ‘citizen of the world” she also loves watching Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.  It just makes her realize that there are so many places that she still needs to visit in this world. I’m not sure she would try some of the delicacies that he features on his show but she is willing to consider it.  She is not one to hide her head in the sand or keep her world view to just London, Ontario.  She watches the news and keeps up on politics, world affairs and (just a little bit of) celebrity gossip.

Being a fashionista is another one of her trend setting traits.  Whether in her hometown of Bogota, Colombia or traveling the world with her children or her sisters or her daughter-in-law, my mom loves to dress well.  There is nothing she loathes more then sweat pants for women and baggy pants for boys.  She is a very talented seamstress that has made suits, pants, skirts and wedding dresses.  She made quite a few formal and semi-formal dresses when I was in university.  I dress well because my mom set the standard.  I found out as a young women that you should never leave the house without applying some lipstick and wearing a good (fashionable) pair of shoes and a handbag.  These are guiding principles that still guide me as I am rushing out the door.

Other Lita rules for a good life:

Girls and women don’t drink beer (but if they must, always drink it out of a glass). This is something her daughter-in-law and I ignore as we love a good cold beer – in a glass.

Wear lipstick and brush your hair before you leave the house.

Wear black if you are in morning or you see the Pope in person.

Always give you husband the best piece of beef and the biggest piece of pie.  That rule in particular drives me batty… but she does it EVERY time.

Never drive a dirty car.

Monkeys are dirty and should be avoided at all times (yeah, don’t ask).
Butter is the best ingredient in any recipe.
Garden’s must be cultivated (both literally and figuratively).

Who’s the parent? (I say that to my kids when dissension is in the air). You are the Parent. So BE the Parent.

Always have a good wine when you invite people over (even if its Mother’s Day lunch)

Benevolence is very important.

Go to church and thank God for all that you have. AND Your Faith in God will see you through anything because ‘God is Good’.

When you lose something pray to St. Anthony
When you embark on a trip, always say a prayer (we do that every time we travel as a family… every time).

Never put your purse on the ground as all your money will disappear, quickly.
If you are unsure what to do, ask:  “What would Lita say about you doing this?”  Stops my kids in their tracks… don’t cross Lita.

and lastly

Love your spouse and your children because they are the ONLY reason for living and by doing so, you will lead a happy, fruitful and fulfilling life.

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