Happy Mother’s Day to all the loving and selfless moms out there.  Although I am only mother to a furry creature I am continually impacted by all mothers, both in my personal and professional life.  I know many extraordinary mothers, especially my own mother (obviously), my sister, my sister-in-law, my mother-in-law, and the courageous mothers I meet every day who raise children with the most devastating disabilities.  (I am still not sure how they manage.)  Happy day to you all!  Can you believe that the most recent picture I have of my mother and I is from two years ago at my wedding?  That is what living across the country will do.  Like most mother/daughter relationships we’ve certainly had our share of struggles (I was quite the dramatic teenager) but in the end there are several lessons I have gleamed from her.  The top ten bits of wisdom I have learned from my mother:

10.) Make a giant pot of coffee in the morning and reheat in the microwave throughout the afternoon rather than making additional pots.

9.) Don’t wax off your eyebrows, no matter what is in style.

8.) It’s okay to go out in public sans makeup (not that she ever would, but she definitely wanted my sister and I to feel comfortable doing so).

7.) Have something chocolate every day.

6.) It’s easier to do a task right away rather than letting it fester, which makes it take longer and is usually more difficult.  

5.) Always take daily vitamins.

4.) Bring a water bottle everywhere.

3.) Sometimes the most unthinkable decision is the right one to make.

2.) Invest in quality facial creams to look much younger than your years.  This is why I started using under eye cream when I was 20 years old.

1.) You are never too old to do awesome stuff.  At 62(!) my mom goes on several week-long scuba diving adventures, rafts the Grand Canyon, and travels around the world…none of which she started doing until her early 50s.  Not too shabby.

Happy Mother’s Day!  What have you learned from your mother?