Happy Belated Mother's Day!

I celebrated Mother's Day a day early with my mom...and now I'm writing about it a day after...welcome to my life.

My mom is the greatest. I don't tell her often enough, but seriously, she is the best ever. Here are 27 reasons why she is the best...one for each year she has put up with me.

1. She raised my brother and I by herself after my parents divorced. She found a pay stub from when I was younger and she paid all of our bills plus all the extra stuff we wanted...on a salary of $19,000. I've never once been hungry or in need.

2. I wasn't the nicest child to my mom growing up. I told her many, many times that I hated her. She just took it and still loved me anyway.

3. My mom has bought me 6 cars over the years. 3 that I totalled. One brand new car. She didn't have her first new car until last year.

4. My mom worked full time, went to graduate school full time, and still had time to read me bed time stories, attend my school activities, and help me with school work. Parents who say they don't have time are lying.

5. My mom sacrificed hundreds of hours of sleep on my school projects growing up. We would stay up until 4 or 5 in the morning making my presentation perfect, editing my papers, or making elaborate tri-boards. I won Invent America, Science Fair, and many other awards thanks to my moms help.

6. My mom has helped me move more times than I can count. She even moved all of my furniture plus a washer and dryer all alone while I was away at camp during college. She is amazing!

7. When I started teaching, my mom called me every single morning for 2 years to wake me up. She was my personal alarm clock. It only ended when I moved to China and we had a 12 hour time difference.

8. My mom came to China for her spring break just to visit me...she brought the best American candy and food with her!

9. My mom put up with my brother and I arguing and fighting ALOT. I'm not sure how she lived in the same house with us.

10. My mom is strange and quirky. Every day I see more of her in me. I get my strange sense of humor from her.

11. I inherited my completely flat feet from my mom. They look like Fred Flintstones feet.

12. I also inherited not having 2 permanent teeth from her. My mom took extra summer jobs just to pay for all of the dental work I've had done over the years. She needs the same work done on her own teeth, but sacrificed for me, and has never spent the money on her own teeth.

13. My mom has the best handwriting ever. She loves doing caligraphy and personalizing things. I get my love for monograms from her. Our signatures look identical. I used to forge her name on notes in high school all the time.

14. My mom let me get any pet I ever asked for. I've had a million cats, dogs, hamsters, fish, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, frogs, turtles, and chicks. She only said no to the goose and the pot bellied pig.

15. My mom loves KitKats. She thinks they are my favorite candy too. They are not. Every year for Christmas and Easter, Santa and the Easter Bunny always gave them to me....I wouldn't eat them so she got them all.

16. My mom keeps Diet Coke in business. I swear that the artificial sweeteners have contributed to her memory loss. She never drinks coffee but has to have Diet Coke to function. She only likes it in a can. Bottles and fountain drinks are gross to her.

17. My mom loves antique cars. She had a red and white Chevy Nova when she was young and always wanted another. She bought one for herself last week as a Mother's Day gift.

18. My mom can't cook. She got it from her mother. Her specialty is spaghetti. We had it alot growing up. Like 4 times a week alot.

19. My mom got remarried a few years ago...to her best friend from growing up. They have cute pictures of when they were in high school. It's weird that Michael has known my mom longer than me.

20. My mom loves digusting foods. Fried chicken livers and Circus peanuts just to name a few.

21. My mom used to draw on my boiled eggs that I took in my lunch to school. They always looked like me or my friends.

22. I like to eat apples but not when they turn brown. My mom cut my apples every day growing up so that they were still attached to the core but were in slices I could eat at lunch. They didn't turn brown. I'm still not sure how she does it.

23. My mom loves to sew. She made all of my halloween costumes growing up. She made my jumpers, balloon suits, and skirts. She has a problem with starting projects and never finishing.

24. My mom always finds the best Christmas presents and buys them way before Christmas. The problem is she hides them and can't remember where she put them. I've gotten presents in March or April from the previous Christmas once she found them again.

25. My mom is messy and disorganized but she always knows exactly where things are. She likes organized chaos.

26. My mom was the fun mom growing up. She let me have parties and was always the mom that let everyone spend the night. I usually didn't even ask because she never said no.

27. I talk to my mom every single day. I usually call her when I'm driving. She never calls me because she knows that I'm going to call. I always ask her for her advice, but I rarely do what she says. I usually do the opposite, but in the end wish that I had listened to her. Mom is always right.

Happy Mother's Day Mama Mia! You're the best! Thank you for everything you do for me.