My 18-year flower garden project

Last weekend, on a rare Saturday with sunshine and warmer weather, we planned a girls-only day at a local greenhouse.

Here in the Midwest, not many flowers are in bloom yet, but that didn’t make our visit any less beautiful. As the girls skipped and twirled through each greenhouse, with the long-missed feeling of the sun on our skin, it felt like a magical, albeit simple, day to me. 

It occurred to me to start a new tradition right then and there. I was going to buy my first peonies – the kind I’d been dreaming of planting in our yard for years. The ones that remind me of my grandma’s.

And while I was at it, maybe some hydrangeas, too.

I came home and told my husband that for every year from now on, I’d like to add a new flower to create a new flower garden in our backyard. The old fashioned kind that is planted out of sheer love for the blooms, vs. the suburban construct, with landscaping looking pretty similar from home to home.  A colorful, whimsical garden that will always carry a bloom to be enjoyed outdoors, or picked and sitting on our kitchen table (just like at grandma’s).

Somewhere amid the notion of babymoons, push presents and lavish Mother’s Day gifts, I think it can be easy to miss the point at times. Because simple days like these represent the best of motherhood, to me.  It’s about being present, enjoying each other, guiding our kids and teaching them. And along the way, making sure they have plenty of memories of our smiles and laughter, and taking  time out just for them.

Don’t get me wrong, motherhood isn’t all rainbows and puppy dogs.  In fact, these perfect days can be quite rare – I want to keep it real here in this little blog of mine. But I’m talking about these “unicorn days;” the rare ones where you feel like you just might be doing something right. And those are worthy of documenting and remembering. Mother’s Day worthy.

It may be a bit fanciful on my part, but I’m hoping Mother’s Day feels similar to this one every year. I’ll suppose I’ll find out as my flower garden grows.