Tea and Cookies

Alyssa couldn't wait for the day of the Mother's Tea to arrive. She and her fellow first graders had been working hard on a musical program and she'd made several projects that she was looking forward to presenting to me. It was clear this event was important to her and I think I was just as excited.

Motherhood has done something to my tear ducts; I felt all misty-eyed just as soon as I stepped foot in the school. I waited in the hall--wondering why I seemed to be the only mom feeling emotional--for Alyssa's turn to greet me with a tissue paper corsage. She wore a beaming smile as she ran to me, placed the flower on my chest and gave me a tight squeeze. She then escorted me to a carefully decorated table where she served a plate of delightful treats. She was extremely understanding when I resisted the bite-size desserts and opted for the grapes and strawberries. She knows I am in the middle of two family fitness challenges that won't allow for such splurges.

She shared her thoughtful projects with me and we watched a slide show of the class. I tried to be discreet as I dabbed my teary eyes and again felt like the only one crying. It was great to be able to celebrate, just us two.

We then made our way to the gym where all four first grade classes presented a tribute to Moms. I was blown away by their performance. There were readings of cute Mom stories and many fabulously choreographed musical numbers. Those little kids did an amazing job. I was more impressed by them than with the fourth graders at their Veteran's Day program. And of course, I cried some more. This time, however, I noticed other moms wiping tears, too. It was the sort of program that would make any mom proud but I'm especially proud to have a daughter like Alyssa.

Mother's Day weekend also brings the annual HOA garage sale. It's tradition to make cookies to sell with our junk. Stephanie and I each make a batch of my grandma's So-Good Cookies and we decorate them together. The boys sell them for a dollar apiece and by day's end we end up with a fist full of spending money. We completely sold out this year and didn't even get to keep any for the family. It's the free sample marketing technique that gets 'em every time. The boys offer a small bite of cookie and as soon as the deliciousness touches their lips, an entire cookie seems too hard to refuse.

I sold lots of other things including one relatively large item that needs a blog post of its own. It's always a lot of work to get ready for the sale but it always feels good to get rid of extra stuff and make a few extra dollars in the process.