7 Ways I'm Turning into my Mother...And I Like It...

...In honor of Mother's Day (the first one I won't spend with my mom...since...ever. Waaaaaa!), I wanted to share some of the ways I find myself turning into my mom. Things I never thought I would do, or even swore I wouldn't do.

1. I HATE plastic. If I could figure out a way to let my children safely eat from our plates and cups I would, so that I could rid our house of plastic. I hate the way to smells, the way to washes, I hate the way it feels, and I hate the way it makes things taste. Not to mention all the health concerns that now seem to stem from plastic. Anyway, my mom has hated plastic for as long as I can remember and apparently it's rubbing off on me. Jared loves plastic and this is quite the battle when I try to throw away his Ranger souvenir cups!

2. I'm turning into the most positive person ever. Call it childhood angst or what have you, but in my younger days I was a rather cynical gal. Life had been rough and all my emo/punk music playlists added to my glass half empty mentality. I used to get SO annoyed by my mom and her optimism. HA! My mom radiates joy, Jesus-loving joy. She is full of hope and uplifts and encourages everyone  she comes in contact with. I'm without a doubt a glass half full kind of gal now, and I am so thankful for the work God has done in my heart and the role model I have in my mom.

3. Holiday decor. My mom is queen of decorating, for everything. I used to make fun of all her stuff and now I am asking where she bought it!

4. I will NEVER say that to my kids. Don't we all say that growing up? And here I am repeating life lessons and saying weird words I grew up with, such as: "stop wollering", "don't dilly-dally around", "immediate is obedient".

5. My love for dogs is dwindling. My mom has never liked animals. Or dogs. We had to beg and beg to get one growing up. I on the other other hand have LOVED dogs my whole life. Attribute it to children, (or see #6), but I like dogs less and less and I am perfectly content to never have another one as long as I live. This is the one thing Jared constantly reminds me that I'm turning into my mom. He's really not happy about it.

6. I'm a clean freak. I hate clutter. I can't stand dirt, crumbs, finger prints, things out of place...I call this the "Swinehart" gene because almost everyone on my mom's side of the family has a certain level of OCD in regards to cleanliness. My mom used to vacuum our house 3 times a day. She's a bit more of a freak than me. But if I had the time, I might vacuum that much too.

7. Opening windows. My mom always had the windows open when the weather was nice. It got to the point where it was annoying because we live in Texas and it was a little too warm some times. Jared hates opening the windows, but I love nothing more now that airing out the house with some fresh air!

I'm sure there are many other ways I'm turning into my momma, and I couldn't be more excited about it...I think. :)

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom and Gigi around.