Like Mother Like Daughter: The Story of Traveling Dishes

I don’t often talk about my role as a grandmother or mother because a few of the children in our family require their privacy. And, I have suffered for telling what I think are wonderful family stories. I wonder what would have happened if I had told an embarrassingly funny story! Off with my head? A lawsuit?

I will be honest, only two have given me emotional grief! But two is enough to silence me! Therefore, I stray away from writing about my family unless I ask for permission. I can say this, I love my family (we are a blended family) with all of my heart and I hope they love me as much.

Living Across the States!

My relationship with them is open and very loving. My Ultimate Concierge and I speak to many of them, often on a Sunday, and I text back and forth with them and we spend time together when we can. We fly to each other for family occasions because we reside in six states! Indiana, Texas, California, Arizona, New York, and Illinois. Our blended family gets along well. If we lived together in a compound I believe we would be a happy and flourishing group.

As a mother, a grandmother, and a mother-in-law, I think I am very warm-hearted, overly willing to help, overly fun to spend time with, and overly generous because it gives me pleasure. I love to spend time with my family and they feel it. And, I am not strict and I believe they all trust me and because of that trust, they are very open. I am not bragging. Darling, I am a nurturer and if my Ultimate Concierge and I lived close to our kids, spending time with our huge family would be enough.

I Am Proud of My Family

My family is respectful, loving, and caring. I am very proud of them and for good reason. Their values are of the highest standard. They are very loving, good-hearted, well educated, and some very well-traveled. They all put family first.

I know the story of our family sounds like a fairy tale and to a large degree it really is but like every family, there is stuff that goes on because we are a family!

Because most of you are mothers and grandmothers I thought you might like to read stories about ‘my style’ as a mom, grandmother, and mother-in-law and learn about my Ultimate Concierge and my kids. So, I will start writing some family stories; with their permission, of course!

The Story of the Traveling Dishes

I have known my son-in-law Bruce since he was eighteen. Jenny and Bruce met their second or third day in college. But they first met when they were eleven years old at summer camp. They did not realize it until Bruce (who I call Mrs. Doubtfire) saw a photo of Jenny in a red and white striped t-shirt in their wedding collage. “OMG Jenny, you were the girl I asked to dance at the camp social! We have known each other since we were eleven years old!”

I overheard the conversation and a memory of Jenny telling me, “Mom a boy asked me to dance at the camp social!” Jenny and I shared everything and we still do, but unfortunately not like we used to because she lives in Arizona and little things happen that we forget about. It is very sad.

Back to the Story…

I called my daughter Jenny to ask her if my granddaughter Skylar was enjoying the new set of dishes and the bread machine I sent to her. Skylar just moved into her first apartment and I sent her some of my possessions that I thought she would like, as well as a new set of dishes, satin hangers, and a bread machine.

The Dish Saga!

This family saga started when I accidentally sent the dishes and bread machine to myself instead of to Skylar because I did not fill out the form correctly on Amazon! I do those sorts of things!

Naturally, I had to turn around and resend them back to her in Arizona. Jerry in our receiving room helped me with the forms and off the packages went again with the help. But, unfortunately, he forgot to put her apartment number with the address and they were sent back to me in Chicago… again! My Ultimate Concierge laughed and said, “Par for the course!” Of course, we sent them to Skylar for the third time and the third time was the charm. This ‘back and forth’ took place over a period of more than weeks.

Now, in my daughter Jenny’s home, three weeks is a lifetime of activity. Things happen and change on the spur of the moment and let’s just say, you cannot imagine what takes place in my daughter’s home! When one door opens, three others close and vice versa. I love the activity.

Again, Back to the Story!

Back to our mother-daughter conversation:

Jenny goes: Mom, I have the dishes you sent Skylar. She gave them to me.”

So of course I asked, “What? You have them?” In my head, darling, I was already laughing!

Then Jenny continued, “Ok mom, are you ready for this? A month ago, Jack (Jenny’s youngest child) moved into his first apartment and needed dishes. I was not home and so Bruce gave him all of my dishes!”

“What!” I laughed! “So, what did you say to Bruce?”

So Jenny tells me, “Well mom, as soon as he gave away my dishes to Jack he ran out and bought me a new set of dishes that were neatly placed on shelves in the kitchen! When I got home he told me the story. There was a problem. I did not like the dishes he bought me because the plate does not have a rim around it and the knife and fork slide down into the middle of the plate!”

Darling, now I am really laughing and so is Jenny!

The Saga Continues…

“Jenny,” I said. “I still don’t understand why Skylar gave you the eight place setting dishes that I gave her!”

“Well mom, when Skylar moved into her first apartment and your dishes did not arrive, Bruce went shopping and bought her dishes. So, a month later when Skylar finally got the dishes you sent to her, she then had two sets of dishes! She knew I did not like the dishes Bruce bought and she knows I love everything you buy so she called me and said, ‘Mom, you will love the dishes Honey sent me! I want to give them to you because you love everything Honey buys.’ And, mom, they have a large rim so your knife and fork won’t side into your food! You will be so happy!”

By this time we couldn’t stop laughing, and I was shaking my head and thinking, “Everyone tried to make everyone happy because their home is filled with love.”

Bruce wanted to make Jack happy by giving him Jenny’s dishes. He wanted to make Jenny happy by replacing the dishes fast! And, he wanted to make Skylar happy and bought her dishes for her first apartment. Skylar knew her mom did not like the dishes her father bought for her so she gave my dishes to her mom because she knew she would love them!

I was overjoyed because everyone was happy and in my way of thinking,  the dishes are a bond between Jenny and me.

Our Home in Honolulu

Our home life in Honolulu was like Jenny’s home. There was always some form of tumult going on that was so unexpected, not always funny, but still funny and sometimes hilariously funny. Some moms would take what went on in our home in a stern and or very stern manner. I just wasn’t that kind of mom. When stuff happened, I would think to myself, “It could always be worse!” Then, I would sigh with relief and smile. Honest!

Motherhood came naturally to me. I raised my children using my instincts rather than living by rules. I did read Dr. Spock. I was easy; maybe too easy. My late husband always called us his three girls because we spent so much time together. We were best friends and I felt my role as a mother was to teach them by my example right from wrong. I showered them with love, taught them good values, and supported their endeavors and on and on. Looking back I don’t think I would change anything. And, anyway… I can’t!

Share with me your family stories in the comments at the bottom of this page! I would love to hear them. 

 

 

 

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