I am sad to see another Mother’s Day pass. This year was my
15th! It is probably one of my favorite days of the year. Every
year, I spend it at home, with my four children, on the Mommy Porch. The Mommy
Porch is a second story porch at my house that is one of the best things about
our old Victorian. It overlooks the pool
and garden, and is surrounded by trees such that you feel you are in a
treehouse. Unfortunately, in the grand scheme of things, I don’t get to spend
very much time on this porch, but on Mother’s Day I spend the whole day there.
So this year for Mother’s Day, after my kids brought me breakfast in bed
(pancakes, sausage, eggs, fruit, and coffee!), I retreated to the porch.
It is called the Mommy Porch because in our sprawling, 5,000-foot 1881 home, it is the only Spot
that is truly Mine. My husband, who
works for IBM during the week but is a Weekend Restoration Warrior, just
completed the restoration of the porch- it needed new flooring, roof, railings,
and screening. By this weekend, everything on the porch was done but the
screening- and the bugs weren’t out yet, so it was fine. It was actually a bit
chilly, so I spent the day under the huge blue blanket I used to take to Girl
Scout camp as a kid. Until the renovation, I had a note posted on the door to
the porch- it said “Mommy Porch Rules” and read something like:
1. 1. Mom
is in charge of this porch and will make all rules.
2. 2. The
Mommy Porch is available to children by invitation only.
3. 3. No
tattletaling, whining, or crying allowed on the porch.
4. 4. Acceptable
Mommy Porch activities include reading, writing, sewing, chatting, or playing…
the occasional sleepover or eating of crabs will take place with advance
permission only.
5. 5. No
electronic devices are allowed on the Mommy Porch.
6. 6. If
Mom is on The Porch appearing to be resting in any way, do not disturb her
unless you are bleeding from the head profusely.
7. 7. Any
questions? See Rule #1.
I wish I had more time to spend there. It is quite a sacred
spot. It is decorated with the sea glass my kids and I have collected together
over the years (displayed in an old printer’s type box), an Adirondack chair,
candles, plants, and my favorite porch item: the Lounge Lizard. The Lounge
Lizard is the nickname of a chair I bought at the Crumpton auction about six
years ago for $5. It is a curved, green and blue print, vinyl-upholstered chair
that by some might be considered an ugly indoor-porch castoff from the 1960’s.
When I first saw it, I was pregnant with my third daughter,
and her room was being decorated in antique frog décor (yes, I had been hoping
for a boy, and when he finally came a few years later, he got the leftover frog
nursery) and the room was decorated in the colors of sage green and faded denim
blue. So, the chair was not only the perfect color, but with its sturdy maple
frame, armrests and recliner lever (it truly ‘puts your feet up’ for you) was
the perfect chair for spending long (middle-of-the) nights nursing a newborn.
Obviously, the best $5 I ever spent.
So for Mother’s Day I spent some time for the first time in
2008 on the newly restored porch on the sturdy old Lounge Lizard. Each of my
kids came and spent time with me (I even let the teenager break the
‘electronic’ rule), I read a few chapters of my book, and I was served peanut
butter and Fluff sandwiches and Diet Cokes by two separate kids who didn’t know
of the other’s lunch plans for me. Not wanting to hurt either’s feelings, I ate
both. They were both amazing.
One day I know the kids will move away, one by
one, and there will be less (and older) children visiting me there. The breakfasts
(I remember a frozen bagel brought to me in bed by that teenager about a decade
ago!) and the gifts may change- (I treasure the handmade ones the
best) but my love for those four children- and hopefully the Lounge Lizard and
the porch, too!- never will.