Happy Mother's Day

I've taken an entire week off from practicing the organ. I'm feeling guilty, but for most of the week I was out of town at a conference.

The worst part of being away from the kids (besides just being away from the kids) is that I tend to read. Now I am stuck in a book that I haven't finished yet, and I don't have a mother to hide it from me until my work is finished. And trust me there are things I should be doing besides reading a book.

The best thing about my trip was that I got a chance to visit with my mother. And it was a unique visit as it was the first time we've spent time together one to one in ... wow, it could be decades. My boss asked me if we ran out of things to say. Nope. It was a wonderful visit.

In honor of Mother's day, I thought I would list the top 10 things I've learned from my mother -- or from my mother's example. Starting with Number 10

• 10. Everything tastes better with horseradish on it (or as my mother says, "Horsereddish") 
• 09. Music improves your quality of life. 
• 08. Teaching your kids music takes more tenacity than I have (please note that 4 of my mother's 5 daughters play the organ) 
• 07. Getting kids to practice takes a cunning mind -- Me: "Mom, did you know I used to practice to get out of doing the dishes?" Mom: "Did you know I used to let you get out of the dishes so you'd practiced?" 
• 06. If there's not enough time in the day to get things done, get up an hour earlier. When I started getting up at 4:30 to practice, my mom started getting up at 3:30. 
• 05. Always keep something in your purse to study. You never know when you will have to sit in a doctor's office or in a car waiting for your children. Time is too precious to waste. 
•  04. When keeping your kids in line, a raised eyebrow is better than a raised voice. 
• 03. The ward choir is about worship -- not vocal prowess. 
• 02. Listening to Dad sing is way better than complaining about dad singing 
• 01. The number 1 thing I learned from my mother, I learned from my father. "If you girls can grow up to be half the woman your mother is, you'll be alright." -- Here's hoping I hit the halfway mark. :)