MY MOM IS TOTALLY FREAKIN AWESOME!

I had four pairs of jeans stuffed in drawers that were too big for me. These were my favorite jean brand and the store I'd victoriously found them from no longer carries them. Isn't that the way?? I'd given up hope of finding another brand of jeans I could wear. While visiting my mom last weekend I was telling her about my dilemma. My mom (a life-long sewer) simply shrugged and suggested that I take them in.

A novel idea! I was puzzled thinking, is that allowed?!? Isn't there some rule that you have to be a slave to the department stores? If their clothes don't fit, you have to change to fit the clothes, right?? But tonight, I pulled out my sewing machine, my four pairs of jeans and voila, I now have four "brand new" pairs of jeans to hang back up in my closet!!

While I was trying my best to keep a straight line, messing up, pulling out my seam ripper, starting again, breaking a needle, replacing the needle, re-spooling my bobbin, snipping the thread, gleefully snatching my finished product from the sewing machine, then running to the mirror to try on my "new" jeans, I kept thinking of my mom.

When I was little I once lamented (aka whined) about how the other kids didn't have to wear homemade clothes and how their moms didn't make their clothes and why couldn't we buy my clothes from the store, blah blah blah. With calm wisdom she turned to me and said, "Someone's mom made even the clothes you buy at the store. So what difference does it make that YOUR mom made your clothes?" She was right. Somewhere probably in a dark factory, tons of moms are sitting at tables sewing shirt after shirt trying to make a living for their families. But they didn't love me.

They hadn't spent time wandering through Cloth World picking out fabric I would like; pressing tissue paper patterns against my little body while I held out my arms to get my measurements just right. They hadn't stayed up at night so I could have a cute jumper to wear to school the next day.

And even though at the beginning of every school year some families were going to the mall, I was flipping through pattern cabinets. And even though I didn't always like the flowered prints my mom picked out, I had more koolats than I could ever hope for. And even though I didn't appreciate it fully at the time, thanks Mom! You are totally freakin awesome!