Mother's Day in the Roxiticus Valley

What are you doing for Mother’s Day this year?

I can't believe how much I have looked forward to this holiday every year since my older daughter was born seven years ago. The girls always surprise me with hand-made cards and treat me like a queen on my special day. Since we moved out to the Roxiticus Valley in 2003, every year Rex has prepared a special Mother's Day brunch for me, as well as my mom and his mom.

Last year was my best Mother's Day celebration so far. My older daughter's kindergarten class put on a Mother's Day Tea. The whole class had worked hard for a month to learn a selection of special songs to sing for us, and they all stood up at the front of the room, beaming and singing their hearts out. I had to put on my sunglasses so the other moms couldn't see the tears in my eyes, but I shouldn't have been so self-conscious...the moms in the class were passing around a box of tissues! This year, it will be my younger daughter's kindergarten class that puts on the Mother's Day show, and I expect to get every bit as mushed out.

The other way my Mother's Day has been special for the past two years is thanks to our terrific nanny, who works with the girls to surprise me by creating special photo gifts for me....last year, I got a "World's Greatest Mom" mug and a beautifully framed photo of my two girls in their best dresses out in our yard in front of the flowering trees. This year, I'm hoping that our nanny will also have something to celebrate on May...fingers crossed for someone who truly deserves to be a mom.

On Mother's Day 2008, Rex and the girls are taking me to see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. The description in the brochure and on the web site reads: Marvelously athletic and sleekly sensual, they return with programs that include NJPAC premieres as well as the gospel-infused Revelations, Ailey’s timeless masterwork that the Times says “warmly and wonderfully capture the joyful side of the black American experience.” There's a 3pm Mother's Day performance, which includes the following program:

• Night Creature (Choreography: Alvin Ailey, Music: Duke Ellington)
• Reflections in D (Choreography: Alvin Ailey, Music: Duke Ellington)
• The Groove to Nobody's Business (Choreography: Camille A. Brown, Music: Ray Charles, Brandon McCune)
• Treading (Choreography: Elisa Monte, Music: Steve Reich)
• Revelations (Choreography: Alvin Ailey, Music: Traditional Spirituals)

The only issue I have with celebrating Mother's Day at NJ PAC is remembering my own mother's special day. Rex is planning to invite Grammy and Grandmom over on Friday for an early Mother's Day dinner and celebration, but maybe I can order something special to be delivered on Mother's Day itself. I'll go online or call 1-800-FLOWERS...they're having a "Celebrate Mom For Who She Is Contest" so maybe I can order a bouquet and nominate my mom to win a prize.