This post is co-written by bloggers – and sisters – Gena Golas and Christa Allard.

There’s a saying “Home is where Mom is” and we agree, even though we both have long since moved out of our parents’ house and created homes of our own. Still, there’s nothing like those childhood moments to make you feel at home; for us it’s the ones of our mom and the home she created for us. Okay, so just maybe some of those memories extend well beyond into adulthood (thanks for the candy this weekend, Mom!). Our favorite childhood moments help define our Mom: always up for a treat, patient and kind, incredibly giving and thoughtful, sometimes silly and sing-songy, amateur horticulturist.

• It was our “thing” growing up to grab ice cream after school let out. We often went to A. C. Petersen’s for their homemade whipped cream but Friendly’s was a favorite, too. You’d think that going so often for ice cream would make it less of a treat, but instead the trips always made us feel special and loved. It was our chance to tell her about school and whatever else was going on in our lives.
• As a teacher, our mom was always so patient when helping us with our homework, especially math, which was her specialty. We, however, were incredibly difficult students for her; we both hate that feeling of not knowing what we were doing and would get exponentially frustrated with every homework question when we had trouble grasping a concept. Sorry, mom, for all the grief!
• Our mom loves to give little gifts and enjoys more than anything to see you open them. She’s always so thoughtful in her gift giving, pulling from a memory from years ago of something you once said or liked that would have gone unnoticed to most others or would have long since been forgotten. Our mom has a knack for remembering those little things, and reminding you of them via a trinket or treat.
• We remember making tea for our mom on many afternoons. She taught us how to steep the bag in the hot water and squeeze out the liquid from the bag by wrapping the string around the spoon and squeezing with the tag. Our favorite part was getting to read her the messages on the tea bag before she drank her cup.
• Bath time was a chance for soapy mohawks and for our mom to sing us songs, which we then learned and would sing along, too. Our favorites were “High Hopes” (aka the ant and the rubber tree song), “A Bushel and A Peck,” and “When We Are M-A-Double R-I-E-D” (aka the spelling song). We also would make a special request for a performance of “Au Claire De La Lune” before bed.
• One of our earliest memories is learning the names of flowers found in our yard and around our neighborhood. An avid gardener, our mom would take us for walks around our yard and down to the cul-de-sac and back and talk about the different types of flowers along the way. To this day, we credit being able to identify forsythia, tiger lilies, irises, and Queen Anne’s lace to our mom.

Mom, thank you for all that you did to create a memorable childhood, and for all you continue to do to love and support us as adults. We love you, and Happy Mother’s Day!