The Gal Herself
& Her Mom
Are Alike
My mother never worked after marrying her first serious boyfriend, my dad. She was very content as a homemaker and a mother. She loves gardening, drinks coffee by the gallon, doesn’t travel, hates going to the movies, and reads perhaps one book a year. So on the face of it, we have very little in common.
Yet as I grow older, I find more and more similarities between us. Nature? Nurture? Genetics? Who knows? But every time I find another commonality, it surprises me. And, since in addition to loving my mom I also like her, being alike doesn’t make me unhappy.
1. Talking on the phone. We’re both natural-born blabbers. Fortunately we have each other to blab to.
2. Blurting. We’re both very blunt. There’s no malice. We just think we’re stating the obvious, and we’re both surprised when we find this isn’t the case.
3. Cats. We’re both feline aficionados, and every detail of their furry lives fascinates us. We have been known to discuss hairballs and litter preferences ad nauseum.
4. Gift shopping all year around. If I see something in December that would be perfect for a friend’s June birthday, I pick it up in December. I might not think of it again, or it might not be available, come June. She’s the same way. In mid-July, one of our marathon phone calls was interrupted because she had to sign for my birthday gift, which had just arrived via UPS. My birthday is in November.
5. Willfulness. Our styles are very different. She’s more gracious and stealth (OK, manipulative), while instead of being passive-aggressive, I'm just aggressive-aggressive. But no matter how you slice it, generally we get our own way. We recognize this about one another, which is why we seldom clash. (As in, "She's just gonna do what she wants anyway, so what's the point?")
6. Bargain hunting. I learned my coupon clipping/comparison shopping skills from her. Whenever I give her a gift, she’s pleased and proud if I can tell her I got it on sale. I have taken to telling her, “They practically paid me to take it out of the store!”
7. Photo-album phobia. We both have stacks of pix tucked away here and there, not organized in any way. This one is weird, because both of my sisters are very into scrap booking. Somehow that talent escaped Mom and me.
8. We both order our eggs over easy. Note I said “order” because …
9. Neither of us cooks unless absolutely forced to.
10. We both prefer Thousand Island dressing.
11. JBKO. We both revere Jackie Kennedy. When the exhibit of her clothes arrived at The Field Museum in Chicago, I was thrilled to go with my mom on the opening day. It was her Mother’s Day present.
12. Neither of us wears hats. In any weather.
13. Our handwriting has become almost identical.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1.Special K-Toni catalogs her impressive life skills
2. Nicole Austin is packing up and heading to San Fran
3. Malcolm has an exceptionally cool TT about an exceptionally cool (and timeless) movie star
4. yh tells us which movies she could watch and rewatch again and again
5. Nicholas offers an unconventional reading list, where all the books have numerals in their titles
6. impworks vents about cold calls (and who can blame him)
7. Chelle tells us all about a very important young man: her nephew, Jared
8. Behold the Tinkerbell Collection!
9. Thomma Lyn does a little self exploration
10. Jenny McB displays her brand loyalty
11. Lori answers the question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
12. Buck Naked Politics takes us back to the bad old days of Iran-Contra
13. Works for Mom lets us know what her other half is doing while she's blogging
14. Susan gives us 13 reasons to stop by her blog, even on days that aren't Thursday!
15. No Nonsense Girl shares 13 reasons why she's nervous about her job interview -- stop by and voice your support!
16. Gattina shares her wisdom about men
17. Grace muses on life in 2007
18. Bermudabluez brightens our days with colorful Halloween crafts
19. Xakara is in love with 13 other wordly literary heroes
20. Mom not Mum has a musical TT from 1973
21. Harlekwin takes us on a tour of Crater Lake (and she even has a Crater Lake-appropriate banner)
22. Vixen gives us 13 very persuasive reasons why we must visit her 365 day project
23. Nancy researched and found 13 rather unfortunate, but real, names
24. Joy Is My Goal has a highly visual TT about hands
25. DoubleDeckerBusGuy has a year's worth of TT
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Great T13! And nice that you have so much in common with your mom!
ReplyDeleteYou and mom do have a lot in common! I have the photo phobia too. One day I'll get them organized.
ReplyDeleteHappy TT!
Usu. people who have so much in common don't get along. That's cool that you and your mom recognizes the traits of the other. Such a simple concept that many people are unable to grasp.
ReplyDeleteAs I got older, I found that me and my mother had more in common than I thought. However, there were still some stark differences.
By the way, my birthday is in November as well.
PS
Thanks for stopping by my TT and for making note of the more obscure "Casablanca" quote. I chose it for that very reason.
Happy TT! Love your list! Glad to see more kitty lovers around :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I love giftshop-shopping :)
Nice list. I have a relative who is like you on #4. Her Christmas shopping starts in January.
ReplyDeleteIt's great you've so much in common. Not sure I could live without a wooly hat on a cold winter morning though.
ReplyDeleteGreat TT :-)
I am so much like my mom too! Although, as a teenager, I swore I would never be like her! :)
ReplyDeletewww.chelleyoung.com
What a wonderful TT! My mum and I were very different and still very alike...
ReplyDeleteMy TT shows my Tinkerbell collection.
Awww, what a neat T13! You and your mom both sound like nifty people. I am a cat lover, too -- and how funny about the handwriting -- I, too, have noticed that as I've grown older, my handwriting looks more and more like my mother's!
ReplyDeleteHappy T13 to you! :)
I hope this doesn't come off wrong, but there's a lot about my Mom that I don't want to be like and then there's a lot that I admire. I did learn bargain shopping from her!
ReplyDeleteShe sounds like an awesome lady. I wish I was more like my Mom, if I was, Id have a savings account with REAL money in it...I dont think my mother has ever paid full price for anything:) Happy TT.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed similarities to my mother, too. For me, it took age to recognize the less pleasant ones.
ReplyDeleteOh I SO loved this list! How creative and oh so true. I can relate to almost all of these (I love pets - my Mom does not). GREAT LIST!!
ReplyDeleteI've noticed I'm morphing into someone less me and more my mom, too. It's sort of scary. I might need to rebel.
ReplyDeleteGreat TT!! I just added you to my blogroll, check my blog.
ReplyDeleteMy TT is up "Thirteen things about my job interview thrusday!!!
Visit me!
What a lovely comparison ! Both the same but so different, lol !
ReplyDeleteI couldn't find anything commun with my mother, all what she liked I didn't we really had nothing in commun.
My mom and I are not that close so I envy all the talk you have with your mom!
ReplyDeleteHappy TT!
Thank you for touching my soul with this TT. My daughter and I are very, very similar to you and your mom! Happy TT! Enjoyable Blog....I'm so glad to finally read one that doesn't talk about babies and potty training.
ReplyDeleteMy mom and I don't have as much in common, but when it comes to all the things that count like our love of books, the paranormal, weird trivia, and directness, we're right there together.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on having someone so much like you that you get along with and love. :)
~X
Great TT - In some ways I think your mom could be my mom but I don't have a sister so.....
ReplyDeleteYou asked how I can do all the writing I do and still visit blogs -- right now, it's not so bad. When I need a break from writing to mull over what should happen next, I pop over and visit someone.
ReplyDeleteI need lots of breaks. Lots of one-minute pauses to envision what's next.
Have a great day!!!
I become more like my mom every day. Since I really like her, it's not a problem. We still have our differences that make us each unique. I think it's the things we have in common that makes our relationship special.
ReplyDeleteHappy TT! I really enjoyed reading your list today.
It is fun to see ways that my Mom and I are alike, since like you guys on the surface we a very different. Great TT.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind being more like my mom especially in the patience department... she has the patience of a saint while I have almost zero tolerance. :o)
ReplyDeletecool I wish I had that great of a bond w/ my mom we are friends but not alike
ReplyDeleteEgads! TWO of YOU!?! :)
ReplyDeletewhat an interesting TT list! thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt's scary when you realize how much you have in common with your mother. When I was teaching I would find myself blurting out things she used to say when we were in trouble. Gheesh.
ReplyDelete