Holiday time!

Yep, you read this blog title correct! Today was one of my mom's most favorite days of the year! Besides the fact that it is the day before her birthday, April Fools day was a day where my mom could have fun. I mean good, clean fun. No one was ever embarrassed or anything like that-she just loved to laugh and play innocent, fun jokes. From what she told me she learned this from her dad and her brother Joe and sister, Anna, who also both loved laughter and were as fun loving as my mom. They sounded like a very happy family.

April Fool's day was always a day of laughter. We were never afraid of the pranks, just ready and on guard! Mom would play small innocent pranks on us. Turning on the windshield wipers, radio and such in our car so when we went to school and would turn the key to start the car things would be be blaring and be on in full force! Or one time it was vaseline on the stick shift of our cars. The 7Up bottle would have plain water in it instead of 7Up! A surprise when you are expecting the sweet taste of soda pop!  Or it was cold coffee in the Pepsi bottle-that one got my brother. This was back in the day when we had glass bottles of half open pop, with the lid on them to keep the fizz, sitting in our fridge! Mom once made liver in brown gravy over mashed potatoes-this looked and smelled exactly like her minute steaks! Yum!! Not a fun discovery but still all done in good humor. If you didn't like liver it was not as much fun, if you did you enjoyed the meal! I too loved the simple jokes of April Fool's day. But having willing participants makes or breaks this holiday.

Never were my mom or my April Fool's day pranks done to be mean or with harm. It was good clean humor....vaseline on your car door handle-yep, did that one to my brother! It was simple fun!

But as I said willing people or those who didn't get upset by these innocent pranks makes or breaks the holiday each year. I can't honestly remember the last time I played an April Fool's day prank on someone. My heart just is not in it any more. But I do remember my mom fondly every year on April 1st and do this with a smile and remember all her fun and how she liked to laugh.

Mom would be 90 years young tomorrow!! I'm so glad four years ago I road tripped over to see her. I took her out for Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza-her favorite. We had ice cream, another one of her favorites and we spent time together, talking, laughing and enjoy and celebrating her day-it still makes me smile. Three years ago I also road tripped over to spend mom's birthday with her-her last one here on earth. We stayed in her room. She slept a lot. I went and got the Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza and there was ice cream as well. As in past years all her birthday cards were hung so she could see them all and enjoy them. I am sooo glad I took the time and spent mom's special day with her-many of them. She loved to celebrate her birthday and April 2 holds nothing but great memories for me. I made my first communion on mom's birthday, which also happened to be Easter that year too. It was a big celebration for us! I know she is celebrating her birthday in heaven tomorrow with all those she loves. And I try to celebrate here on earth, just as she did for 87 years. But heaven help you today as I'm sure she is still playing her innocent pranks because today is her birthday eve....April Fool's day!

So enjoy the laughter and humor in today or at least laugh and find humor in something today. And tomorrow I will celebrate the life of my mom, who I miss daily, learned a ton of things from and love.

Happy April 1st :) and Happy Birthday in heaven tomorrow mom-love you and miss you!

Positive thought of the day: Laugh at the funny things in life, at yourself and because it is good for you. Laughter they say is the best medicine.