Although I’m not a mother myself, there’s one thing I know for sure. Being a mother is a TOUGH job. Making your mom this mocha pudding parfait for Mother’s Day might make it just a tad easier. 😉 I’m incredibly blessed to have a wonderful mom, and I had a really great childhood full of memories that I’ll cherish forever. My dad worked while my mom stayed home with all four kids (all under the age of 7 at one time – yikes!). If that’s not a job, I don’t know what is!

Me and my mom on my wedding day!

Thinking back to Mother’s Day when I was a kid, there are a few that I remember right away. Both my mom and I instantly laughed about these times when I brought them up! There was one time when we went to a fancy steakhouse and we waited hours for our food, only to discover that they had basically ran out of everything. You can probably imagine how thrilling it was for my parents to be sitting in a restaurant with four hungry kids, haha!

Then there was another time that we went to a restaurant on Mother’s Day and once again waited hours for our food. Once our food finally arrived we had realized that they had gone to a nearby fast food restaurant to get our fried chicken. That was by far the most memorable Mother’s Day dinner to date!

The moral of the story? Don’t go out to dinner on Mother’s Day. Kidding…kinda 😉

When I asked my mom what it’s been like to be a mother to four kids, this is what she had to say:

“Raising four kids, each unique and having different personalities and interests makes for a bit of blurred memories! There were defining moments with each of them (any mother can brag about their child, of course!). Their God given gifts were discovered along the way, but it has been through the painful experiences that I feel the most pride as a mother. I am most proud of how my daughters, who have struggled with serious illness, have risen to the occasion and have not allowed these illnesses to define who they are. And my mother-pain journeys with my sons have been similar. They both went far away to find themselves. One went across the world, and the other hopping (yes, hopping) on trains for two years. I’ve always wanted my children to be who they were meant to be, and they are. Pain comes full circle and turns into an amazing feeling of love and gratitude.”

As you can probably guess from what my mom said, she certainly hasn’t had it easy. While I was diagnosed with a chronic illness when I was just a kid, I didn’t really have to deal with my disease until I was an adult – my mom did. I had to deal with the pain and taking the medications, but my mom was the one making decisions that were impossible for me to understand at the time, and sleeping in the windowsill of the hospital room so that I wouldn’t be alone. I will always be so grateful that I had her there during those times that seemed like they would never end.

Just over two years ago, my sister was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and is thankfully cancer-free after 12 very long rounds of chemotherapy. Having two children diagnosed with serious illnesses is something that I can hardly imagine. The pain my mom must have felt while having to watch her sick children is something that I wish no mother would ever have to go through. I’m so thankful that both my sister and I are healthy now, and that everything we’ve experienced with our health is now in the distant past.

I believe that it’s the difficult times that really define who you will become. Each of us has a choice with how we react and deal with these situations, and I’m so thankful that after all my family has been through, it has only brought us closer. My younger brother is even moving back to California from New Zealand in August!

I’d love to hear the memories that you have of your mom or your own memories of being a mom that you’d like to share in the comments below!

Wishing all of you moms a very happy Mother’s Day!

I used my favorite coffee from San Francisco Bay Coffee Company to make this dish, and of course feel free to use regular or decaf coffee! The limited edition Mother’s Day mugs (you’ll see the “Best Mom” mug in the image above) would make an awesome Mother’s Day gift, along with some of the best coffee beans from San Francisco Bay Coffee!

Enjoy the recipe for this mocha pudding parfait!

PIN THIS FOR LATER:

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post on behalf of San Francisco Bay Coffee Company. All opinions on Living Loving Paleo are always 100% my own and I only ever work with brands that I absolutely love. My sponsors help to keep Living Loving Paleo up and running!

This post also contains affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase something from one of my links, I will receive a small percentage, at no additional cost to you. I will only ever recommend products that I truly believe in, and that I use myself or find to be very valuable. Thanks for helping me to keep my blog up and running!