Dear Mother-

(I tried to come up with a clever way to combine my happy wishes for Mother's Day and your birthday into one, snappy little phrase, but all I could come up with was Happy Birthers Day. Given the extensive media coverage of the rise and fall of the birthers, I didn't think this was as snappy an intro as a joint Mother's Day/birthday deserved. So we'll have to take this down a more traditional route...)

Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day!

I know a lot of great women, but there are few women greater than our mom. She's Betty Crocker, Mother Theresa, Oprah and Annie Oakley, all rolled into one. And that's on a bad day.

Now mother, I know you well enough to know that as you sit reading this, you're denying most of it. Stop. We're your kids and, consequently, are probably the most qualified people on the planet to tell you what you are and what you are not. We all know that you have a tendancy to remember the worst bits -kicking children down the hall, losing your patience, making tuna casserole- but trust us on this, you're one spectacular lady. Remember, when it comes to you, we're the experts!

We love you, we're proud of you, and we're forever indebted to you. Do us all a favor and have a happy Mother's Day and a super birthday, you deserve it!