Monday, May 4, 2009

Oh, Momma!

Yes, Mother's Day is approaching. Have you got something for your mother, yet? I got my mother's day gift last Saturday, when the husband took me shopping for clothes. Without kids. (Does it seem wrong that I wanted to commemorate Mother's Day by pretending I don't have any kids for 5 or 6 hours?) We would have done it on actual Mother's Day, but my mom was taking care of the kids for us, and next weekend she and her girlfriends are road tripping to go to an Eagles concert. (Once your kids are grown you get to act like coeds again. I can't wait!) So we took advantage of the free babysitting last weekend instead.

For those of you keeping score, this was the first time I have left my peanut. (Except once, I left him with his father for twenty minutes to run to the grocery store, and I called home twice to check on them.) It has been awhile since I've had an infant around, and I forgot the "baby time warp". (Those of you who are fans of Paul Reiser, the Mad About You guy, may know that babies warp time in two ways: A. You can shake plastic keys until your arm hurts, play a rousing game of "stick out your tongue", engage in a thousand rounds of peek-a-boo, only to realize a mere 15 minutes have passed, and B. The simple acts of showering, dressing, eating and getting out the door with a baby takes 3.5 hours.) I also had to offer a short clinic on the use of a bottle warmer, and a quick tutorial on how to use the stroller. (The thing has more bells and whistles than my first car.) Then I walked out the door, leaving them in my mother's capable hands. (If she has questions, the angel knows what to do.)

The shopping was both painful and necessary. I decided it was time to get out of my maternity jeans. (I didn't want my friends and family to have to stage an intervention.) But my pre-baby jeans were creating a little more muffin top than I am comfortable with. (By the way, you're not a size 10 if all your fat is squished out the top. Just buy the 14 and get over it!) But I love shopping with the husband! For one thing, he has absolutely no fashion sense, so he never offers anything but a smile and nod when asked direct questions in a clothing store. He also turns into Daddy Warbucks. Can't decide between two pairs of jeans? Get 'em both, baby! (Oddly enough, this is the same man who has a fit when I spend money on a sweater from the clearance rack. Apparently, I've cheated him out of the opportunity to buy me six of them!) So I took advantage of him, and some fabulous sales, and purchased a new, plus-size wardrobe. (This is of course to tide me over until I get back into my "skinny jeans". It could happen!)

But when I was carting my purchases into the house, I realized that almost half of what I had bought that day had been for the kids. New swimsuits for the angel, and some adorable mini swim trunks for the peanut. It's just so much fun to shop for them! And after all, spending my day away from kids buying things for those kids is why they have a Mother's Day in the first place!

And on that note, a heart-felt THANK YOU to my own Mom, without whom I would never be able to leave the house. Thank you for loving my babies as much as I do!

4 comments:

Heather said...

Well said! Happy Mother's Day! (I get to spend my Mother's Day with my mom in a bowling alley ;-)

Holly said...

For some reason I always seem to find the most adorable things for the Prince and I usually end up with nothing for myself! I totally understand why some moms have no fashion sense, they use it all up on their kids!!

Star said...

I think quite a few mothers wish for some "peace & quiet" for their day.

I love my kids, but won't turn down
getting treated to a day of shopping (even grocery) without the kids.

Granted my toddler is no longer a newborn (as he tells me each day how much bigger he is)so my husband no longer panics at the thought of me being farther away than he can yell my name "He won't stop fussing, what does he need?" (mothers can read newborns minds by the by). I am still asked for an ETA home(light at the end of the tunnel if littler one is handful).

It's nice to get your hair trimmed/cut without having to chase your bored child back into the store or constantly remind them your almost done or actually browse in aisles instead of following your list.

Glad you enjoyed your day out and Happy Mother's Day!! Sounds like your hubby is a wise man :-)

The Hip Homemaker said...

Our own moms are good backup for sure! My mom came down for 5 days for my garden, coop, house blitzkrieg and I couldn't have done nearly as much without her. Yay for moms!