This is like the unicorn in a parent’s world: a day off. Not just a day off work, or a date night. A legitimate day off. I decided to see if it was truly possible, and with the help of Grandma and my girlfriends, took a day dedicated to just me. And this my friends, is how it went:
It started as any normal day. I woke up with the boys, changed some diapers, and got everyone breakfast. My mom showed up right when everyone was eating and my “day off” officially began…with laundry. Woops! I totally forgot to make sure I had some clean clothes for this.
Yay! I got to shower. ALONE. And let me tell you-I took my sweet time. I knew the kids were being looked after so I took a nice, long, hot shower. I got out and actually did something with my mess of hair. Well, I tried anyway. I haven’t done anything with my hair other than wear it in a ponytail for over 2 years now. So I braided it. As for makeup…let’s just say I failed…miserably. Mascara counts though right?
I was walking out the door when my toddler started throwing a tantrum. The thing is, since I never leave without him, he thought HE was going somewhere too. He was very unhappy that I was leaving without him. After lots of hugs and reassurance that I would be home later (& a handful of M&M’s as bribery) I was able to sneak out of the door.
I wasn’t five minutes down the road when my mommy brain got the best of me. “Did I leave the stove on? Did I put red’s in the washer with white clothes? Did my toddler freak out again when he noticed I was gone? Did I forget my bra? No…I at least remembered that…” I refrained from calling my mom to check on the boys and continued on my way.
My friends were beyond excited to see me. It had been quite some time since my last day out with them and it felt good to get back to the old me. We sat down for lunch and started talking. They were talking about new boyfriends, planning vacations, and work. I began to realize that all my stories began with, “So I was with my boys the other day…” or, “It’s so funny when the kids…” or their favorite, “So I got puked on/changed a diaper the other day and…” and I couldn’t comment on their stories without saying something like, “remember a couple of years ago when…” (Funny how your stories change when you are a parent haha)
Right after lunch I couldn’t help myself. I texted my mom to make sure the boys were okay. Not only was I worried, but I felt as though I had to rush through everything and get back home. She kept reminding me that everything was fine, to take my time, and that I was supposed to be enjoying myself. It was hard to enjoy myself when I didn’t know HOW to anymore. Sure, it was refreshing to be out with my friends, but it’s almost like I only know how to be a mom now.
We left from lunch to go get our nails done. Inside I was laughing at how silly it was for me to get my nails done. I had no one to appreciate them. Not to mention they would never last since I have the world’s worst cuticles and the driest skin. I found my mind wandering back to my boys again. “I wonder what color my boys would enjoy on my nails, I hope they are behaving, I wonder if they have eaten yet, what if my baby won’t take a bottle from Grandma?” Again I was on my phone texting (absolute no-no by the way while you’re getting your nails done, the tech yelled at me a LOT) getting the same responses of: “Everyone is FINE, focus on you.”
We left from there to go shoe shopping. Seriously. I. LOVE. SHOES. They are my one downfall besides crafting which is a whole other story. But so anyway, shoe shopping. The girls were trying on nice shoes that were amazingly cute. I tried on one pair. ONE. When I about fell on my face when I was walking in them, I realized that my shoe addiction had come to a stop when I had gotten pregnant with my first son, almost 2 years ago. I was pretty disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to wear a cute pair of heels with my friends because not only did I not know how to walk in them anymore, but I also had nowhere to wear them.
So while I sat and silently died a little on the inside, my friends got to try on more shoes. I would have still tried more on, except I was a little scared at that point…and I started to look at kid’s shoes. My mind again got the best of me, “I should really reorganize that back room so the boys have a place for their toys. I need to get rid of newborn stuff. I really should start working on establishing a bedtime routine for Finn. Speaking of Finn I hope his foot is doing okay (he has clubfoot).”
It just seemed to creep back up on me wherever I went. I just couldn’t stop worrying about my boys.
By the end of the day I was worn out and ready to get back to my little babies. My toddler rushed to the door to greet me with a big hug and my baby had a huge smile for me. I felt refreshed that I got a bit of a break…but really…was that a true day off? I did nothing but talk about or think about my kids.
I’ve come to the conclusion that parents don’t ever get a day off in my opinion. While we can get away for a little while, we never stop worrying about our housework, bills, or our kids and if they are okay. But… It’s hard not to think of the ones you love, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.
Do you have any funny stories of your “mom’s days off?” We want to hear them, so tell us know below!
