Mama's Late Night Out on the Town

Before I give you any other details, I'm going to tell you how freaking late it was when I got home tonight from my little night out. You might wanna sit down because you are not going to believe this, people.

I got home at 9:30. 9:30 P. frickin' M. I can't even stay up that late to watch Law and Order: SVU most nights. I'm so proud! Woo - woo! *raises the roof a few times*

So, before I leave, Dennis gets home, we chat for a bit, I hand over the baby, and I'm out the door. I hop in the car and Darius Rucker begins to sing to me as I back out of the driveway. We're off to a good start. I crank the volume up a few notches, and start singin' along.

I arrive at the mall, and before I go anywhere else - I stop at Sonic. It's America's Drive-In, in case you weren't aware. Except if you're in the mall. I do not recommend driving in to Sonic when it's stationed at a shopping mall. So, my late night out on the town began with some much anticipated Tater Tots.

No, we're not talking this kind of tots:
















No cold, mushy, only-half-way-cooked school cafeteria tater tots that will later be stuffed into the side zipper pocket of your MC Hammer pants. There will be none of that on this night of nights.

This - THIS is what I'm talkin' about.














Good old fashioned Sonic tater tots in all of their greasy, salty goodness. So stinkin' freshly made that I actually burned my tongue. I don't even care. They were so good. Let's not forget the Lemon Berry Cream Slush, either. I place my order and walk over to the cushy chairs in front of the fireplace. The Christmas decorations are all up, but the damn fireplace wasn't on! You've gotta be kidding me! I didn't let it ruin my evening, though.

I sit back and sink into the cushy chair, and then proceed to spill part of my drink on my shirt. Bright pink spillage. Lovely. I think to myself, "If it's not baby snot or spit-up, I guess it had to be the cream slush. Even without the baby here, I manage to ruin a perfectly clean shirt in public." Oh well, I didn't let that get to me, either.

After I savored my treat, I head on over to Hallmark to get a little somethin' for a good friend of mine whose surprise birthday party I would be attending approximately 45 minutes after I popped the last tot. I got a her a funny little book about motherhood and picked out a cute bag to put it in - I just love to make presents look cute when I give them. It's who I am.

So, after that, I decide to head back to my cushy chair to get her gift ready and write her a quick note to go with it. Well, be still my heart if there isn't a Children's Place store right in front of me. Well, well, well. That little chunk of paradise wasn't there the last time I was at the mall (let's remember I don't get out much, okay?) I just had to go in there. I must tell you that I excercised uncanny restraint. I cannot even begin to describe the level of cuteness that was contained in that store - and the sales - oh my goodness, the sales! But, good little me, I walked out the door with a clearance headband - just 1.49, thankyouverymuch. It may not fit Kaylee's head until she's 2, but oh well.

It's rather cute - see for yourself!














After this fun little purchase, I set off for the surprise party, and I had myself a real good time. My friend was just thrilled about her surprise, and I enjoyed spending some time with other adults - just laughing and having a good time. Although, I will tell you that I was rather pissed that the restaurant would not make me a cheese and pepperoni calzone. I'm a very particular eater, and excuse me for not wanting olives and other disgusting food items in my dinner. Apparently these so-called calzones are prepared ahead of time. Stupid idea if there ever was one. I was so certain that what I wanted was the calzone that I didn't even come up with a Plan B. So, I got a quickly chose Frito pie, which turned out to be surprisingly delicious.

I never made it to Target or JC Penney, but I did almost hit a small family of javelinas (say it like have-a-leenas). In case you don't know what that is, it's a wild pig that's uglier than sin. It was sort of like this. Only it was dark, there were 4, and I don't drive an SUV.










Anyway, I managed to make it home without hitting one of these fine beasts. I even got some top-secret hip-hop time in the car with J-Lo...."I'm still, I'm still Jenny from the block. Used-ta have a little, now I have a lot. I'm still, I'm still Jenny from the block." Yeah, yeah, what up homes.

Tomorrow I plan to do some work around the house and then we'll do some sort of family activity that has yet to be determined. BUT! I will be going to the gym to get buff at some point, and on my way home, you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be stopping at Target and Penney's, and yes - I'll take my sweet time and enjoy every minute of it.

Dear Fellow Bloggers and Readers...

...If you are reading this, it means that I have set out on an exciting adventure.

My adventure will begin as soon as I hear the rumbling of my husband's Jeep coming down the road. I'll grab the baby, and I'll make my way to the front door. We'll greet him happily and wait for him to get into his comfortable clothes.

When Baby Daddy is all comfy, Baby Mama will hand off Baby, lace up my Adidas, grab my bag, get in my car, find some good tunes, and embark on a long-awaited journey...

...To Target, JC Penney, perhaps a home decorating store, and wherever the heck else I want to go. Alone. By myself. Solo. Sans baby or husband or friend or family.

Thanks to the brilliant, yet surprisingly simple advice from a couple of my readers from yesterday's post, I'm making time for me.

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! I can shop leisurely, with no worries about having to breast feed my baby in a public bathroom, or change a poopy cloth diaper in a public bathroom, arriving at my destination with a screaming child and no pacifier, or figuring out how to put all my purchases in the bottom of the stroller.

Heck, I might even stop at the food court, grab an indulgent treat (mozzarella sticks from Sonic, perhaps? Orange Julius? Cream Cheese wontons? The possibilities are endless, people...) and sit down by the big fireplace so I can watch people and make up stories in my head about what they are like.

I'm trying to be more intentional about taking care of myself and doing the things I enjoy, be they things from my pre-baby days, or new favorite hobbies, such as shaking my butt at the baby to make her laugh hysterically (I think she laughs because she knows she's responsible for the extra jiggle in my butt - she probably thinks, "Ha ha! I put that there, and it ain't comin' off any time soon if you keep sneaking those cookies, Mama. You're welcome, by the way."). But mostly, I'm going to try harder to incorporate the "pre-baby" activities that I enjoyed so much that I've neglected these past few months.

Anyway, I'll be accepting virtual *high fives* all night for my accomplishment of venturing out into the real world all by myself.

What will YOU do for yourself today?

Head on over to SITS (blog speak for "The Secret is in the Sauce" - go check it out - I know you're curious...) to read more Dear So-and-So letters from other bloggers. I promise you'll laugh if you do.

Things I Could Be Doing Right Now...

I realize that by posting what I am about to post, I run the risk of you all thinking I'm a major slob. But, if you think that, then poo poo on you because, if you're a mom, I'm venturing a guess that your house has looked like this at some point, too. If not, then, please - by all means - lend me your supermom cape for the day. I promise I'm not a slob. Hopefully you'll see these pictures and not feel so bad about your own little messes. Or, if your house happens to be clean right now, pat yourself on the back until 6 o'clock tonight when it's a mess again.

Kaylee decided 5 a.m. would be a grand time to wake up this morning. Then she proceeded to fuss for 2 hours straight. Fun times, people. Now, this is what she's up to...

*insert Hallelujah chorus here*

So, it's officially nap time at our house, and there are a few things I could be doing right now - like...

1. Taking a shower
(oooh, or scrubbing soap scum off shower walls....)

2. Picking up the kitchen


3. Folding this laundry


4. Washing the stack of dirty cloth diapers that are inside this Diaper Genie, and that are now starting to pile on top of the Diaper Genie


5. Cleaning the living room


Nahhh. That would have been the old me - the one that had not yet learned the lesson of why God provides mamas with baby naps...the girl who thought that nap time meant "productivity time" and power cleaned like a mad woman. Yes, I could have gotten a lot done around the house, but that's not what I needed to be doing. Ya see, those messes will be there all day. That's a fact.

BUT! These moments of quiet tranquility could end at any given moment, so I'm going to savor them. I'm going to use nap time for what I believe God intended nap time to be. ME TIME. I need my quiet time - my time to sit back, relax and do something for myself. I can clean the house later when Kaylee is awake and playing in her jumperoo or something.

For now, I'm going to eat my Fiber One bar, toss back a cold glass of water, and do a little blog hopping. In my pajamas. And I'm not going to feel guilty about it. Not one bit. So there.