A Night Off

I'm off tonight. As a mostly stay-at-home mom we don't really get vacation days do we? We don't get time off for years of service or sick days. We get 24/7 365 full time work and work it is! So tonight is my night off. No cooking, no cleaning, no baths, no bedtime stories or prayers just off. I figure since I'll be reminded of all the joys of motherhood on Sunday I should try to slip out and see if I still have "it".

So I took a shower. A long shower, with no heads peaking around the corner, no inquisitive eyes looking places. A long, hot shower all by myself. I got dressed in my non-mom-jeans jeans, put on some jewelry (no toddlers trying to steal it!), heels (no kids to chase after) and walked out the door WITHOUT picking up first (the horror!).

I went the long way to Jimmy Johns (my favorite sub place) because there were no kids in the backseat encouraging me to get where we need to go quickly. I ate my sub by myself without cutting anything or wiping anything. I stopped by a karoke bar (okay not really, but I did put in my Regina Spektor CD and sing REALLY loud so it's kind of the same) and then went to Borders where I currently am.

I've perused every shelf, weighed my options for mother's day presents (is there a better gift than books?) and now sit to blog with no greasy fingers touching screen or keyboard. In just an hour or so I'll hit up a movie (probably Baby Mama because it's all about women tonight and who doesn't love Tina Fey and Amy Poehler?).

I love being a mom, I really do; but sometimes I wonder if I can still go incognito. I wonder if I can go out in this world without my mom badge and not be blaringly obvious. Do I look like an imposter sitting here with little to do (comparatively)?

I like to think I can still go places sans kids and get accused of being a woman in the land of singledom. Though I would not wish that upon myself in a million years, it's still so interesting to wonder.

And lest you think I'm hankering for a life with no husband or kids, all you must do is take a gander in my purse. The present contents are: a love note to Zach, 2 pacifiers, a baggie of goldfish, 26 pictures of the kids, coupons (that needs no further explanation), a billfold with 12 pictures of the kids. And other things that give me away? Bags under the eyes, stretch marks on the belly, ring I proudly wear on my finger, wrinkles, 6-month-old dye job, split ends and lingering looks at kids (kind of creepy but true nonetheless).