Getting Out

I feel like the hardest thing to do, as a mom, is get out of the house. With or without kids, doesn't matter. Doesn't matter that I'm a second-time-mom or when I was a first-time-mom. Getting out of the house is just so bloody difficult. Let me kind of break this down...

With Kids, Have an Appointment
- shower in the morning when T is still home (so yeah, that's showering at 530am)
- wake up Miss O with the shower
- deal with Miss O opening and closing the door ten thousand times all while asking what I'm doing
- depending on what time the appointment is, and what kind of appointment, I either deal with feeding Miss O before or after changing her pull-up and clothes while simultaneously trying to keep Mr. M happy (and/or asleep)
- Sometimes I've had to drop Miss O off at daycare before an appointment, in which case I have to basically throw her into the car and ignore her cries and temper tantrums
- But before daycare, it's getting Mr. M ready to go (he usually spits up on his clothes and I just don't have time to change them. Or I just don't care), and making sure that the diaper bag is packed appropriately.
- At some point I have to get myself dressed. And maybe do my hair? Or put my makeup on? I can usually scrape my hair into a ponytail and slap on some mascara in a hurry
- Finally leave the house.

In all honesty, I have to give us usually about an hour to get everything done and that's without driving to the appointment. So an 1145am appointment requires starting this whole process by 10am so we can leave the house by 11. Exhausting.

With Kids, No Appointment
Or: Why Are You Even Leaving If You Don't Have To
- Maybe shower. Maybe.
- Deal with Miss O, change diaper & clothes, attempt to feed.
- Deal with Mr. M, change diaper and feed
- Put hair in a messy bun, make sure I'm wearing a bra
- Toss kids in car and leave

This is our routine when I need a coffee from Tim's. Which is, ashamedly, more than I would like

I leave the house so infrequently without kids that I'm not even going to write it down. If nothing else, I tend to take at least one kid with me so that T can have his time with just the one. But lately, I've been able to sneak away for a couple hours and go for a drink with friends.

It's a totally different ballgame to go out with friends who don't have kids; who aren't married; who aren't really even in serious relationships OR have just gotten into them. I'm envious, in a way, of the freedom their lives allow them. However, it also makes me appreciate what I've got now. I'm way too fat and lazy to attempt to date anyone now - T can attest to the lazy, as we never go out on dates anymore. I'm glad that I own a house, and a vehicle, and I'm so glad that I have my two kids. Although I will definitely need reminding of that when they drive me absolutely nuts.