It's Erin Time!

I hope you said that to yourself in MC Hammer's voice.  Sadly, "Erin Time" has gone the way of the 90's pop icon and faded away into the sunset.  The glory days of going out with my friends for dinner or drinks after work, or spending the afternoon getting my hair done are over.  My social outings now consist of appointments and boring errands.

Take for example Thursday evenings. Remember when they were called Thirsty Thursday?   I now spend my Thursday evenings at Market Basket.  This is after I spend my equally exciting Wednesday evenings making my grocery list and scouring the online coupons for hours so I can save $4.37 each week.  After my awful experience at MB a few weeks ago (many of you may remember from my Facebook rant) I am able to show my face again and shop without a baseball hat and sunglasses.  I do stand by my idea the Department of Children and Families should have a satellite office in Market Basket.  Again, it would save a ton of paperwork actually witnessing the incidents that cause parents to abandon their children in the produce aisle.  Another idea I may suggest to MB is adding a slight tranquilizer to the bakery cookies they pass out to children.  It would make for a much more pleasant shopping experience for all.  However, I am holding fast to my NEVER taking them to the grocery store again!!!  Last Thursday I had to go shopping after a really long day of preschool, errands and an Ecotarium play-date.  I was starving since I went at dinner time.  I grabbed a yummy white pizza.  I immediately put it back and bought a so-so mushroom and blue cheese pizza.  The rationale behind my purchase....I was so tired and I just wanted to sit in my room, watch TMZ and eat dinner in peace.  Since I have met Sara and Anna before I knew they would come in and ask for my pizza.  Sure enough, Anna came in, took a bite, spit it out and started to cry because it was gross.  She left in disgust.  The pizza was gross, but I got 10 minutes to myself.  I am going to keep my freezer stocked with that pizza from now on.

I knew having children would limit my "me" time but I didn't fully understand how all encompassing it would actually be.  I am never alone.  I have to leave the door open when I take a shower to keep an ear out for the girls.  I set them up with snacks and activities but without fail about 2 minutes into my shower one of them always comes in, opens the curtain and hands me a juice box to open, or a Barbie to undress.  I DO close the door when I have to go to the bathroom.  No matter...Anna will lay on the floor outside and put her hands under the door and say, "Mommy, do you see my hands?  My hands are in the bathroom".  Or, they just talk through the door as if what they have to say is so important they can't wait the 90 seconds for me to come out.  If Dad is in the bathroom all bets are off.  They would never bother him.  I swear he could spend 4 hours in there reading Of Mice and Men completely uninterrupted.  I can't even get 2 lines into the hair dye instructions without some battle royale breaking out that needs my immediate attention. 

I have to take them to hair appointments...FYI..not relaxing!!!  I have had to take them to almost every doctors appointment I have had since they came along.  Even the gynecologist which is uncomfortable on a good day, a million times worse when you have an audience.  I did plan my dental appointment for today, a Saturday so I could go by myself and "relax".  Sad when a tooth cleaning is considered relaxation.  Of course while there the hygienist accidentally squirt me in the eye with the water gun AND I found out due to stress induced teeth clenching I have a fractured tooth and now need a crown!  Another dentist appointment?  Oh my, my social calendar is filling up fast.

So it is Saturday night and I am sitting here writing my blog while the kids are watching their shows.  Exciting I know.  But this story does have a happy ending!  I got a dress for the wedding!!!!!  I took my dad's advice and went to Dress Barn...I was a little leery at first.  He told me that he always gets stuff for my mom there, but this is not your mom's Dress Barn anymore...they have some pretty nice, trendy things there.  I got a cute black dress that I don't hate.  Yes, not hating it is my criteria.  Thank you to Bridget at the Franklin Village Dress Barn for helping me make my dress shopping experience pretty pain free.  The best part is the wedding is still 3 weeks away!!  I found it with time to spare.  Even better...Anna was not there rubbing my bum saying how soft I was.  She did however tell me a resounding "No", when I asked if she liked my new dress I was modeling when I got home.

I think later after I put the girls to bed I might put on some MC Hammer, have a glass of wine and have some Erin Time!!!