Mommy Time takes on new meaning

A few years ago I was sitting with a friend of mine talking about things that we do for ourselves that we really enjoy.  She shared that going to the grocery store was her thing.  I sort of looked at her quizzically.  Surely, she could come up with something better than that!  But she was insistent, going to the grocery store was the thing and went into a detailed description of going to the grocery store with the Starbucks inside, getting a Cafe Mocha, perusing the circular  and strolling through the aisles enjoying her time.  Ok.  That was her thing.

It really wasn't until I had my daughter that I really got what she was talking about.  I had one of these exact experiences this morning which brought back this memory.

I had told my husband last night that I had to go to Target and get a vacuum.  For the past two weeks I have been vacuuming my house with a hand held vacuum.  Yes, you heard that right HAND HELD VACUUM.   So when my back began to hurt, really hurt, when it hadn't before, I attributed it to the vigorous vacuuming that takes place in my house every morning and not to age, although, I suspect age could be playing a role at this point. 

My husband was kind enough to agree to watch my daughter so I could just go and get it done as quickly as possible.  When I walked into the store, I remembered Starbucks was there.  I walked on over, got myself a cup of coffee and made my way over to the vacuums thinking, this is REALLY enjoyable.  I started to laugh to myself, I was shopping for vacuums not for some coveted item!!  It didn't matter, I was having a really good time.  Seriously, I was having an Aha moment that brought me back to the conversation that I had had with my friend now over four years ago.  This is what she meant, and finally, I got it.  Me time now, is doing some of the most mundane tasks solo without having to worry about meltdowns, sippy cups, snacks, diaper changes or octopus hands grabbing things off the shelves. 

It's time to recharge the batteries, take a breath, not worry about anyone else but yourself and enjoy a simple cup of coffee in peace.  It doesn't have to be long, it could be 15 minutes, but it makes a difference.