Mom(my) Time

Let me start by saying that I love my child like I have never loved any other person or thing on this earth. I would take a bullet for that boy to ensure his safety or hold a roach in my bare hand to ensure his happiness. I could live for a week off his laughter alone.  So let's be clear, this post is not about not liking my kid. Put your judgement down and read on.

I also love pasta. Plain pasta, pasta marinara, pasta in a creamy carb sauce, pasta with veggies, pasta with cheese and butter. I even love the pasta at Farm 255 that has an anchovy sauce. There are very few pasta dishes I wouldn't go to dinner with. I'm a carb girl at heart and there's something about a delicious pasta that is the comfort food of all comfort foods. If I weren't concerned about my weight and health I'd eat an 85% pasta diet.* But that wouldn't be healthy. My doctor would frown upon it. My girlfriends would probably be embarrassed. My husband would be concerned. My health, work, social life and marriage would probably suffer due to my poor health. I might even get tired of pasta after all of that. I need to fill my plate with other healthy options so I can be healthy enough to eat and enjoy pasta.


Who's with me here? Even though I love pasta I know it's not good for me all the time. Sometimes pasta can be (age appropriately) whiny, and sometimes it pulls on my pajama bottoms until they fall down. Sometimes it snots and slobbers on my good shirt as I'm walking out the door and sometimes it creates lots of poopy laundry. Sometimes pasta throws its sippy cup in the way back of my car and I don't find it until the milk has turned into cottage cheese. Sometimes pasta wipes gummy graham crackers in my hair and wakes up at 5am for no reason- even when I am really tired. I understand that even though motherhood is wonderful and joyful and filled with miraculous developmental milestones, I don't need only motherhood on my plate. Don't get me wrong: I need A LOT of mommy time. I love it. But I'm so much more than just a mom. So I also need girlfriends-having-a-drink time and go-to-work-and-focus-and-do-your-job-well-time and have-a-date-with-The-Husband-time and sometimes good ol' trash-tv-time on my plate. Like my diet, balance is the key.

I could do motherhood all the time and never do anything for myself. I could be a mommy martyr. But that wouldn't be healthy. My doctor would frown upon it. My girlfriends would probably be embarrassed. My husband would be concerned. My health, work, social life and marriage would probably suffer due to my poor health. I might even get tired of mommy time after all of that. So.... I choose to hang out with adults when I can, to try to leave home at home and work at work, to let The Boy spend the night with his grandparents once a month, and to not feel guilty when I need to order something different. It re-energizes me and helps me be fully present, fully functional, fully appreciative, and fully mommy when it's mommy time. Sorry pasta, but tonight I'm ordering a salad. You'll be thankful I did.

*5% cakes and pastries, 2% Lucky Charms, 2% dairy, and 1% fresh cut fruit if you're wondering