Mommy Time

I think I'm officially running back on "mommy time" now. I say that I'm back there because I believe I had successfully gotten off mommy time for a while, but I'm quickly reverting back to old ways.

Mommy time is the phenomenon all moms, well maybe I should say most moms, experience after children are born. No matter how hard you try to be on time with a baby, there will always be a last minute diaper explosion, bottle/sippy cup to fill, nursing session that runs long, or spit-up resulting in a clothes change that causes even the most punctual person to run late.

Realizing this, I just learned to compensate when Jack was young and start my morning routine (or any routine before leaving the house) about an hour earlier then when I started pre-Jack. I would estimate this probably helped most of the time, but when I say "helped" I just mean that I barely arrived on time instead of 5-15 minutes late. For someone who likes a little cushion time to get where I'm going, this was tough to deal with in the beginning! And you just never know when that last minute incident will blow all your precisely laid plans to pieces, no matter what time cushion you allow.

Well, mommy time is striking again, just for slightly different reasons now that Jack is older. I'm finding myself running later and later because I'm trying to hunt down a matching pair of shoes, an elusive baseball cap, pack a lunch, and manage to get out the door with everything I need on the first try. On top of this, I always try to have some kind of snack or candy in my purse in case hunger/nausea strikes, or at the very least a Diet Coke.

I think on average I make about two trips back into the house following my initial attempt to get out the doo (you'd think I would have learned by now NOT to lock my back door after the first try). I get Jack, his backpack, and my purse in the car only to realize I either didn't pack myself a snack, or I've changed my mind about what is appealing to me at the moment, or I forgot a few extra diapers for Jack, or my cell phone, or something. I just never get it all the first try, and so once again I'm tending to run about 5-10 minutes later than I like to. I can only imagine how this is going to get worse once baby Looney #2 comes along!

I'm thinking the solution is a wheelbarrow because I just don't have enough appendages to carry the above mentioned items. I could take a short jaunt through the house each morning looking for spare shoes, hats, granola bars, Jolly Ranchers and toss these in with Jack, his backpack, and my purse. Then it's just a simple dump into the back of the van to have everything I need with me. Maybe then I could make it out the door in one try...