Push Presents: Rings, rules, being right.

Who likes sparkly things? (Duh.) Since I’ve ticked off pregnant women everywhere about my thoughts on push-presents (I think they’re ridiculous), I’m now making things right: Buying YOURSELF a push presents and/or ME-gifts is totally okay. (Yes, I make up these inane ‘filosophies’ as I live them.) Motivation for moms is always fabulous.

I just bought mine. Last week. It’s pink. I’m wearing it on my right hand as I type this.

See, rings are kinda a thing with me. The background: It all started in 2007 when I got my first ‘big’ job (well, big for me at the time). I was over the moon…. it happened… my little TV career had started. I was making decent money (actually, the BEST decent money I’ve ever made in my whole life to date!) and I wanted to commemorate it. My mom came up with a brilliant idea: She suggested I buy a piece of jewelry for myself. So I did. I fell in love with a pretty little David Yurman and bought it without any trepidation. Yikes. It was one of the biggest purchases I’d ever made (besides buying a car). I was a little freaked out about it. But I wasn’t married and had no kids, so it was all about me and I’d might as well celebrate. A few years later came my America’s-Worst-Driver-Ring (yes, I was still faithful to Dave).

Then there was marriage, baby (LadyP), the launch of this blog, random freelance jobs (some of them thanks to this blog), another baby (LilMiss). But there were no more rings… mostly because there were no more big-paying jobs that warranted rings. See, I had rule about when I was allowed to buy these rings: The job had to be a contracted, permanent position. No loosey-goosey freelance gigs or one-offs were worthy of spending money on jewelry (which sucked, since most of my jobs ARE loosey-goosey freelance one-offs… ha). But rules are rules and I abide by them. Can’t help it.

I’ve wanted another ring so badly. (Actually, I’ve kinda missed having a contracted, permanent job lately, too. But that’s another story.) Until, I recently remembered my rule: Jobs must be contracted, permanent positions. GEEZ, THAT SOUNDS LIKE MOTHERHOOD TO ME. And, legitimately, this blog HAS brought me a few contracted, semi-permanent jobs that had not yet been commemorated with the purchase of a ring.

So last week I swept up the most important jobs of my life (LadyP & LilMiss), headed to The Grove, pushed my looooong double stroller over to Nordstrom’s jewelry case and went hunting for another Dave to celebrate my girls and pay homage to this blog and to all things this blog has brought my way since having babies. No need to tell Hubby. He wouldn’t understand. Besides, it’s my little wad of money and none of his business at this point in time (I say that with the most undying love in my heart). I found it. P-I-N-K, S-W-E-E-T and S-A-S-S-Y. Just like my girls (and this blog). With the swipe of a credit card, I was elated… until I felt idiotic and irresponsible.

What did I just do?!?! I have TWO little girls now. What the hell am I doing buying myself nice jewelry? I should be putting any and all of my earned money away for them. I felt wrong. Irresponsible. Stupid Mommy. With my receipt, my ring and a mini-pit in my tummy I strolled out of the store. And then I practically ran my stroller right into Lawrence Zarian. THE TV Fashion Guy. From ABC’s “LIVE with Kelly.” Mr-Look-Good-and-Make-No-Apologies-for-Celebrating-Life… he’d definitely back me up about buying the ring (no, I didn’t spill my guts too him when we hugged hello, but I was tempted). Seeing him right then and there was surely a sign. Blog-Bling is not wrong.

Celebrating yourself once in a while – with your own hard-earned money that you tucked away a long time ago for times like this – is not wrong… especially if the celebration is based on the joy, renewed creativity, opportunity, experiences and unexpected gratitude that your two favorite little people in the world have granted you just by existing. So as of today, I hereby give myself permission to rock my ring with radiance from the inside-out, despite that it’s not all about me anymore. Every time I peek at it I feel happy, proud of myself, giddy and fabulous. And those are things that keep motherhood extra fun.

Now you try.

HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE LIFE’S MOMENTS FOR YOURSELF?