Yup, I took my baby to a bar. I’ve sort of got a history of this. Relax, she didn’t smuggle a margarita or anything. Here’s my story before you start flipping out: I took my LilMiss (almost 2! can you believe it?) to our local bar (which also happens to be a normal restaurant on the other side) because we needed to order food to take home to Hubby and LadyP. Instead of picking up the phone from home and then waiting 20 minutes before making the 30 second drive down the block to the spot, I just decided to load up my little party girl and roll it over there to order the food on site and then wait. My motive? We kinda NEEDED to get outta the house. LadyP had a runny nose and was cranky (i.e.: wasn’t in the mood for dining out), so that meant mommy had to go food-hunting. (I also knew this local place would be virtually empty at 5pm because it doesn’t start to pick up energy until around 6:30 on Saturdays… so this baby-in-a-bar thing would be relatively safe.) We rolled into the bar area to place our order with our stroller and two teddy bears.
Cool place. Am I supposed to be here?
I waved down the bartender. “I’ll have 2 orders of the Kids Mac-N-Cheese Special (with those goldfish crackers crushed on top), an order of the Chicken+Spinach Pasta w/ Cream Sauce and a BLT. To-go.”
“That’ll be about 20 minutes, ma’am.” Fabulous. I’m a ‘ma’am’ now.
“That’s fine. I’ll try a half-order of your Blood-Orange Martini while I wait.” The bright orange concoction went down way too deliciously and quick (thanks to that half-size).
Deeeeeeee-licious!
The best part of this semi-inappropriate story? I got Alone-Time with my LilMiss (minus our two teddy bears). Alone-Time is precious, people (considering that my 3 year old LadyP does not stop talking when we’re all together). LilMiss and I chatted. We counted (did you know I have eleven fingers, folks?). We sang our ABCs. We giggled. We played the hilariously-funny ‘use-your-foot-to-push-yourself-away-in-the-stroller; game. We were blissfully uninterrupted on our impromptu outing and then got our food in about 20 minutes (just like the bartender said). It was the best date I’d had in a while (if you don’t count the recent trip to Mexico with my husband). I had much-needed Alone-Time with my littlest baby. That 20 minutes was perfect. I loved it.
I know a lot moms who stress and fret and cry and question themselves about ‘am I spending enough alone time’ with my little one, my big one, my middle one or whatever one they choose to freak about on any given day. “I feel guilty” is one of the biggest problems that debilitates moms today. My thoughts: Don’t panic… just FOCUS and USE the in-between moments. Everyone has moments to utilize every single day. Some days yield long moments (like, full-on Mommy-and-me playdates), some days provide short ones (like, the time in the car with your kiddos between running a list of errands). Life is busy, parents are busy, kids are busy… just do your best every day and don’t freak out. Keep in mind, your ‘best’ will most likely vary from day to day… it’s ok! That’s life. I’m telling you, the in-between moments can add up to major magic.
My alone-moments with each of my girls have consisted of trips to the grocery store, stops at gas stations, time in the bath, getting our mail, the car-ride to dance class and much more. These are the times I capitalize on to talk to, giggle with and ask questions (even if my current conversations have mostly to do with Elsa and Anna).
Moments are everywhere, and us moms must find them… even if they might involve waiting for take-out in an empty bar.
HOW DO YOU FIND ALONE-TIME WITH EACH OF YOUR KIDS?
