The Teeter Totter & The T-Rex Surprise

I recently had 5 days away from the littles. This was THE LONGEST amount of time I have been away from either of them. I was nervous as all get out. I mean, what in the french toast would I do with myself for 5 whole days?!? Work. Sleep. Miss them. Repeat. That was my plan. Well plans changed and while I did work and miss them to the heavens and back, I most definitely did not sleep all that much. In fact, I barely even sat. I was GO GO GO from the minute they were dropped off at their Dads. My only responsibilities were the dog and work. Outside of that I was doing whatever I wanted. Now you folks without children have no idea what 5 days of doing whatever the hell you want does for us parents. It's the FFF effect. It's foreign, it's freaky, but it's also kind of fun. The fun came into play after I convinced myself it was ok to enjoy myself for days on end AND miss my kids at the same time, instead of just staying home and sulking that they weren't with me. This co-parenting thing is a balance, one I am slowly becoming better with. My entire life feels like a teeter totter. All mom mode on one side, then I'm suddenly catapulted into the air with free time every so often... And I was never really a fan of the f*ckin teeter totter to begin with.

When I was younger, pre kid days, I would always see Moms out and wonder why they looked like wackos in Mom jeans that had just been released into the wild. Wide eyed and dancing to Def Leppard "Pour Some Sugar on Me" at 5:30pm in some hole in the wall Pub, hugging everyone. The 9-5 shift workers that would stop in for their daily after work PBR sure get some entertainment on the days those Moms go out for happy hour! You know what, I'll never judge those Mothers again. Shoot, I'd probably hug them. Double shoot, I probably am one of those Moms now. I have this thing for making friends with strangers in random places anyways. It's best that I travel with supervision at all times since I can't be trusted. There was even a time, years ago, that I found a nearly passed out tweaker with one shoe in a booth at El Toro and wanted to give her a  ride home. I figured she was in a fajita coma and wanted to make sure she was safe. Seeeeee...that's why I need supervision. However, I'm getting off track here, that's another story. Point being, free time is like crack to us Moms. We need to let loose once in awhile, however it works for us, so we can stay cool under the daily pressures parenting throws our way.

At the end of the 5 days my teeter totter dropped me back into parent mode and I was instantly happy and whole again. That happiness would briefly vanish for a hot second when I was probed by a plastic T-Rex. I had ran to use the bathroom quickly and didn't turn on the light. I know I'm not the only Mom that does this- You see a moment that you can pee in peace and even if you have to do a double roundhouse kick, a back handspring, and a herkie over a baby gate to get there, you take that moment to pee alone! For 5 days the lid was up so that's what I was used to. Welllll...someone decided to close the lid and place that plastic creature there. For what purpose? I really don't know. Anyways, thank goodness the T-Rex doesn't have large arms, that could have ended very badly for me. Right after, I walk into the living room and see the littlest little naked. Naked and bathing herself in the dogs water bowl, and I thought....

I love my life. There's never a dull moment. I just LOVE being a Mom and while I enjoy my free time too, I'm learning the benefits of what loving both sides of my life does for me. Even if it's filled with random nude dog bathing and the T-Rex surprise.