Oh the sounds of joyful song and laughter coming from my children. Bliss!
Now, if only every moment could be as blissful as this. They come often enough to keep me content and sane on most days, but last Friday was not one of those days. I don't even think I need to paint the scene of what was going on. I don't even really remember, but I'm sure it involved Robby being fussy and stubborn and not taking his nap and Tyler being whiny and uncooperative.
It was the kind of day where I was grateful for the childproof lock I had put on my pantry door a few years ago. What's that? You don't have a lock on your pantry? You really should look in to getting one. I highly recommend it. Not only does it keep your overly hungry boy from eating everything and anything he can find at any hour of that day that he pleases, BUT it just might become your new sanctuary....you know, the place you retreat when you just need a moment to catch your breath. Some of you choose to take your mommy time out in your bedroom, but here's the secret- that's not where the food is. Oh sure, you could keep your secret stash of M&M's under your bed, but if you hide it in the pantry, the possibilities are endless. If you're having a particularly difficult moment and need a little extra time in your "mommy time out" you could have a couple pretzels with you M&M's- rounding out your sweet with a little salty. And if you're lucky, you just might find a forgotten unopened juice box to wash it all down. What could be better? Bliss!
Back to the story of last Friday. I decided that I needed more than a moment in the pantry with my favorite snacks (plus we were out of chocolate and chewing on beef bouillon or something else from my food storage just didn't sound appetizing). John got home from work, so I handed over the boys and let him know I'd be back in an hour. My plan was just to wander around the new department store that recently opened less than a mile from my house- unwind a bit, enjoy the peace and quite, savor the fact that no one is crying, and relish the clean and organized atmosphere. Simple enough, right? That's what I thought until I got there. One word: SALE. And we're not talking Kohl's sale here, because we all know EVERYTHING is on sale at Kohl's. We're talking like 40% off clearance.
I found myself in the children's department loading up on Ralph Lauren long-sleeved button down shirts for not $35.00...no, not even $13.99...I got them for (drum roll, please) $8.39!!! Needless to say, I got some for both boys in a couple sizes and colors. You seriously can't beat that. Not to worry, I didn't spend all my time looking for clothes for my boys. When I discovered how good the deals were, I spent some time and found a few really cute things for myself. I went home rejuvenated from having some time to myself and giddy for finding such great deals. Let's just say, the bottom of my receipt said that I saved $286.00. That's almost double what I spent. Oh yeah, the deals were that good. Bliss!
But the fun doesn't even end there. The next night I called my friend Jen to see if she wanted to join me for a second trip. Deals that amazing are too good not to share. Glad she was up for a little outing even though she was fighting off a nasty cold. We laughed (at me trying a shirt on backwards), cried (at clothes not fitting our post-pregnancy bodies), and savored the sanity. We picked up some smoothies and had a great chat. I'm so grateful for friends in my life who lift my spirits, make me laugh, motivate me to be a better person, and share their talents and time with me. Bliss!
Whether it's happy children, chocolates in the pantry, good deals at the store, or fun moments with friends, we all gotta find a few bits of bliss in our lives, right?
