I've Got a Better Chance of Spontaneous Combustion

So my dear friend Suzanne from Mimilou wants to know what I miss most about my pre-child life.

How's about just being able to walk out the door when I want to?

Seriously, I was just thinking that very thing not too long ago.

I wondered at the fact that I used to be able to throw some clothes on in about thirty seconds, pick up my keys, and walk out the door whenever I felt like it, to go where ever I felt like going at the time.

Spontaneity? What's that?

The prep time that goes into an outing these days seems to almost equal the time we spend at the actual destination. Mr. Personality is exactly where he wants to be at any given time, so wheedling him to get dressed and such to go somewhere is a time-consuming process. And, whether he dresses himself (sort of) or if I dress him, it still seems to take forever.

I am a prepared mother, or at least that is what I like to fool myself into thinking, so whenever we go out, everything has to be just so. Change of clothes, fresh water, snacks, and any other various and sundry things I think are worthwhile to load up into the backpack. I have been caught too many times without something I needed, so I am an unapologetic over-packer. This takes time.

Although that certainly didn't help me the other day when at Hubba-hubba's insistence (see how good I am at pointing fingers?), we dressed Mr. Personality too warmly for what turned out to be a rather hot day. I searched frantically for shorts in the trunk as his cheeks turned a bright pink. But, no luck. I found at least three pairs of pants and two long sleeved shirts, but they did me no good at all.

So I have reluctanltly embraced the fact that those heady days of just popping over to Sav-on to pick up some extra lotion or browsing through the salon for some new hair products on a whim are a thing of the distant past.

I'm ok with that.

Sort of.