Mom's Day Out!

Happy Mother's Day to me!
I know, it might seem late, but actually Jon planned his Mother's Day gift to me this weekend.  This year for Mother's Day, Jon gave me a wonderful gift: up to 72 hours all to myself! No kids, no cleaning, no cooking! So, Friday afternoon at 5pm, Jon packed up the van and took all the kids camping to Big Basin...

...and just like that, the house was empty.  Empty and quiet. I had nothing to do. Nothing at all... nobody asking for a drink or an apple or telling me about something smelly in their pants...

What to do, what to do?

So just how does a mom with no kids have fun? It took me a minute, but I think I figured it out...

Step 1: Try on clothes! I know it sounds a little silly, but really, being able to just try on clothes without anybody whining in the dressing room or outside the dressing room or saying, "Can we go now?" is just what a mom needs sometimes.  I went to RoadRunner to try on running clothes and I got to just leisurely try things, look in the mirror, weigh my options, and make my selection...  Ahhh....

Step 2: Grab a girlfriend for a night on the town!! Brooke was such a good sport about hanging out with me on Friday night!  We went out to see The Avengers (I know, not what you would expect from a girl's night out, but I really wanted to see it and Jon had already seen it twice without me!) and Brooke reserved a couple of those recliner couch luxury seats at the theater in Mountain View.  We ate a GIANT tub of buttery delicious popcorn and Brooke taught me how to take a selfie at the movie theater after the show.

(yeah, so it's a little blurry... whatever...)

Step 3: Stay out ridiculously late window shopping and eating out in downtown Mountain View! We had a great time perusing a store called "Therapy" with all kinds of fun stuff to look at, including rings made from old typewriter keys, way overpriced throw pillows, a picture book called "Crap Taxidermy," and of course, a sriracha sippy cup! After a lot of good laughs and thoughtful pauses, we continued on to the Crepevine for an almost midnight meal and more selfie lessons :)

Step 4: Sleep in!

Step 5: Go for a run! Not early, but still in the morning on Saturday, I headed over to Coyote Hills for my six mile run in my new running clothes! So relaxing and fun to just wander the trails and explore the ins and outs of a place. I may be close to admitting that running might be a little bit fun... just a little...

Step 6: Go the the temple! After a night of indulgence and a good morning workout, the next thing I needed was a good spiritual feeding. The temple never disappoints. And though this is one place that is better when enjoyed with your eternal companion, it's great on your own too. I got to do some initiatories and daughter sealings. Also, I ate lunch in the cafeteria! It's one of those little things that I'd never gotten to do before, so silly as it was, it was a big moment for me! Seeing part of the temple I've never seen before! And as you can see from the picture, I  need to invite Brooke back for a few more selfie lessons (what is that face saying??).

 Step 7: Get a good pampering! After a lovely temple day, I went straight to Massage Envy Spa for a deep tissue massage. It was lovely. It was relaxing, and it was just what I needed before returning from my Mom's Day Out! After those seven steps, I was ready to jump back in to life feeling refreshed, relaxed, invigorated, and inspired! And I was really starting to miss my kids and my husband, which brings us to the final phase of Mom's Day Out...

Step 8: Cuddle up on the couch with your favorite people, big and small! One curly-headed toddler, one sassy kindergartner, one sweet miniature gentleman, one tall blonde beauty, and best of all, one loving good-looking guy as always, right by my side.

Happy Mother's Day to me! Yeah, I know, I've got it good!