Revive Me + Thoughts on Being a Type-A Mom

It's amazing what a FUN weekend can do for the soul. My angel parents kept the girls Friday and Saturday nights this past weekend and Nick and I ventured into the city (New York. Is there another city? ;) ) to see our favorite people.

First up: SOULCYCLE.

(I regret my footwear for this picture, and don't worry, I didn't wear Uggs during the class. It was cold out!)

I'm not usually one for intense exercise but boy was this fun. I always thought Soulcycle was a competitive thing but I loved how motivational and non-competitive it was, and the great music really helped the class fly by.

Gamers for life. I forget what this particular game was called but it was like Celebrity--our favorite party game forever and ever. Morgan and Joe's new apartment is beautiful and it was so fun to break it in with mimosas, the best panini I've ever had, and a rousing game!

Finally, drinks and dinner out on the town. Who are we?! It was a really welcomed change of pace to be footloose and fancy free for a day! Thanks, Cookie and Pop! And thanks to our hosts for bringing some fun into these tired parents' lives!

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On the way home from picking up the girls the next day, I was feeling SO revived and energized that I decided to keep the spontaneous momentum going and stop at the mall, where I had a Hanna Andersson order to pick up (WHY is their shipping so expensive and WHEN will I pay for it anyway because the trip to the mall is just not worth it?). It was on the early side, so I thought, let's be extra spontaneous and use a gift card we had to one of the restaurants around the mall!

Disaster after disaster later (which included multiple bathroom trips, a dropped plate, antsy and crying kids, me fretting nonstop about norovirus, and Nick's and my food still not coming out after both girls had finished their food so we had to have it boxed to go) I decided it was back to my old ways. (And I recognize that these are minor disasters in the grand scheme of life and that my tolerance for shenanigans is probably much lower than the average person's.)

I work so hard to maintain order in our lives, and at this stage of our family, a huge part of this means routine and being fairly home-based. Outings happen in a relatively planned and organized manner, and are always structured around naptime. Deviation from this is usually paid for dearly by parents.

There will be a time in our lives where everyone can put their own shoes on, buckle themselves into the car, and where naptimes don't dictate how we spend our days. There will be a time where we can be out of the house all day! But truthfully, I only look forward to those days but so much, because 1) that means no more squishy babies and hilarious toddlers and 2) I've learned that looking forward to better times means wishing away the current situation, and the future will always have its challenges, too.

I am thankful for these little years, however all-consuming they are, because they are also simple. Little kids, little problems. My biggest problems today were that Amelia spilled her Cheerios and Eloise had a big tantrum before naptime because she didn't want me in the bathroom with her while she went potty (her reason) / she was tired from school and a spotty nap situation lately (real reason).

And another huge reason I don't wish away these years? The nap! Long live the nap because mama needs it too!

Are you Type A like me? Or do you fly by the seat of your pants?