suburban mecca

today was my first day out by myself with two kiddos. i have met my sister and cousin at the pool a few times and i ventured to starbucks alone but today was a my first big day out.
with maggie, i realized that the first year of life was all about a few essentials: milk, naps, and then later we added snacks and water. with a few dangly toys and playmates here and there...i could take her anywhere and do anything if those essentials were in place. i'm quickly realizing that with two kids you need those essentials plus the most important: a plan.
my sweet maggie turns into monster maggie if we are still alone in the house at 10am. our mornings have consisted of being groggy and stumbling around from 8-9am. and then 9am to 10am i put on sesame street, drink my coffee, nurse if i need to, eat something and brush my teeth.
now if 10:01 hits and maggie is still in her pjs...its not pretty and soon our house has turned into a disaster zone with things being pulled off every shelf. i now get why some of my friends get up BEFORE their kids to shower and be ready to attack the day. now, i seriously doubt that i'll ever do that, but its a good goal nonetheless.
my plans for this morning fell threw due to my friends kids being sick so i headed to Cool Springs mall where my sister told me there was an indoor playground. i'm not really a fan of heat or humidity but definitely not both together so i knew i needed to be inside. my pre-pregnancy jeans fit (hallelujah!) so wearing those anywhere makes me happy. so armed with my seven jeans we headed to the mall.
now, we have lived in brentwood for 6 weeks now. there are lots of things i miss about being in the city (being able to walk places, the downtown library, etc.) but there are also many things we enjoy about the burbs (nice grocery stores, the quiet, green grass...) the mall is now one thing i really like about being here. it was pretty and a little play oasis in the midst of the my favorite thing- shopping!
Maggie immediately loved the playground and took off. (hence the blurry maggie in the pictures below). i just got to sit, with Abe fast asleep, and watch Maggie run around and burn some energy. A latte would have topped things off, but for a first go, i couldnt have been happier. the downside to brentwood was all the moms at the playground were dressed perfectly, also in their sevens but they had obviously all taken showers and put on makeup.
I was just proud that i was able to take the big double stroller out of the car without breaking a sweat. well, maybe i was sweating a little.