Then and Now: A Comparison of Mommy vs Pre-Mommy Happenings

I called my younger sister on Saturday night to discuss, in ridiculous detail, the party decorations I got for Emma’s first birthday (I know I am going a little out of control with the whole first birthday thing). As I was discussing the various animal masks I realized something. I was interrupting my sister during her Saturday night outing. Mainly, my sister was out at an ultra-cool comedy club show (you know one of those semi-underground places that just enough people know about so it’s cool but not so cool that it becomes uncool cause to many people know about it kind of thing) while here I was facetiming her waving paper plates in the air and laughing merrily like a five year old hyped up on way to much sugar. Then it hit me (if you recall from my earlier post these stark realizations are frequent in my fried mommy brain world), this is nowhere near what I would be doing on a Saturday night just a few years ago. Just a few years ago, when the freedom and energy of my mid-twenties surrounded me in endless splendor, just a few years ago when I had no clue whatsoever that I would be a mom so soon. Even though the transition was not fast, I did settled down somewhat once I started dating my husband, but I still felt like I didn’t get as much closure to my carefree youth as I would have liked (due to a surprise pregnancy), so I thought I would travel down memory lane and give a play-by-play detailing of my daily happenings as they are now versus what they were back then. See if any of these look familiar to you:

- Bed Time Now: I pass out from complete exhaustion from cleaning, working, and playing vroom vroom cars

- Bed Time Then: I passed out from too much drinking, those keg stands really take it out of you

- Dinner Prep Now – Plan out my meals carefully each Sunday, prepare fresh dinners nightly

- Dinner Prep Then – Wrestling with the tough decision to have pizza for the third night in a row or being brave and trying out the new Chinese place or you know if I really felt like getting physical, pulling the plastic cover off a microwave meal

- Cleaning Now: Make sure to buy organic cleaners/ spend time organizing/ vacuuming, mopping floors and extracting toys from all crevices

- Cleaning then: Removing empty beer cans from the couch and placing them in old pizza box on the counter to make room for “guests” on the couch

- Going Out Now: Throw on sweatpants, sneakers and any non-wrinkled shirt 5 minutes before it’s time to go, proclaiming I thought this was a “pajama party” when I get to my destination

- Going Out Then: Spend days picking out/ shopping for outfits/ spend hours doing hair/ getting ready/ wear heals

- Mommy Knowledge Now: “That mom is doing a great job getting her errands done with a tantruming toddler"

- Mommy Knowledge Then: “That kid is screaming why is the mother doing nothing to calm the child down.”

- Shopping at the Grocery Store Now: Clip Coupons, check prices, check labels, buy a variety of meats, fruits, veggies, and diary

- Shopping at the Grocery Store Then: Soda and microwave dinners (I lived without a stove for almost two years and did not mind, scary I know)

- My dinners out Now: Consist of streaming Sesame street for the masses in order to prevent an epic restaurant meltdown

- My dinners out Then: Shots anyone!?!?

Needless to say a lot has changed in just a few short years but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Having a child was my final push to mature and grow up and boring bill responsibilities aside, I am really enjoying putting time and effort into what is most important now, my family.