Mom's Day Out = Grandma's Day In

Thanks to my very generous mom, I have the day off. She planned a Grandma Day with the little men, and I thereby planned a day that did not involve them. A day without children is just the cure for a restless mom, now and then.

I spent the morning shopping. Not a shopping-spree-blow-it-all-as-fast-as-possible kind of experience, but rather the take-my-time-to-find-the-things-we've-been-needing variety. Among other stops, I went to the mall.

A visit to the mall, sans-children, is an old, familiar experience.

I walked in with my purse and my bag of items to exchange, but nothing else. No stroller, no diaper bag. I took the stairs instead of the elevator. I didn't worry about losing shoes or toys or snacks. I used the women's restroom, not the family restroom. Nobody asked if we could please visit the puppies. I walked briskly when I wanted to, slowly when I chose. Sometimes I stopped to look, and sometimes I strolled on by.

It was blissful.

(I missed my little shopping buddies. Just a little. But not enough to find them when I learned that my mom had brought them to the mall. Let's not go crazy. The mall is big enough for all of us, it turns out.)

(Thanks, Mom.)