The other day I was tagged in a Facebook post which requested I’d share all the exciting things about myself.
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Restaurant: Smithville Inn
Favorite TV Show: Uhhh… “Bluey,” and “Peppa Pig”…
Favorite thing to do in your spare time – Uhhh… I like to clean. Loraine, do you hear yourself?!
I passed on the survey because it didn’t match up with everyone else’s amazing answers. I like to paint realistic pictures here; my family and I are not perfect. I also realized in the five minutes I stared at my phone just trying to answer what my favorite thing was to do was way too hard.
Speaking from a mom point of view (this goes for dads too), when we start a family, we lose a piece of who we used to be. I like to call this the Play-Doh effect. You are and always will be Play-Doh, but one day you may be shaped into a dinosaur; another day you may be a princess. It’s totally up to your mindset.
After failing my Facebook survey, I decided to take a shower to just get some alone time. I wanted to actually think really hard about who I was and what I did like. So, like any other time I shower, I put the water on, let it get warm, hopped in and let the water run over my face. Not even two minutes into my shower I hear little feet running into the bathroom. It’s my 4-year-old Keira, and she has decided that I need company.
Keira: “Mom, it’s OK I’m right here.”
Me: “Thanks Keira!”
K: “Do you need a towel?”
M: “No, Keira, I have one; thank you!”
K: “Want me to tell you a story?”
M: “Sure Keira.”
K: “Once upon a time there was a princess named Mommy…”
M: “…and she likes to shower alone?”
K: “No silly…” followed by giggles.
Well, Keira continued to tell me a story for the rest of the time I showered. She even continued to ask me if I needed clothes, toilet paper and a blow dryer. At this point it was pretty close to bedtime, and I gathered Lily and Keira both for their bedtime story. We are big fans of Mo Willems, especially the Piggy and Gerald books. Maybe my favorite thing to do is read to my kids, I thought. Is that lame? I really do enjoy making funny voices and reading to them. Not long after that thought, I dozed off.
The next morning, I woke up to Keira’s little feet in my face, John snoring loudly and Lily hanging off the other side of our bed. It was now 5:30 a.m., and I never wake up this early, but—with the circus that had consumed my bed—it was just too much for me to try to ignore. I pulled my tired body out of bed and basically did a mad dash to my coffee pot. I quietly made a K-cup, grabbed my skim milk and mixed in my refined coconut sugar (It’s ahhmazzing) with a spoon and not my electric whipper because I was alone.
Guys! I had a hot cup of coffee and the whole living room to myself.
I sat on my couch, covered myself with my Snoopy blanket and sipped on some “hot” coffee. OMG… Maybe sitting alone with my coffee and no electronic devices is what I like to do in my free time?! I think 10 minutes went by before I reached out for the changer and turned my television on. I scrolled the channels for what felt like an hour only to end back on Disney Junior to watch “Bluey” … alone. Oh, my gawwwd! “Bluey” really is my favorite TV show. A few minutes into watching “Bluey” alone, I heard the pitter-patter of a tiny feet. I looked up and Keira was standing there “Hi Mommy, can we snuggle?” You better believe it kiddo!
So here it goes… the dreaded survey answers.
Age: 38
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Restaurant: Smithville Inn
Favorite thing to do in my spare time: Snuggle and read to my little kiddos. I also enjoy blasting the radio and shaking it to Beyonce to embarrass my 11-year-old.
Favorite TV Show: “Bluey”
Favorite Coffee Shop: Casciano’s
Favorite Pizza: Brother’s Margherita pizza
Favorite Vacation Spot: Disney
Originally, I was embarrassed by those answers but now it just feels right to share with this little town, because I know a lot of you feel the same way too. Once you become a parent you have to be OK with releasing the you that you used to be. The beauty of life is we grow with it and my kids have made me grow in ways I never thought I would.
I do however wish for days that I can go to the bathroom alone.
Loraine Griffiths is a fifth-generation Hammontonian, graphic designer, wife and mother of three. She can be reached through email at LifeWithLoraine@gmail.com.