Mother's Day the Way It Should Be

This past Sunday was Mother's Day and as usual I spent it without the kids. Now, some of you may be thinking "What kind of woman spends Mother's Day without her children?" A woman who wants to hold on to her sanity, that's who! I cannot tell you how many Mother's Days I have been out with my mom and seen women my age out  for their special day with their kids and husbands and the kids are screaming and complaining and the poor mom is having to carry a thrashing child in the football hold out the door, while her Mother's Day meal turns cold at the table. I love my children dearly and the other 364 days of the year, they have my undivided attention (except for the Saturdays I occasionally get away to my moms for the night) , but on Mother's Day, I feel that if it truly is a day to celebrate Mom's, then let them have a day for themselves with no children in sight! And if they have a child with Autism, I say let them have the whole weekend  with no sensory issues, frustrated meltdowns (from child and mother), or any of the other craziness that goes along with Autism for as far as the eye can see! And because I have an amazing husband who totally understands my need to "escape" every now and then, I spend  Mother's Day by myself. Well, not by myself, but no one under 18 is allowed within a 20 foot radius of me.
This year I got together with a girlfriend of mine for dinner Saturday night and it was so much fun! Jennifer and I have not gone out together without our children for five years!! So, I think it would be an understatement to say we had some catching up to do! We ate at Moon Under Water in downtown St. Petersburg and sat outside enjoying the beautiful night. The weather was perfect, warm with a gentle breeze and the downtown was lively with people of all walks of life passing by and the horse drawn carriages  parading past. We ordered wine and took our time going over the menu, in no rush to order. There were no kids whining about how hungry they were, and nobody having to go the bathroom every five minutes and more importantly nobody taking off their shoes and throwing them into the middle of the table, as Camryn likes to create her own centerpiece when we go out. No, on this night I had no worries of a meltdown over something so simple as Camryn wanting her plate to be taken off the table, or her throwing herself down in the aisle screaming because she was ready to go when the rest of us had hardly made a dent in our meal. There was none of that,in fact the only distraction was the waitress asking me if I wanted more wine and really, can that be counted as a distraction? I didn't think so. After dinner Jennifer and I went to another restaurant down the street where we sat outside and enjoyed coffee and dessert and talked and laughed and talked and laughed some more. We didn't get home until after midnight and you know what? That was fine because I was spending the night at my moms and no one was going to "scream me awake" in the morning and then greet me with a poopy pullup. And if I wanted to lay in bed in the morning and just lay there, no one was going to crawl on top of me and pinch my arms. No, not that morning and that is exactly how every mother should wake up on Mother's Day, when and how she wants. My mom and I took her dogs for a walk along beautiful Coffee Pot Bayou and then dressed up in sundresses and wedges for lunch with my brother at Sloppy Joes on Treasure Island beach. The day was gorgeous! Sunny and warm and the water was as blue as the sky. We sat outside and had lobster bisque and fish tacos and reminisced about our childhood. The three of us have never gone out together without the kids, so the dynamics were very different from the norm and it was so nice! I really enjoyed that time with my mom and brother and if only for a couple of hours I felt like a kid again, well a big kid, laughing about all the crazy things my brother did as a teenager and confessing to my mom that I had pulled a stunt or two myself back then. After lunch we went to the movies and saw "Death at a Funeral" which I highly reccommend if you are in need of a good laugh. Again, the three of us going to a movie together? Not gonna happen unless it's a Disney film and we have two little girls tagging along (Cams doesn't do movies). It was so nice to sit back in the theater and just let my mind go, not have to think, just laugh. It's a good thing.
Now while I was in Mother's Day heaven, my husband was at home with the kids enduring a little slice of hell. The kids were being  kids and Cams was being Cams and that can make for a less than relaxing time. Brad is so good with the girls and is incredibly patient with Camryn (a common side effect of having an Autistic chid is an enlarged tolerance for just about everything). But our children could make the Pope curse. While Brad was sweeping and mopping and folding, the kids were behind him crunching and spilling and throwing. And while he was in the kitchen making dinner, Camryn was in the bathroom pouring a brand new bottle of spray conditioner into the toilet because apparently in Cam's world, that's what you call fun! And while he ran inside to get a spatula for the hotdogs, Camryn opened the grill and then turned it off, because she can do the in ten seconds, she's just that fast. And because Brad is amazing (and brave let's not forget brave) he took his mom AND the kids out to lunch on Mother's Day. They went to the Crab House and ate outside, which is always the best place to eat with Camryn and things went fairly well, except for the fact that the Mother's Day rose Brad's mom received from the hostess fell victim to Camryn and was merely a stem before they reached the table. R.I.P. little red rose :(
By the time I got home it was close to 9:00 p.m. and while I looked cute in my dress and sun-blushed cheeks, Brad looked like he had been running with the bulls. The house was sparkling , the kids were in bed and a freshly folded pile of laundry was sitting on our bed. I love that man!! And before I said "Thank you" or "The house looks great" I threw my arms around him, kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear..."Only 43 days until Father's Day!"