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Shopping puts mother back in her element


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POSTED: Sunday, December 07, 2008

Ubermom—that multi-tasking woman I have become—had an entire day to herself. No work. No chores at home. (Well, there were things that needed to be done, but forget that!) And no kids—they were bonding with Daddy. It was Ubermom's Day-o-Fun! The possibilities were endless.

I flashed back to my B.C. days (before children) and thought about what I loved to do with a day on my own. One word came to mind ... SHOPPING! I remember shopping marathons in my younger days that lasted up to eight hours. After those mega-mall marathons, my sister would always comment on my “;shopper's glow”;—that undeniable look of pure bliss I would get when successful bargain hunting had occurred.

So on my Day-o-Fun, I donned my Fit Flops, checked my credit card balances (at least I'm practical!) and headed for Ala Moana. What a joy it was to actually cruise through the shopping center—unhurried and un-harassed by kids saying “;I'm hungry!”; or “;Can we go to Game Stop?”;

I went to the stores I wanted to, I had a strawberry smoothie all to myself, ate what I wanted for lunch (sorry, McDonald's!) and had a fabulous time. I scoured sales racks, tried on overpriced designer shoes and wondered if lightning would strike if I bought that Dooney & Bourke handbag for only $85 after the 40 percent discount.

 

It took me four hours to explore each level of the shopping center—something I can't do on my workday lunch breaks. There were some cute boutiques (Angry Asian Girl T-shirts! Discounted Harajuku Lovers purses!). The only downside was wandering into a new and interesting-looking store only to find racks and racks of clothes that were sizes 0 and 1. Excuse me, but if you are a full-grown woman who wears a size 0, I have two words for you: EAT SOMETHING!! Being more on the Rubenesque side of the size spectrum, I made a mental note NEVER to enter that store again.

The sun always sets on a good thing, and the end of my Day-o-Fun was timed so I would not be stuck in afternoon rush-hour traffic. As I pulled into my driveway, my 8-year-old, Mikaela, was at the door, wearing a huge grin and the pajamas she had on when I left in the morning. I didn't want to ask hubby why our daughter had not changed clothes or why the cat was holding a sign declaring, “;Will work for food.”; The house was still standing, my kids ate hot dogs and watched discounted movies from Blockbuster, and I was back where I belonged.

My feet were weary and my credit card balance was elevated, but my kids were excited to see me and the cat was grateful for his kibble. After a Day-o-Fun, Ubermom was ready for the real world again.