SAHM Seeking SAHM for Good Times

Here I am, I know it's been a while. Who knew a 2 1/2 year old could keep you so busy? I have an amazing job and I am so lucky I get to stay home and raise my daughter. She's by far the cutest, sweetest and most fun loving boss I have ever had. I mean, how many of you can say you have a boss that encourages you to take a nap everyday? She's pretty great.

You've all read about some of the challenges I've faced as a new mom and a stay at home mom. From exploding diapers, to daycare interviews and the quest to find play dates. I am happy to say that M is fully potty trained and I haven't met an exploding diaper face to face in quite a while. Although, that will soon change with the arrival of our little J. One thing that I still struggle with is play dates and mommy friends. It's not that I don't have mommy friends, I do. I actually have a handful of really fantastic girls that I'm lucky to call my friends. They are all moms with the exception of my dear friend Amanda who will be welcoming her first baby in August. By the way, congratulations again Amanda, I can't wait for you to experience motherhood for the first time! The problem is that my friends either live anywhere from 300 miles away to 2,000 miles away or they work full time on top of being a wife and mother. 300 miles is a long way to drive for a play date with my best stay at home mommy friend and I think my working mom friends might get in trouble if they tried to host a play date in their office. Something tells me their bosses wouldn't encourage nap time the way mine does.

I wouldn't trade being a stay at home mom in for the world. I have a lot of fun with M everyday but it can get lonely. I often forget what day of the week it is. Sometimes I have to count my husband's outfits in order to remind myself what day of the week it is. True story. It's easy to feel a little cut off from the rest of the world. Staying home isn't what it used to be. Unfortunately a lot of moms can't afford to stay home anymore. Some moms choose not to, some have careers they worked their booties off to get. I totally understand. For me, I always knew this was something I would love to do. It's the way I was raised and it just happens to be the way my husband was raised so I am pleased to have a partner who not only supports me but encourages me to stay home. It was the right decision for us. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to find cool moms with kids in the same age range who stay at home and want to hang out on the regular.

I was never very good at dating. Honestly, I didn't do much of it and probably avoided it to a certain extent. I preferred to fall into relationships rather than seek them out. I applied the same method to making friends. I honestly can't remember how I met my 3 closest friends from middle school, my friend Annye found me and I like to think Missy was a gift from Glen and the deal was sealed when I realized she was dating a friend of mine. My cousin Lindsey is, well, another gift from Glen and couldn't get rid of me if she tried at this point :-) So when my life got flip turned upside down Fresh prince style, I found myself at home alone with a baby all day everyday and no one to hang out with. It's gotten easier as M has gotten older. She's my little BFF, we have a lot of fun together and literally do everything together. My little shadow! At some point, I decided enough was enough and I needed to get out there and make some mommy friends. Little did I know, it would be just like dating.

I tried reaching out to a few moms that I became acquainted with one way or another over the years. A lot of them are really great but they don't live close enough to come over regularly or meet up regularly. Some SAHMs have insanely busy schedules and it's hard to squeeze in another play date when they're dance card is already full. After a few failed attempts at connecting with these ladies, I decided to look into local moms groups like MOPS. I went to a few meetings and a play date with a local MOPS group but ended up having an emotional breakdown over it because I felt like an outsider. All the moms in the group go to church together and have known each other for years. We're not churchy people so I had that against me. Not that there's anything wrong with church, it's just not for everyone, and we don't go. I should mention I was painfully shy as a child and after being out of touch with the real world for 3 years, I might be a little socially awkward. Go ahead and laugh. Oh, did I mention I'm an inexperienced dater? I mean, I've been with my husband for almost 13 years. That's basically half my life. What's a date? How do I pick up some cool moms? Should I be asking them out for coffee sometime? What are you doing after naps tomorrow? I really like your black yoga pants, I could use a 12th pair, where did you get yours? Someone should really consider teaching a class for moms on how to pick up other moms. I briefly considered posting an add on Craig's List SAHM Seeking SAHM for Good Times but you know that's just asking for weirdos. I even posted on our HOA's facebook page. I am one desperate momma. I just need a lady who has kids and wants to hang out on a Monday, maybe meet me at The Atlanta History Center for an Easter Egg Hunt. Maybe we could meet at the zoo on a Tuesday or take the kids to an early movie on Thursday. I know there's a mom out there for me, maybe I just haven't met the right girl yet. If you're out there and you want to hang out, give me a call, send me a facebook message, or shoot me a text. Give me your digits girl.