Thursday, September 17, 2009

Time Out for Mom



I found this great concept at Theta Mom's blog.  So I am going to try it out.  You are suppose to grab one hour of time within one week to do whatever you want...without the kids!  Yes I know what you are all thinking.  I never leave the kids.  Well I don't but one hour.  I'm going to try it.  So once you have done the one hour a week, you are suppose to post about it and add Theta's link on the side here and link up to other Theta Moms to see how they spent their hour as well.
 
This idea made me start thinking about how little time I spend away from the kids.  I work from home so Jason is with me constantly.  The only real time that Faith is away from me is during school.  I am trying to get Jason into preschool in the local school system.  He qualified for the prescreening program.  I'll talk about that in another blog.

Ok so an hour a week.  I chose to do the unforgivable in Faith's eyes.  I went to Borders without her.  Now I promised to do something for me which I took to mean that it shouldn't be about the blog either.  I love writing the blog.  I love talking to other moms.  This blog was never meant to be a money maker for me.  I have to admit that I would like people to read it.  Some day I want my kids to be able to read this blog and realize that their mother was a woman.  I make mistakes it happens.



The first thing I did when I got to Borders was go to the Seattle's Best Coffee for a Cafe Mocha.  I always wondered if they were associated with Starbucks since the coffee tastes similar.  They had the same set up that is at Barnes and Nobles Bookstore which has a Starbucks in it. When I got home, I looked them up since enquiring minds wanted to know.  Starbucks is their parent company. 

Once I arrived inside, I was in view of a small espresso bar adjacent to a quiet area with tables and chairs. The bar itself was red themed with a few decorations here and there. There wasn’t anything too eye catching. I wouldn’t expect it to be anyways since it’s really just a small attachment to Borders.  The menu was plain and had the average pastry items to choose from.  I decided to forgo the cheesecake that looked very inviting.  I have to admit the cheesecake almost won the battle.

As I watched the salesperson makes my coffee.  I was fascinated with the espresso machine and thought about how nice it would be to make one at home.  I haven't bought a machine yet because it defeats the whole purpose of getting away from the kids for a little bit.  I noticed that they had different flavored syrups.  For my drink, he was putting in mocha.  I asked if they sold the flavored syrups to which I was told that it was signature item for "Seattle's Best".  As he mixed my drink, he talked about the different flavors of coffee that they sold:  French Roast, Breakfast Blend, Almond Roca, Cinnamon, Colombian, and various others.  I mentioned that this was a special treat for me.  He asked me if I liked ice cream.  Well, of course, I do.  He then proceeded to tell me that they have a JavaKula.  Ok, now this was a nightmare thing for me.  Can you say overhaul on the diet plan?  Well if I had that I am sure it would kill the diet for a week.  Store that thought in the back of my head.  He asked if I had a Border's reward card.  I said, "Yes."  He then told me that you get a free drink on your birthday!  No one had ever told me that before.  He smiled and told me that the shake was included.  Now I'm wondering if he is evil.  Doesn't this guy realize that to offer an obvious overweight woman something like that should be criminal?  But hey once a year being bad on the day you are suppose sounds like a plan to me. 

Good tip for the day:  The Border's reward card is free.  You earn discounts.  You get a free drink on your birthday.

So he finishes brewing my Cafe Mocha and tops it off with whipped cream and a chocolate stick.  I'm in heaven.  He has just put two of my favorite things of all together:  chocolate and coffee.  There were lots of seats to sit in but I chose to go wandering for something to read.  What will I read?  What will I look at?  There are so many things to wet my appetite.

Now that looks like a good thing to read during this time out.  Definitely goes along with the theme.  I'm going to keep looking.
So I found a few books to look at.  I have my coffee and what looks to be a very comfortable chair.  I, also, found out that I could bring the kids with me next time and sit in this comfy chair and watch them as I read.  I love to read.  I decided to read the Mother Needs Time too.  I will write about the book later on.
The nice part was that I did get some much needed time to myself.  It made me start thinking about how much time my husband and I have spent alone together since the kids came along.  We didn't allow Faith to stay at anyone's house until she was 5 years old.  Not a night out.  Now she wants to go all the time.  But we have Jason so we don't do that.  Because he is 4 years old, we did allow him to spend the night at my brother-in-laws two weeks ago.  Maybe I should start thinking about a date night with my husband once a week as well.
So what did you do today for Theta Mom's Thursday challenge


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11 comments:

Frugal Vicki said...

Oooooh, a day in a bookstore without my little guy pulling stuff of shelves and hiding behind things so I can't find him? Heavenly

tinahead81 said...

i never knew about the free drink on your birthday thing either! thanks for the tip :o) glad you got some time to yourself. definetly set up a date night!! my hubby and i have one about once a month(wish it was more often, but we'll take what we can get!). the kids go to my parents' or my aunt's for the night...its great!!

c2ros said...

This sounds wonderful! I love going to the bookstore. Well, before all my kids were in school, I used to go insane at home, so finally one evening a week I started going out with a girlfriend of mine while my husband minded the kids. It was always an awesome experience. Now they're all 6 of them in school, so I get time alone every day!

Theta Mom said...

First off, I have to tell you that you are such a Theta Mom!!! You said, "I want my kids to be able to read this blog and realize that their mother was a woman. I make mistakes it happens." EXACTLY!!! So glad you joined us for a time out and time spent in a book store is fantastic! So exciting, and so relaxing when you can do it...alone.

Thanks again for participating! You're awesome!

B said...

This time out is right up my alley..problem is we do not have any bookstores like this in our city..we do have quaint coffee shops so maybe I'll have to grab my own book and go to one.

Great time out, loved your descriptions of everything.

yonca said...

That is awesome!
What a great relaxing time. My hubby and I love going to bookstore when we have free time :)
BTW, I agree abuot cafe mocha :)
Have a great Thursday!

Molly said...

It's really great that Border's reward card is free, the email coupons too. That's the main reason I let my Barnes and Noble card expire, since you have to pay for that one!

thanks for following my blog, following you back!!

Grizzly Bear said...

I should have DONE that!! LOl, I love Barnes and Nobles... just walking around and looking at all of the books. I love to read. Then buying the book I like to go to starbucks after.

Happy timeout thursday!

Grissell
stay-at-homemomwhoknew.blogspot.com

LZ @ My Messy Paradise said...

Sadly, this week, my hour was spent in bed nursing a cold!
I think it's such a good idea to get away, and a bookstore would be my first choice, too. So nice...I'm a bit green with envy right now.

Amy said...

Thanks for stopping by today. I am glad you became a follower. I can't wait to learn more about you. Have a great day.

HeartsMakeFamilies said...

Honestly when I chose the bookstore I thought everyone was going to say it was a cop out. I love the bookstore. I always have but I never have time to go anymore.