How do they keep it up? All those fashion-conscious moms who are in the schoolyard. One more dressed up than the other. And I? I regularly stand in the school yard like a slob.
Beautiful tight jeans, high heeled pumps underneath, a thick fashionable cardigan with a warm wrap over scarf and high blond hair with nonchalant strands along the face. That's about the average fashion-conscious mom in our schoolyard. Or nicely styled hair instead of haircut, that's also possible, with trendy sneakers. This is what they look like.
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I stand by the side of the schoolyard every day, salivating. With red cheeks, sloshing armpits, curls that cannot be modeled and in a thick -unfashionable- winter coat. I feel like a slob in the yard compared to all those high-heeled ladies. How do they do that?
I am not a specific morning person, but it is also not the case that I only get out of bed 5 minutes before time. I do notice that I need all the time to stimulate my children so that we can leave for school on time. That means that I take a quick shower in the morning, quickly put on my contact lenses and gather my hair together with a slicker. Then in no time I put some make-up on my face, I frown at my reflection and I bounce out of the bathroom to make room for my son who wants to shower.
In the meantime my daughter is whining that she has nothing to wear, so I rush to the laundry baskets where the washed laundry has been wrinkling for a few days to remove some of her clothes. This recurring morning ritual with her clothes is independent of what clothes are in her closet. That which hangs is never what she wants. Recognizable?
I dredge through the kitchen to get rid of the last leftovers from yesterday, empty the dishwasher, put some breakfast on the table and now call my son for the 50th time to get out of the shower.
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As I quickly go out for a walk with the dog, which has been spinning around my feet from the moment I get downstairs, I go over the planning of the day in my head. Back inside, daughter grumbles about her hair that she needs my help with (because she's not a slob 😉 ), I pull my son off the iPad and direct him to his plate of food, and then put daughter behind her breakfast. I myself quickly drink my smoothie or juice, leave the dishwasher in the dishwasher and in the meantime mutter that the children have to pack their bags.
Then it is quickly up, brush your teeth, check, brush your teeth one more time and get on your coat and shoes to get on your bike. I'm sweltering hot, you understand that. Arriving at the schoolyard, I am a windblown, red-faced, sighing mother figure who quickly kisses her offspring goodbye and directs her inside.
I look around and see all neatly styled mommies who are laughing and chatting with each other sweetly… how come I can't manage that in the hour and a half that I'm already awake? I check around me some more and see a fellow sluggish mother looking around her in awe. Luckily I'm not the only one 😉 .
