Momfriends.

i have always had good girlfriends in my life. when i was in high school, it was lynda, becky, lauren and allison. when i was in college, it was kristen and jen. they always made life more fun. we had countless sleepovers. many coffee dates. girls' nights out. and of course oodles of bus rides to track and cross country meets. 

as i grew older, those friendships changed. some of my good friends growing up went different paths. however, i am so thankful for the time we spent together and the memories we made. 

when i became a mom, my life changed. and my relationships with friends changed too. coffee dates were no longer my girlfriend and i talking about jobs, boys, and our futures. coffee dates were now entertaining a toddler with cheese sticks and rocking a fussy newborn in a carrier all while ripping open sugar packets one handed and flagging down the waitress for as many refills as we could before all heck breaks loose. 

many of my girlfriends are moms. i have been so fortunate to be able to meet with many momfriends over the past couple of weeks. and the one thing i realized is that we all pretty much feel the same exact way. we have so much in common. 

on saturday i got together with a momfriend and her family. we ordered some take out and usually the husbands pick up the food while we stay home and watch the four kids under 4. however, my friend's husband jokingly said that we could pick up the food and let me tell you... we jumped on it so fast, that he never had the chance to say he was kidding! 

jackie and i ran to the car. we drove out of the driveway in complete silence. we took deep breaths, looked at each other and chuckled at the fact that the chinese place was only three minutes away. we took the long way through the parking lot and parked the car. in front of us was the most amazing thing ever... 

this sign meant we could park here for fifteen minutes!!!  it was giving us permission to take a fifteen minute break. a mom-break! we sat, chatted, and laughed in a quiet car. no one was asking for an iPhone. no one dropped something and begging us to try and pick it up in the backseat. no one was whining about being hungry. we enjoyed our fifteen minutes, ran in the restaurant, grabbed the food and drove (slowly) back to her house. 

once we arrived home, the husbands were on the couch entertaining the four kids the best they could. some were running. some were throwing. some were crying.  but they were all alive and happy! 

we definitely loved our fifteen minute parking break... and i think there should be more of these signs hanging around for momfriends to have a mom-break...because we totally earn them!