Channeling Brie Vandecamp

     Last Friday was my Dad's birthday. I had him, his wife, my uncle (his brother) and my kids over for dinner. I planned the menu, cleaned the house, baked a cake, and went into a mini panic on the way home from work Friday afternoon. I rushed home, showered, last minute cleaning, and O NO!!....time to get the kids. Back in the car, rush to the grocery store for a beer can chicken roaster, pick up the kids, rushing home, and Dad calls-they are at my house waiting for me and let themselves in! Did I remember to vacuum? Check. Scrub the kitchen counters? Check. Clean the bathroom? Uh Oh! ....Ring around the toilet, I thought I was gonna die!

     Keep in mind folks I am a single mom of 2, one of which is a toddler. (Need I say more?) I work full time, I am determined to have a home cooked meal on the table every night. I do my best to keep a tidy home, but sometimes things do fall through the cracks. When I plan even the slightest thing out of our regular routine, alot tends to fall through the cracks. I know I am too hard on myself, and expect the impossible out of myself and my kids. So the night of my Dad's birthday dinner I did something I never really do, I let myself off the hook.

     The feelings of shame rushed to the surface upon realization of me not cleaning the bathroom, but for the first time I promptly stopped them in their tracks! I said to myself, "Adrienne, it's ok. They are family and if they can't understand that I have too much on my plate to have everything perfect, F them!! " Of course I would never say that out loud (whoops, they might read this!), and they never mentioned the dirty bathroom, though I am sure they all noticed. But my point here is how proud I am of myself letting go of that shame. It  freed me up to sit back, relax, and really enjoy myself. It was quite a revelation, it truly was.

     Revelations aside, I still do wish I could channel Brie Vandecamp. (Desperate Housewives) The way she stuffs her emotions, is always appropriate, impeccably groomed, and every dinner is a 5 course affair. I just LOVE her! (Her parenting skills aside! LOL) So it wasn't a Brie Vandecamp dinner, but it was a smashing success.