Like most people if I am given the opportunity to go out and have a good time it is very rare for me to say no, and whilst I am out it's great, but quite often the time before you leave can make you wonder if it's all worthwhile.
Last night I was fortunate to be invited to a function and whilst it was amazing when I was there, before I left I still needed to make sure supper was on the table and the boys were organised, know that homework was being done and that I was sorted for the school run the following morning. I do like to think I am quite organised but even I began to panic when I was still cooking at 5pm and was meant to be leaving at 5.30! It is hard to be glamorous when there is never more than twenty minutes, and if I am undecided about a dress or accessories it spells big trouble!
This is compounded when there is a family event where everyone has to dress up. A few months ago I had bought a new shirt for one of the twins and asked him to try it on. He told me it fitted perfectly, but somehow when it came to wearing it a week later it was too narrow and the sleeves were too short! Obviously we had a deadline to get out of the house, were already running late and I hadn't even thought about getting dressed so what could I do? Could he swap with Duvet Boy? Definitely not! Hell would freeze over before they shared clothes so I wasn't even going to attempt asking. Instead, with the minutes ticking away we had to start trawling in his wardrobe hoping I had missed something or praying the clothes fairy visited whilst I was asleep. In the end as the clothes fairy had been on a day off we had to go with a white school shirt and hope for the best.
Dress disasters are nothing new and in our home definitely not limited to me. A hem that has come down on trousers or a growth spurt that means they are too short is always a worry. The older boys are very specific in what they like to wear but not always happy to go shopping. I gave up buying clothes for them on my own a long time ago because either they didn't approve or the items just didn't fit, but knowing you have a function to go to it is hard to know when to drag them out shopping. Too early and they may grow, too late and they make not have the size or colour wanted.
I always find that no matter how much time I think I have it is never enough. This is probably because everyone wants me for something and for some reason I become the focal point of the whole house. The youngest needs me to get his clothes as he isn't sure what he is wearing, whilst my middle one knows what he is wearing but cannot find anything unless it is literally under his nose. Meanwhile Duvet Boy is incapable of moving at more than a snail's pace but takes the longest time to preen himself and even my other half will be asking me if his tie matches or his hair is ok.
When I finally get round to sorting myself out I choose my make up on the basis of what can and cannot be finished off in the car, check my legs don't need a last minute shave or that I haven't found a previously unseen ladder in my tights and then ensure that I can hide in the bathroom for long enough to put my clothes on in peace. Naturally by the time I am in the bathroom my other half is ready and nagging me to leave, but being a dutiful wife I ignore him.
Finally everyone is ready and although not necessarily eager, still clean and tidy enough to leave. A last minute toilet run for the youngest, and a final check in the mirror from the older ones and we can go. This just leaves the pleasures of the Sat Nav and traffic on the M25, but that is another story.
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