Wouldn't have missed it for the world

A suburban mother’s role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.”
~Peter De Vries~

The thing about being a soccer mom/gymnastics mom/art club mom/theatre mom is that a mom has little bitty blocks of time to use. These have to happen quickly because there's not enough time to get too involved in errands, when in less than forty five minutes, she has to make a return trip to the field/gym/gallery/theatre. A mom who ferries her kids around, rarely has a whole evening to while away the hours. But she recognizes that little bits of time are better than no time, so it's best to plan a bit of 'mom time' for herself, while she is waiting. If there's no use in going home for two minutes before she has to turn around and go get the child(ren), then she might as well use the opportunity to do a couple things she wants to do, so her own soul gets fed while they get their exercise/paintings up to snuff/lines memorized.

Here's a list of my top ten things to do in under an hour :

1. Order a pot of tea at a local establishment and enjoy it while you update your daytimer; or read that article in the paper that has been in the vehicle for a few weeks waiting for such a moment.
   
2. Phone a friend to see if she can go for an impromptu walk around the park.
3. Go and get the toilet paper you so desperately need.
4. Stop by the library and get out a few books to peruse. Even better, grab a few magazines while you are at it.
5. Go to the gas station and vacuum the vehicle. While your are at it, wipe down the surfaces with the quick wipes you bought at the drug store the last time you were waiting.
6. Listen to a great radio program. Or finish up the book on CD that you've been following.
   
7. Use up your cell phone evening minutes by calling a long lost friend and catching up on every little thing.
8. Learn a new skill like downloading songs on your ipod.
   
9. Go to a paper store and check out their 'clearance' table. Handle everything, and put it back. Find 5$ in a little known zipper pocket of your purse, and buy a really cute notepad, even though you have a lot of them at home. Wander over to the computer department and check your emails on their laptops.
10. Use the stationery in the vehicle and write a note to someone you've been thinking about and haven't found time to do so.

With a little creativity, the time of 'in-betweens' can be used to a mom's advantage. You return home with the child(ren) [hopefully you haven't forgot them at the soccer field/gym/gallery/theatre, in your enthusiasm over the purchase of that note pad), and all of you can use the rest of the evening to it's full advantage. Now, if only the dishes had been done while you were gone.