Planning to go out

Having a kid really changes your life. Not just the ‘big things’ like your outlook and philosophy in life. But mostly little things. MANY little things. Which I suppose all add up to become a big thing too.

For one thing, leaving the house requires planning. Maybe I’m just a little on the obsessive side, but sometimes I have to start thinking and planning ahead the night before.

“What time will the baby wake up?”

“Should I nurse him first or wait till we get there?”

“What time do we need leave the house?”

“Do I have everything I need in the diaper bag?”

“How many diapers do I need for how long we’ll be out?”

“Should I pack his lunch or feed him when we get home?”

“What time should we aim to get home by?”

These are just some of the questions that run through my mind when preparing for a big day out. I’m not panicky or stressed about it, just mentally running through what needs to be done so I’m not caught unprepared while we’re out.

This weekend is going to be a busy one – starting with an 8.00am breakfast at Bluewater Grill in Heathcote on Saturday, followed by some fabric shopping for a big upcoming sewing project, then lunch with friends. Sunday’s agenda will kick-off with church, grabbing a quick lunch and then checking out Perth Upmarket at UWA.

So Friday night before hitting the sack, I was making sure we had everything ready to go first thing in the morning…

…including an outfit picked out. Maybe it’s a new-mummy thing to prepare coordinated outfits, but I HAVE to otherwise I’ll waste precious minutes deciding which socks would go with his shirt.

And as I mentioned before, I always have a back-up outfit prepared (at least in my mind). People without kids may wonder why this is such a big deal. Let’s just say Murphy’s Law of bodily fluids just has a way of kicking in whenever you DON’T have a back-up prepared. So I always have one, just to keep Murphy at bay.