Raising Mommy: The New Must Have Mom-ccessory

My days, lately, have become an endless cycle of cleaning and folding laundry. Sure sure, there are fun things in between. We even went on vacation and I got to read books 1-8 of the Sookie Stackhouse series. But even there I spent countless hours in the kitchen preparing food and cleaning up. And there were four moms, all contributing to the process. One morning, after waking up around 8, I looked up to the clock and realized it was 11:30 and I hadn't left the kitchen yet… and it was time to start lunch! I told Greg that I understood why people went on vacations where they didn't have kitchens and laundry rooms and had to eat in restaurants all the time. But I digress…

Juliette asked me if her new chore could be to clean the dishes. Now, Juliette puts forth a good effort, but she still doesn't quite understand that you need to rinse all the soap off and invert the clean dishes in the dish rack. Cosette, in the spirit of things, wants her chore to be wiping down the counters. Wonderful! And she does her best, but she is five, and the counters are large. And white. And she can't reach all the cabinets to put all the things away that seem to constantly clutter the countertops. I am not going to discourage or criticize their contributions to the household upkeep, but it doesn't always make my work load less to have them helping me.

Not to mention that when I am trying to clean, they are trying to get me to play with them. Do you know how frustrating it is when 20 minutes worth of chores takes three times longer because of the constant distraction? It makes a small task so much BIGGER. I have decided that the best way to get the chores done is to go to my happy place. In these circumstances, that means waiting until the girls are occupied or asleep, putting on my headphones, and listening to my newest audiobook very loudly (so vacuums and dishwashers and running water don't interfere). I have listened to quite a few books this way, and the bonus is that the story distracts you from the boredom of your chores.

So while it is necessary to have an iPod, there is another accessory that is even more important.

Something to carry your iPod in while you work.

Now, if this "something" has space for the phone, too, that is good; because although my phone rarely rings it is guaranteed to do so when I am across the house and don't hear it until it is too late to pick it up in time.

If this mom-ccessory can also protect my clothes from spills and dust and household cleaners… even better.

Figured out what it is yet? Yes, my newest favorite accessory is the very old fashioned apron.

I have decided there was a reason savvy moms of old used to wear them all the time. They are the best thing ever. True, they didn't have their iPod or their cordless phone in the pockets, but I am just fortunate not to live in that era. Hey, it is the mom equivalent of a lab coat. I've taken one coat off and tied the apron on.

I currently own two, one that was a gift years ago from my sister in law, and one I found recently at the craft store for $5. It is cheap but it will do when the other is in the laundry. They do get dirty, however, so owning a few is not, I think, unreasonable. I am currently thinking of buying myself this classic:

Flirty Aprons in Very Cherry available from Amazon.com

It is a little pricey but just so cute! With two deep pockets and ties at the neck and waist it meets all the requirements for a perfectly functional apron.

So if you ring my doorbell one day don't be surprised to see me greet you looking like I stepped out of an episode of Leave it to Beaver, That 70's show, or even Malcolm in the Middle. Women of the 80's, 90's and 2000's missed out! Let's bring back the apron in 2010!