Bliss

Did you think I had a hot date with my husband?

That would be nice. I would love to have a romantic night with my husband, but right now, we can’t afford it. The high cost of having a baby sitter in the DC area and dinner out combined will be too expensive.

I’ve got to take a break and go out with my girl friend. That’s what it was. I very much value the time with my girl friends.

My girl friend and I went out for wine and dessert last night after we tucked our kids in bed. We met at Restaurant Vero, which is the mid-point between our places. My time with girl friends at any time of the day is an energy booster. If I could hang out with my girl friends without kids, that’s even better. That is when I can transform back to myself, Kaho. I am still a mom of my kids and wife of my husband and I know that people see those sides of me, but my true friends see me as Kaho. Don’t get me wrong. I love those titles and feel proud to have them as my identity. However, when it comes to the core of my self-confidence, I need to be assured as Kaho.

The job as a parent is rewarding. At the same time, it is exhausting. My kids are five and two. I know that they need me the most when they are little. Soon my older child will go off to kindergarten after this summer. I won’t be the one who spends the most time with her and influence her as much as I do now, and I know this as a fact. This is why I’m sticking with a job as a stay-at-home mom aside from the fact that I probably won’t earn enough to justify paying the cost of two kids in a daycare in the DC metro area. As much as I adore my kids, I recognize the significance of taking a break from them to keep my sanity. Thus, the girl friend time is my therapy.

Blogging has the similar effect to me as spending some time with my girl friends does. It’s an escape from the parenting reality. As you probably know, parenting is a self-less job. My wishes come secondary. The time I spend writing my blog is like an oasis in the desert. It hydrates my thirst to feel good in the middle of the heat of parenting and struggles and dealing with mundane affairs.

What the heck am I writing? I am not like this all the time, so not to worry. I think the stress of our impending move overseas has started to get me and affect my mood a little. It’s also the time of the month if you know what I mean. The men out there are lucky in a way that they don’t have to go through the same mood swing.

Here’s a little something from my girl. I was quite impressed. I don’t mean to be “oya baka”. Oya baka is a Japanese term for “doting parent”. The literal translation for it is parent (oya) stupid (baka). Yep, that’s me. It’s fun to see how her drawing develops.