Some time ago, my friend Angie said something about how we should live next to each other. I've thought about this a lot and I really like the idea. I would love to live in a cul-de-sac with Angie, emily, Rach, and anyone else who wants to come join us. It'd be like this little enclave of super cool girls (kind of like the mythical enclave of midgets in Salt Lake, but ours would be real and only half-full of midgets).
Why? Well, think about it. We would have built in babysitters. I could still work (remember, this is pseudo-reality so of course wherever we live will need a part-time statistician) but I could drop off my kids with one of the other ladies. And on their work days, well, come on over Isaac (and all the rest)!
We could share meal planning. Emily and I enjoy very similar foods. Instead of making one batch of, say, enchiladas, I'd make four and deliver the other three to my lovely neighbors. We'd pass each other on the sidewalk as we're delivering our yummy dishes. I'd only have to cook every four days!
We all have different talents and differently-talented husbands. Between the eight of us, I don't think there's anything we couldn't do. Once a month we could pick a different home improvement project at one person's house and we could all work on that. It'd kind of be like being Amish, but with electricity and less-modest (but not too less!) clothes.
Besides, these girls are just fun. We could have scrapbooking nights (but we'd banish Rach because she's just be too overwhelmed with scrap-glee). We could sew together. We could run together. We could just hang out at the park together. We could give each other breaks when we need them.
The best part about it is that we'd all be involved in each others' lives...in a good way. All of the other kids would know me and wouldn't scream if left alone with me, and Rhett would know and love all of them. I'd be in family pictures with them, sharing special events with them, watching them all grow up. Sniff. Tear.
I'm finding out that it's not necessarily being a mom that's been hard for me. It's being a lonely mom. I don't mind sitting and watching Rhett play with the same dumb toy for the 50th time when I'm sitting and watching this with someone else.
I know this set-up sounds a bit creepy, but I don't care. It sounds lovely. At least to me. I haven't talked to the others about it. But if they don't want to, does anyone want to come live with me in such a utopia?
(Ooooh, emily I just realized that you'd be the only one with a last name not starting with an "H." Maybe you can't come live with us...)
i'm in! and we get to look like one of those wives in the pic above, preferably in a floral print and strappy high heels.
ReplyDeleteErin,
ReplyDeleteCome play with us :) We would love to have you and Rhett over any day! I'm finally feeling back to normal after having Chase so we're up for play dates almost any time. We are pretty much finished with school for the year so no problem there. Just call and say you want to come over!
As for the Stepford Wives, I want to look like them but that's about it. Jane and I have talked about all our family living on a small cul de sac and as nice as it sounds, I see it getting old after awhile...I think we love our close friends and family so much because we appreciate the time we have together, but if you're together all the time you stop appreciate one another. Just my $0.02.
Once when we were visiting Andrew's brother and wife (she and I were cooking together and helping the kids with art projects) she turned to me and said "Somedays I don't think polygamy would be so bad!"
ReplyDeleteI think what I am going to miss most about living in our condo is the social interaction. It has been so nice to have friends to drop in on at anytime. I suspect it is going to be a huge life change here in a few months (we're still looking...) Call me anytime to hang!