Stupid dinner

Jimmy has a big company meeting this week in Dallas. This is the second year the week-long meeting has been held so close to us, making it quite convenient for him to run back and forth and still see the kids every day.

The week culminates in an uber-fancy formal dinner in which the wives get all decked-out, up-swept and drip in jewels of many colors. Last year the other wives slithered around in their beaded gowns and teetered on 5 inch heals. I was monstrously huge and pregnant wearing my Gap Outlet maternity trousers and Target maternity twin set. The other women were kind enough not to wince (in my presence, at least) and I secretly made lofty plans to arrive at this year's company meeting noticeably slimmer and dressed to impress...or at least blend in.

I've been dress shopping/planning for months. I've been dieting, had planned to use my mani/pedi gift certificate (Thanks Miranda and Dave!) and I was even going to schedule a mystic tan to temporarily cover these ghastly ghostly arms.

Of course my night-of-looking-fabulous plans for this year were based on Jimmy, me and still-nursing baby girl attending said dinner...by ourselves...alone...our other five children happily existing somewhere else for a few hours while I dined in elegance and adult refinement.

Change of plans.

I was recently informed by my children-lovin' hubby that he had arranged for all six kidlets (yes, I said ALL SIX) to attend my fancy almost-kid-free dinner.

Dang.

Now I'll feel just plain stupid wearing a formal dress with my six kids wearing church-type clothes as we occupy what's sure to be our own table in the way WAY back of the room, out of food-launching range. So, I'm thinking now I'll just revert to my old stand-by black pants I got from NY&Co (thanks again to my dear friend Miranda) and some kind of nice shirt sans the ever present spit up stains (if I can find one).

I won't fit in with the other decked out and be-dazzled women there, but I'm sure I'll be more comfortable in my regular old mommy clothes, chasing toddlers, picking up thrown food from the floor, curtailing arguments, cutting meat, wiping faces, and "shush"-ing...kind of like at home, only with better food.

Oh, well...someday, SOMEDAY, probably post children, I will attend a nice event all tanned with my fingers and toes all pretty and maybe even in a beautiful beaded gown. For now, though, I'll do the good-mommy thing and just enjoy a little more time with my six kiddos and remind myself that this time with them is short and getting shorter by the minute. Those fancy parties will still be there when my children are grown, I'm sure.

(Stupid, stupid fancy dinner.)