Top 10 things I miss from my life before I was "mommy"

1. A social life. I hear about getting together with other moms, but in reality, the logistics of me getting my kids ready and out the door and other people doing the same at the same time is nearly impossible. I now have friends who only know me as one side of a "she just went down for a nap, I don't think we can come" phone call.

Even if we do get together, all we are is herding dogs for the kids. You can't really talk while feeding the baby and yelling at the toddler to get that out of her nose.

2. Sleep. Ah, I remember feeling tired at the end of the day because I had played and worked so hard or stayed up late the night before reading a novel. Now, I'm tired all the time and I absolutely sleep when I can.

3. Reading a novel.

4. Staying up at night. I would love to stay up at night. Look at the stars. Read. Talk to a friend late into the night. Go out somewhere. But, I have to hustle and get in bed as early as I can because kids wake up early and babies wake up a lot.

5. Sleeping in. Frankly, if someone had told me that I would be giving up getting up late forever, I might have skipped having kids. I loved laying in bed late on days off. Loved it. Now, even when I don't have to get up early, I'm so used to it, I can't stop.

6. Going out. Out to dinner. Out to a show. A friend is having a party. Anything. Sitters cost money and I feel bad leaving the kids since I work and leave them with a sitter all week. Then, you have to rush home to relieve the sitter because they don't want to stay at your house until 2 AM and if you kept them out that late, you would owe them your kids' college fund and their mom would never let them come back again anyway.

7. A clean house. Wow, kids are like little tornados that come with their own detritus.

8. Travel. Now, my husband and I still try to travel, but it is a lot less and we have to either take the kids with us - ugh - or leave them with someone - miss them just thinking about it. We keep thinking that when the kids are older, we will travel more with them, but they probably will have bankrupted us by then, so we won't be able to.

9. Money. Oooh how I miss having a little money. I knew that teenagers were expensive, but I had no idea how costly little ones were. The cost of diapers is insane. Feeding a toddler is a total money loser. Toddlers can waste $100 in food in one sitting if you let them. Toys are a waste because they truly are happier with the box. Clothes are costly and they grow out of them by the time you wash them. I miss spending money on a great meal out and not really missing that cash.

10. Being me. Now, I'm mommy. I spent years defining myself. How I feel about politics. Which wine I like. What books I have read. What hobbies I have. I spent years working on my schooling and career. I spent years defining me. Now, I have no idea what is going on in politics, haven't had a glass of wine in forever, haven't read a book in nearly as long. I fit work and school in as I can, but I think about my kids while I do it.

I like being mommy, but I miss being me sometimes.

On the other hand, I wouldn't trade back. Its hard and if someone had told me what I was in for, I wouldn't have done it. But now that I know these wonderful little people, I just love them enough to give up all 10 of these things and hundreds more. Because for every morning in bed I have given up, I get my toddler calling me sweetie or my baby giggling and it is more than compensation for what I have lost.