Branson: NOT the entertainment capitol of the south

...unless your idea of entertainment is to shop. And eat at restaurants. Then shop some more. Our party of fifteen (four of whom were under 1. Year. Old.) barely took a second glance at the Branson shows last weekend. Why would we when we stayed at a hotel with an entire mall at its feet?

Now don't get me wrong: I'm sure the Branson shows would have been impressive. But lordy, when most of us are used to power shopping because only have 27 minutes in the mall before our mom guilt overtakes us and we have to go home, or we're shopping while corraling a stroller and/or a toddler...let me tell you, trading the shows for shopping isn't a hard decision.

So that's what we did: shopped. And when we were exhausted from shopping, we ate. (Hmmm, is it possible this vacation could have happened in our own city?!)

Anyway, a few things I learned on the Church Moms trip:

1. Babies are scene stealers even if they aren't yours. My pictures from the trip show more of The Four Littles than they do the moms!

2. Overcast, windy, and 45 degrees? Whatever. We still shopped. And loved it.

3. Sometimes having ten people to consult before buying a purse is a blessing. Sometimes.

4. Peer pressure can occur at any age, even 42 (and limes taste realllly good!).

5. My boys lived without me. Pete, on the other hand...

6. I could not deal with motherhood without the support of the Church Moms. It's just comforting to know there are others who have moments when they feel like they, too, are miserable failures at the job. And then you look at them and say "...what!? You've SO got it together!" And they're like "...no way, I was going to say the same thing about you!"

(...and then we both laugh nervously because we realize NEITHER of us has it together.)