I'm in love...

What more can I say about these shoes other than if I were physically able to take the kids to the playground in them I would?

If you can not guess, Mean Mommy went shopping yesterday, readers, and I mean SHO-PPING. It has been quite a while since I had the body and the means to do some serious damage in a retail setting and, oh, how I missed it. Last fall, I was dragging around the post-partum model of myself with all the poochy goodness and large boobies that goes with that particular options package. The fall before that, I was pregnant with one I subsequently lost, so it has been a full TWO YEARS since I have been able to buy any new, fashionable clothing that's main purpose isn't to camouflage my body from the neck down.

Yes, I was able to shop for spring and summer clothes this year, but, being a redhead with fair skin who sweats like a pig, spring and summer aren't really my seasons fashion-wise. In fact, I've always felt that fall, with its deep, rich colors and luxurious fabrics was "the" clothing season. It also helps this color palate goes very well with my coloring. Summer's putrid pastels make me look as washed out as a manatee (and are equally as slimming).

So when I called Hubby on my way home from Shopapalooza, I was less than thrilled at his less than thrilled reaction when I told him of The Shoes of all Shoes that I had just purchased. His response, "You bought another pair of animal print shoes? How many do you need??" Backstory: I do own a pair of pony skin stilettos. My response? "Fuck you. They're fabulous."

On the drive home I thought about these shoes and why I love them so much when, really they are totally impractical for my life and I will probably only wear them a handful of times. And it is that point exactly that makes me love them so. These shoes are evidence that the part of me which is fun and beautiful and impractical still exists. It is a promise to myself that I will, at some point, be able to do something spur-of-the-moment without having to pack extra diapers and sippy cups. They are a touchstone with which I will keep hold of the "old Mary" so I can gradually bring her back as the kids get older. They are two giant middle fingers to the yoga pants and long sleeved T-shirts I wear every day and knowing they are sitting there in my closet waiting for a Saturday night when I get all dolled up and knock Hubby's socks off assures me my current appearance is only temporary.

To his credit, Hubby did come around very quickly, especially in light of the fact that my daily Old Navy-inspired wardrobe is pretty cost-efficient, and asked me to try the shoes on for him. Waggling his eyebrows he said, "I like 'em." And that proves my point. I'm sure he wouldn't be as turned on by a pair of more practical pumps from Payless and eighteen years from now when the kids have flown the coop he'll be grateful I fought hard against the deluge of frumpery to maintain a little bit of fabulous.