How Mom's Night Out the Movie Made Me Feel Like a Million Bucks

 

It wasn't that I got to exchange my yoga pants for a fancy dress.

 

It wasn't the Hollywood hotel with the primo view or dinner out with my man, no high chairs or kids meals, just table for two.

It wasn't the red high heels walking the famous red carpet or the free movie theater popcorn smothered in addicting salt and butter.

It wasn't the high style after party with  the loud music, tiny gourmet burgers, self-serve ice-cream bar, and mingling movie stars.

These were amazing perks of winning tickets to the Hollywood premiere of Mom's Night Out the movie! But it wasn't the fluff and stuff that made me feel like a million bucks.

It was the message.

Mom's Night Out is a movie about a stay-at-home mom of three little ones who loves her crew desperately but also finds herself desperate for a way to breathe. A way to remember who she is in the midst of the mundane chaos that consumes her days and dreams.

Hmmm...I may just be able to relate!

So when the lead character Allyson, played by Sarah Drew, receives encouragement from her husband Sean, played by Sean Astin (my Samwise Gamgee-loving husband was in love with this!) to do something to find herself before she totally loses it, Ally musters the courage to rope her best friend and pastor's wife into the mom's night out of their life.

The men are left to tame the kids while the ladies leave for a should-be quiet evening out, which turns into anything but. The writing in this movie is hilarious and the portrayal of kid antics and parent angst is spot on. I laughed out loud and shook my head yes and probably muttered several Amen!s under my breath.

But it was an unexpected scene toward the end of the movie that really got me. I won't give away the full context, but let's just say Ally was feeling like all her efforts to take care of herself, her kids, and her friends had failed. Miserably.

Once again, she just felt like not enough.

 A wise man says to her, 

"It’s a beautiful thing watching one of God’s creation just doing what He made it to do… And that’s enough."

 Without knowing the profound mark he was making, he continues,

"I doubt the good Lord made a mistake giving your kiddos the mama he did. So will you just be you? He’ll take care of the rest."

My popcorn box was empty but my mama heart was right full.
 

Back at our hotel room I took off all the glitz and set it on the shiny desk. I saw myself in the reflective surface. Saw that it wasn't all the sparkle that made this night so special. 

It was being reminded that I'm a good mom, that my mothering is important, and that our loving, all powerful God (the One who gave my kiddos to me and me to my kiddos) will equip me to mother them well. 

And even when I don't, He's there to catch me.
To wipe my tears and hand me chocolate.
To give me grace to start again with joy another day.

 

Mom's Night Out opens in theaters tomorrow, May 9th!! 

And it's Mother's Day weekend! So PLEASE, go treat yourself, your mom, your sister, or your best friend to 1 hour and 39 minutes of feeling like a million bucks.

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Non-original photos courtesy of Mom's Night Out the Movie. 

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