I could live in my PJs...seriously

A few months ago, I realized that the minute after I walk through the door and kiss all three of my boys after work, I'm in my bedroom shedding my clothes. I'm serious--in minutes, I'm in my PJs with clothes strewn everywhere, my face washed, hair up in a Pebbles-esque position, and Birks on my feet. (Yes, I am quite the hippie at heart...not the pachouli oil and hemp sort of hippie, though, just the "if I wanna go commando and wear my Birkenstocks with socks" sort of hippie, I'm gonna do it and be oh-so-Drew Barrymore happy about it, k?)

Funny thing is that it never dawns on me I'll ever have to go anywhere or look presentable after I walk through the door with a work "hangover"...I just want to rid myself of all things uncomfortable and get into my jammies. (Of course, when I do have to leave my "safe house," which is more often then I'd like, I always seem to run into clients--gotta love it...lookin' real pretty.)

The kids notice it, too, and often comment: "Mommy, you're soooo sillllyyyy, you're in your pajamas and it's not even dark yet!" To which I respond, "Yep, you're right. They make mommy happy." Nuff said. And you know that good ol' golden rule: "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." So true, so true.

I often wonder if this is how Cybil's many personalities first revealed themselves...by day, I'm "Working Melissa In Professional Clothes, Hair and Make-Up Ready and Willing to Act on Important Business Transactions"...by night (or perhaps more accurately, one minute after work), I'm "Sloppy Melissa Who's Hoping Her Face Doesn't Break Out From the Day's Worth of Make-Up and Just Wants to Eat PB&Js and Uncooked Tortellini With Her Kids (don't ask...I just love it)."

If you were to talk to Sloppy Melissa, say at 7pm-ish, I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that I would not carry the same credibility that I might, say at noon, when I've combed my hair and don't have a bleach-stained t-shirt on.

Sometimes I see those working parents with their cute "after work" outfits on and I have to laugh...not because they don't look cute, they do, dammit, and it's really irritating!! ;), but because I seriously can't imagine wanting to put on anything even remotely like it. In fact, I take serious offense to having to wear "real" clothes after work.

My favorite recollection is when I flew out of town for a client conference...my coworker and I got in around 8pm and immediately upon entering my hotel room, I started dropping clothes and shoes everywhere, not thinking that I hadn't talked to the client yet and she was in the hotel...not thinking that she might want to have a drink, etc. I just didn't care! So, naturally, the phone rings about 8:15pm and there I am, fully PJed, hair on top of my head, no make-up and the client wants to "grab a quick drink and catch up" in 15 minutes downstairs.

Not surprisingly, this is when Working Melissa and Sloppy Melissa met up for a MTV Grudge Match-like "event." Sloppy Melissa was downright pissed that she had no choice but to get redressed and go downstairs and was trying to find every excuse why not to go, but Working Melissa kept thinking what an idiot she was for turning into Sloppy Melissa so quickly. It was hilarious...hence: Cybil revealed!

So, I'm now thinking that with workplaces getting so flexible that they're allowing job-sharing, dogs in offices, tele-commuting, etc., that I'm going to vy for a PJ-friendly workplace. In fact, I think I'm going to stand up for all of the PJ-oppressed workplaces out there. I guarantee I'd be more productive in my jams--wouldn't you?? Granted, that whole credibility factor may slightly diminish...but, it'd be really fun to see Sloppy Melissa kick the stuff out of Working Melissa with a Birkenstock just once!