By Gwen and Shannon, nwaMotherlode mamas
For two women accustomed to reporting the news, it was quite a mental leap for us to actually be the news. Yes, the tables were turned and we were feeling quite nervous about taking our place on the hot seat. Here’s the torturous time-line about how we went from behind-the-scenes website junkies to making it to the 10 o’clock news:
Friday, 3:35 p.m.: Gwen’s driving carpool home from Bellview Elementary with a minivan full of kids. The cell phone rings and it’s Carley Gordon from KNWA asking if she can come to Gwen’s house to interview her and Shannon on Sunday for a story that evening. OH MY GOSH! Gwen tries to sound cool and collected on the phone but her internal organs are already shaking from all the nervous energy welling up inside her.
Friday, 3:38 p.m.: Gwen manages to set up the interview, then hangs up the phone. She calls Shannon to tell her the great/horrifying news.
3:38 1/2 p.m.: SQUEEEEE!!!!
3:39: Simultaneously: “What are we gonna wear?!” Clock is ticking.
4:15 p.m.: Gwen and Shannon are still excitedly discussing the interview. They finally hang up when kids start whining and tearing at their clothing. But not before they set up a date to go shopping on Saturday.
…
11:30 a.m. Saturday: The mamas descend upon Pinnacle Promenade. They’d heard it was best to stay away from anything red, black, white or crazy-patterned, so with Robocop focus, they search for solids in other best colors. Dismissing any hint of modesty, they shuck clothes off and on with wild abandon.
1 p.m.: Shannon finally scores after the fourth store, but Gwen is still in wardrobe limbo.
2 p.m.: Still no outfit for Gwen. Gwen notes that if she were not so desperate for a “just right” outfit, there would be 200 of them around every corner of every store. Cruel irony!
2:08 p.m.: Gwen knows she must rush home NOW or her husband will kill her. Her son, Adam, has a basketball game and dad’s the coach. He needs extra hands to help with the two younger kids.
2:10 p.m.: Shannon checks with her husband and he and daughter are happily buying a new fish at World’s Underwater. She decides there’s time for a quick manicure.
2:22 p.m.: Gwen considers taking her younger two and heading back out to scavenge, but decides that’s not what she wants to do. It’s Adam’s game day and she doesn’t want to miss it.
3:18 p.m.: Gwen thanks God she didn’t decide to skip the game to shop for an outfit because her boy just scored his FIRST BASKET during a game! She screams and jumps and claps like a total idiot in the bleachers but does not care because she is so proud and excited!!
4:45 p.m.: After the big game, Gwen rushes in to Belk for one last try at finding an outfit. She snags a blue sweater, dark jeans and a necklace (on sale for 5 bucks!). All that’s left to do is go home and worry a little more.
….
8:30 a.m. Sunday: Shannon spends more time on her hair and makeup than she did on her wedding day. She sees her husband’s nose hair trimmers and wonders if she needs to use them. What the heck. She wonders if it’s too late for botox.
11:08 a.m.: Shannon arrives at Gwen’s house. Gwen is in a cleaning frenzy. The place smells like a mixture of Pledge and coffee. Both think they might require upset stomach aids. Gwen notes that surely this can’t be harder than childbirth. Can it?
11:48 a.m.: The KNWA truck pulls up outside. There’s enough nervous energy in the room to launch a shuttle. Gwen opens the door and the two immediately relax after meeting Carley and the camera guy, Steven. They tense back up when they realize they’ll be interviewed separately, like two perps. They prefer discussing the website together, telepathically helping each other out if the other one has a brain blip.
12:02 p.m.: Gwen goes first. She feels like she held her breath for the duration of the event but somehow survived it.
12:12: p.m.: It’s Shannon’s turn. She flubs a few times so KNWA will have fodder for their blooper reel.
12:49 p.m.: The KNWA truck drives away and the two moms collapse. They discuss a celebratory lunch. Until …
12:57 p.m.: Gwen’s husband busts in the garage door with a pale 4-year-old who just fell victim to the dreaded stomach bug in the restroom of a nearby pizza restaurant. Traumatized husband is nearly as pale as the kid.
12:58 p.m.: Shannon and Gwen realize their hour in the limelight is over, and it’s time to get back to their 24-hour job: mothering.
10 p.m.: The Motherlode mamas, in their own respective living rooms, cringe as they see — and hear — themselves on television (which, by the way, really does seem to add 10 pounds). After the minute-thirty segment ends, they immediately jump on the phone to discuss the subtle nuances of the content and their delivery. They agree they’re happy with how Carley and Steven managed to get so much information into such a short piece.
10:30 p.m.: Time to decompress.
Goodnight.
