Like last year’s Christmas stuff on the guest bed, so too are the days of my life.
I really want my blog back. And my life. I’m spinning so fast right now that I can’t keep up with anything. How do you moms do it? Is it just me?
If you’d allow me to whine for a moment (Please? I do it so well), I’d like to walk you through my day yesterday.
7AM-9AM: Wake up with both kids in our bed (Toots is convinced there’s going to be a tornado and is extremely anxious about it) (Booger goes wherever Toots is). Get kids dressed. Feed them. Make myself presentableish. Prepare lunches. Negotiate a sibling peace treaty. Take kids to school (Two different schools right across the street from each other, but along a route that must be walked. Up hills. Both ways.)
9:15-9:30AM: Get coffee. Must be Starbucks as I have not grocery shopped in eon moons and there is nothing edible or caffeinated inside my home. Breakfast for the kids was toast with toasted toast.
9:35AM-1:25PM: Editing. Editing. EDITING. GOOD GOD THE EDITING.
1:30PM: Pick Toots up from school. It was a minimum day. GOOD LORD THE MINIMUM DAYS.
1:32 and 10 secondsPM: Plan a play date for Toots. Agree to pick her up at 3:30PM.
1:32 and 40seconds-2:40PM: Walk uphill both ways back to my car parked the next county over because that’s the way Toots’ elementary school rolls. Drive to the grocery store. But first, take broken watch to be repaired. Grocery shop. Look for scallions. I’ve got a great lima bean recipe and I need the scallions. Are scallions the same thing as green onions? I can’t find lima beans.
2:42PM: Pick up watch. Now I can more effectively see time passing me by.
2:43-3:00PM: Drive with lima-bean-less groceries in car to Booger’s preschool. Pick her up. Unwittingly submerge self in thousand-foot-deep rain puddle.
3:05-3:20PM: Drive home, unload groceries, realize haven’t eaten lunch, dry self off. Exactly in that order.
3:30PM: Still don’t eat lunch, because I have to pick Toots up from her playdate and take her to karate class.
3:35PM: Arrive at playdate. Submerge self in 850-foot raindrop. Shrug shoulders. Weep softly into the wet crook of my elbow.
3:40-3:55PM: Drive to karate. Sit there. Squirm uncomfortably because I know there’s a big work deadline looming.
4:45-5:15PM: Pick up sandwiches from Subway. Finally eat. Drive home.
5:15-5:30PM: EDITING! GOOD GOD THE — well, you know the drill.
5:35PM: Take call from freelance gig. Gist? “Do you have 2-3 hours tonight for an urgent project?”
5:35 and 25 secondsPM: Manage my nervous breakdown.
5:40-6:30PM: Take instructions and emails and more instructions and more phone calls.
6:45PM: Begin urgent frack-a-lacka project. The Rock bathes the kids and puts them to bed. I am in a fugue state of exhaustion and self-pity.
6:45PM-11:30PM: Work on the “2-3-hour” last minute project.
11:45PM: Stare into space. Eat fritos. Wonder how I am going to continue my days at this pace. Consider that maybe I am being a baby.
11:46PM: After careful reflection, decide to be a baby. A large, fat, baby.
Please do tell: how do you all manage? It’s me, right? I’m too fragile, prone to fits?
I’m open to any and all life management tips and tricks. And if you’ve got extra wine laying about, I’m open to that too.
My only contribution would be that you can pack the lunches the night before. If you can convince your girls to eat PB & J, you can make a week’s worth and freeze them. I’m convinced Smucker’s Uncrustables stole my idea.
Hang in there–this too shall pass.
Ummm….well at least you got things done. I would have stopped well before the scallion search.
Cut out what you don’t absolutely have to do, and take care of YOURSELF. Eat lunch, for goodness sake!
I manage just.like.this.
Spinning will get you through for a little while and then you’re gonna crash. And then you’re gonna pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get started again.
And then you’ll find yourself spinning again.
It’s a vicious circle. (And WHY does that word NEVER look right?)
i wish i could help! but i am no better at handling more than one thing! And i dont have kids. OMG i am not ready. i dont think! Totally loved your post.
Okay, I really relate to your struggle, I do. But right now? I’m relating much more to Toots. TORNADOES IN SAN DIEGO? AHHHHH! Now please excuse me, I need to return to looking out of my window for funnel clouds.
get a big box and dump all that Christmas stuff in there and then stuff it out of sight.
my brain goes on strike at the first sign of clutter.
I’m with Blognut. I do the same thing. spin crash spin crash spin crash. I might have a coast in there every blue moon or something but mostly I just spin and crash and start over.
You actually have freelance work???
Deb,
I started teaching preschool this week. Um, in case you are asking yourself “hey! Arent you a published textbook author and instructor of the year at a major state university in the midwest? Why yes, my friend. I am. And I have never taught preschool before in my life and I had promised myself 2 years “off” to regroup after FIVE YEARS of spinning..when I lost my soul to the devil himself who told me “I can do it all” and “I must be the best at all of it”. But I got talked into this rescue mission when the little darlings lost their teacher when she was fired for being a 65 year old witch on wheels! So here I am- DROWNING in Japan of all places in a job I dont love that I think I might suck at. Friday I cleaned up a 5 year old’s poopy pants and today a child threw up on a red plastic chair and I almost passed out. So I made the decision to cease all unneccessary cooking, cleaning, organizing, lunch packing and extra curricular events. Play dates are not as regular- but we make a big deal out of them, we dropped girlscouts but kept piano and I say “no” more than “yes” in general. I also make sure I have a cheesy show to watch on Hulu or a book to read a page in before I fall asleep. Me time.
My hubby is back in the states this week- so I am doing it in single mom mode and Grace and I ate sushi yesterday, today and probobly tomorrow. And I dont have guilt cuz she gave me hugs and kisses after I read Nancy Drew (without falling asleep, but yawning A LOT).
I live by this- make a list of the to-do’s each morning and rank them 1-10 (00000). Make sure lunch and breathing hit the list near the top. When you dont get to the end, those items become the first few on the next day. Friggin saves my life…..
Love you friend!!!
I totally understand. I just finished a stretch of time that mirrored your experience. I’m still trying to get back on track with everything I let fall apart. The hardest part is carving out time for me.