Today has been A DAY.
Where you are behind from the very beginning and then things just kind of unravel from there.
Today was a Monday morning where the lack (or total absence) of planning ahead and being prepared over the weekend came back to bite me in the butt. Hard.
We had a busy weekend. And for most of it I was flying solo.
Saturday was CCB’s wedding and I was going at full speed from about 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.
On Sunday I ran a Halloween 5K in my town with Numbers 3, 4, 5, and 7.
By Sunday afternoon I was useless. Like I was sitting at the computer trying to do some work and I kept falling asleep while I was sitting up.
I needed to sleep.
So I took a nap for about two hours, on and off.
The kids had cake for breakfast and pretty much a bag of veggie straws for lunch, and by 3:00, they were about ready to gnaw their own hands off and there was very limited food in the house because rather than go to the grocery store on Thursday and Friday I was running around getting clothes for me and shoes for the kids to wear to the wedding and I woke up to this in my face:
I managed to throw together and actual meal of substance for the kids, but I never made it to the store on Sunday (which was only yesterday but if feels like it was about a week ago) and today Number 3 and 4 had a cross country meet after school and there was not really anything for them to pack to eat on the bus ride there after school, so I told them I’d drop something off today after I went shopping.
But first I had to drive Number 7 to school because she missed the bus because I didn’t wake her up early enough.
After I got back from the grocery store I went for a run and then I spent a little time doing some work and trying to check things off my way-too-long to do list, but I only had until 12:30 because it was early dismissal today for report card conferences, so then the kids were home and it’s definitely more of a challenge to get anything done when they are around, so I started cleaning the kitchen up a little because that had fallen by the wayside since Friday, and then I made lunch and rushed it down to Number 3 and 4’s school before the buses came and when I got back I checked my email for the first time today, and that’s when I saw the email sent by the cross country coach that the meet had been postponed until tomorrow!
Ugh.
Things just unraveled from there.
I had my husband come home from work early so he could get Number 6 to his cub scout meeting because now the kids wanted to go to swim practice since their cross country meet was rescheduled, and as I finished coaching my practice I got a text from my husband that the cub scout meeting was cancelled due to parent teacher conferences.
No part of this day went as planned, really.
In the big picture, it’s not a big deal. At all.
These are not life altering problems.
Everyone is healthy.
Everyone is happy.
(Except Number 6 who was really looking forward to his cub scout meeting.)
I learned a couple things today. I know what to do to be better prepared.
I definitely need to check my email each day earlier than 3 p.m.
I’m trying to keep things in perspective. I have one of the craziest weeks ahead of me I’ve had in a while, and it is so easy to lose perspective.
It’s okay to be frustrated when things go awry.
But only for a little bit.
Then you really gotta just see what you can learn from the situation and move on.
Your kids are watching. They are learning how to deal with frustration and disappointment from watching you.
So today was pretty much a complete and total shitshow.
Some if it was my doing but some of it also was not.
And that’s just the way things go sometimes.
Sometimes no matter what you do, things just don’t go anywhere near the way you thought or hoped they would.
This is how life works, but it’s TOTALLY how parenthood works.
Once kids are in the picture, every day is a little bit Russian Roulette, no matter how well prepared you thing you are.
And you just gotta make it through until bed time, where you can close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and hit the reset button.
That’s exactly what I’m going to do tonight.
Remind myself I have a lot to be grateful for, and then go to sleep!
Chances are tomorrow will be a better day.
But if it isn’t, at least I’ll be a little better armed for it than I was today.
If you also filmed an episode of The Shit Show today, you are not alone.
Hang in there. One day you will laugh about this particular episode.
Until that day comes, breathe in, breathe out, and repeat as needed.
I read this a few days ago, and I had to come back to it. Because I’ve been having a long string of shitshows.
Firstly….best. blog. ever. I discovered this goldmine when a mutual friend (CM) shared your hiding in the car moment on Facebook. I’ve been a fan ever since. So much truth in your post. So much sometimes that it can be hard to swallow, but I love it. Keep cursing…I fucking love that too. Keep up the great work!
On this post….So, you ended up with a shitshow *partly* because you yourself let a few things slide. Including…GASP…taking a nap! I’m in the same boat as you, so hear me out. It’s really overwhelming and infuriating to know that if I slack on just one thing, I will pay for it dearly. I too have not had a chance to check my emails until the afternoon, and paid for it dearly. (I’ve missed cancellations or date changes). I’ve skipped laundry for one evening…bc I’m helping my kid on a school project….and paid for it dearly. (Someone ends up without a clean uniform on game day). Day after day. I see some other parents that I know doing things on the fly, and everything looks fine! On the other hand, if I myself dare to do this, again, we will all pay for it dearly. Somehow, some way. Day after day, I wonder, WTF am I doing wrong? It’s just not in the mom cards for me…to relax a little. Why does it have to be like this?!? WHyyyyyyy?!?!
Rant over lol 🙂
Rachel, thanks for the kind words and the comment — I get it. You are on 24/7 and always feeling like you are playing catch up. I look at my parents who are retired and have a nice, simple existence in their small, orderly, and tidy home, and I know the day will come. One day all the kids will be out of the house and the chaos and the rushing will be gone, and I will be able to relax a little without guilt and without everything going to shit because of it. So I’m trying to keep things in perspective and enjoy right now. Because although I think I’ll be grateful for a little change of pace fifteen years down the road, I know I’m also gonna miss the full and crazy house, too. Hang in there. 🙂