Restless tonight. I'm completely bone weary and exhausted and yet I'm not quite ready to turn out the lights. The endless to do list is clattering around in the back of my mind but I've got nothing I want or really can tackle. I don't have the energy to dive into something new but I do have the guilt to feel incomplete for not making even the slightest dent in my ever growing list of things that must be done. My body knows that it has to rest but it seems my mind just can't stop churning. Is this the continual fate of the overworked mom? Forever doomed to never getting enough done and never being satisfied? Where is the pressure coming from and why is it so easy to fall into its claws?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
The Ties That Bind and Loosen
"Been a long time since I rock and rolled" -- the real truth is that I've never rock and rolled, and neither have my kids...until now.
Such is the fate of a sister with a brother that likes classic rock, two HIGHLY influental children when it comes to their favorite uncle, and a long car trip. My musically naive kids moved from Led Zepwhat to Ledheads in the space of 40 minutes.
We listened to that particular track four times while my son played air guitar, my daughter used her head as a drum, my brother laughed gleefuly, and I put my head on the dashboard and kept smacking it over and over.
While I admit that my kids were pretty funny and I loved the family bonding with an uncle that lives over 3,000 miles away, that particular car ride signaled the end of something -- my control over the radio. Oh sure I let my kids have some say in the music and kid-appropriate CD's they listen to but even then those are CD's carefully selected and screened by me. This seemingly innocent bit of sharing by my brother was a full on attack of my musical dominance.
It's been two days since that fateful trip and the first thing my son said when we got in the car today was "Led Zeppelin mom!" I know this is the beginning of the end. My son is actively seeking out the classic rock station in our town and I've loathed classic rock ever since it came pouring down the stairs from my brother's room over 30 years ago. Pretty soon we'll have a battle over the radio, just like my brother and I did when we were growing up. Only this time my kids will be my kids instead of my stinky brother and I'll be forced to give in instead of whapping him on the arm, head, or other random body part.
I guess that's what happens when you share your kids with other people that love them as much as you do...I may have lost control of my radio, but a little piece of my life has come full circle. Thanks bro.
Such is the fate of a sister with a brother that likes classic rock, two HIGHLY influental children when it comes to their favorite uncle, and a long car trip. My musically naive kids moved from Led Zepwhat to Ledheads in the space of 40 minutes.
We listened to that particular track four times while my son played air guitar, my daughter used her head as a drum, my brother laughed gleefuly, and I put my head on the dashboard and kept smacking it over and over.
While I admit that my kids were pretty funny and I loved the family bonding with an uncle that lives over 3,000 miles away, that particular car ride signaled the end of something -- my control over the radio. Oh sure I let my kids have some say in the music and kid-appropriate CD's they listen to but even then those are CD's carefully selected and screened by me. This seemingly innocent bit of sharing by my brother was a full on attack of my musical dominance.
It's been two days since that fateful trip and the first thing my son said when we got in the car today was "Led Zeppelin mom!" I know this is the beginning of the end. My son is actively seeking out the classic rock station in our town and I've loathed classic rock ever since it came pouring down the stairs from my brother's room over 30 years ago. Pretty soon we'll have a battle over the radio, just like my brother and I did when we were growing up. Only this time my kids will be my kids instead of my stinky brother and I'll be forced to give in instead of whapping him on the arm, head, or other random body part.
I guess that's what happens when you share your kids with other people that love them as much as you do...I may have lost control of my radio, but a little piece of my life has come full circle. Thanks bro.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Back to Life, Back to Reality
I'm about to end the lazy (ha!) days of summer and head back to the insane whirlwind that is the beginning of the school year. Next week - aaah!!! I love that commercial that sings "It's the most wonderful time of the year" while pitching school supplies but for working single moms this time of year is nothing but getting back to the circus that defines day-to-day life. Unlike our stay-at-home mom friends who definitely need and deserve a kid break, working moms days haven't been filled with too much kid time, we've just dropped the kids off at a new location for fun-filled all-day activities.
While summer isn't the same for a working mom, it's still a break from regular school pressure and after-school activies and I'm not ready for that to end. I don't want to go back. I want to stomp my feet and make the clock stop! I think I might even trade my slushie drink filled vacation for another week of not having to juggle three schedules with the greatest of ease. (Okay, make that two weeks -- I make really good slushie drinks -- just ask my mom.)
My little ones are 7 and 5 and I kept hearing that things would get easier but I also heard that things would get harder. Both sets of guru-type friends/parents at whose feet I worshipped were right. My kids are easier to handle but their ever growing list or responsibilities and activies are not. How to balance, how to balance, especially when it's just you shuffling them from place to place and your boss does actually think you should come to work some days out of the week.
As always, I've got a whole new list of ideas on how to handle the upcoming pressure. We'll pick out clothes the night before! Make the kids more responsible for their own items! Menu plan! (I've tried all of this before...but this is the time it will work!!!!)
What's your best back-to-school resolution? Is it recycled from last year? Did you read it in a magazine, website, blog, or get it from a friend? I'll try anything to make this a smooth transition!
While summer isn't the same for a working mom, it's still a break from regular school pressure and after-school activies and I'm not ready for that to end. I don't want to go back. I want to stomp my feet and make the clock stop! I think I might even trade my slushie drink filled vacation for another week of not having to juggle three schedules with the greatest of ease. (Okay, make that two weeks -- I make really good slushie drinks -- just ask my mom.)
My little ones are 7 and 5 and I kept hearing that things would get easier but I also heard that things would get harder. Both sets of guru-type friends/parents at whose feet I worshipped were right. My kids are easier to handle but their ever growing list or responsibilities and activies are not. How to balance, how to balance, especially when it's just you shuffling them from place to place and your boss does actually think you should come to work some days out of the week.
As always, I've got a whole new list of ideas on how to handle the upcoming pressure. We'll pick out clothes the night before! Make the kids more responsible for their own items! Menu plan! (I've tried all of this before...but this is the time it will work!!!!)
What's your best back-to-school resolution? Is it recycled from last year? Did you read it in a magazine, website, blog, or get it from a friend? I'll try anything to make this a smooth transition!
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