I thought I’d share a little glimpse into one of those days:
Thursday November 15, 2012
5:44 a.m. wide awake
6:00 roll out of bed to tackle dishes, laundry, breakfast and get dinner in the crock pot.
6:22 alerted by shrieking child who isn’t due to awaken for another hour. Quickly calculate approx. how long I can let her cry it out while I take a shower.
6:23 hop in shower while drinking coffee
6:24 get dressed while brushing teeth
6:25 walk in to get girls who are angrily emptying their crib in protest to my delay
6:30 give girls bowl of rice crispies and cup of milk
6:32 on hands and knees cleaning rice crispies off of floor
7:00 chase first child and tackle her into outfit & do her hair.
7:22 chase second child and tackle her into outfit & do her hair.
7:30 engage in philosophical debate about why we wear clothes.
7:32 give up and let them run naked.
8:00 attempt to finish dishes while the kids empty dirty laundry from basket and scatter about the house.
8:10 pick up scattered laundry while the girls hunt for mischievous projects
8:15 pick up box full of dried pasta dumped onto kitchen floor while demanding, “don’t eat that!”
8:30 diaper change goes awry x 2.
8:45 Someone frees the kitchen drawer from captivity. I clean up the mess and kiss non-existent boo-boo.
8:50 attempt to make 2nd pot of coffee with a toddler attached to each leg.
9:00 Blue’s Clues TAKE ME AWAY!
9:15 Blue’s Clues is not working- spend next 10 minutes breaking up fist fight over who gets to be in mommy’s lap.
9:30 realize I didn’t eat yet. Quickly make scrambled eggs.
9:35 endure hostile take over of my breakfast.
9:36 begin cursing every person who’s ever asked me, “are you going to have another?”
10:00 both girls start rummaging in the cupboard and argue with me that the gallon sized vinegar bottle is in fact juice. Go ahead try it- I DARE ya!
10:03 attempted unauthorized potty break, assaulted by the toddlerazzi invading my privacy.
10:15 begin the great diaper chase
10:40 children mock my attempts to build with blocks by kicking over my tower and laughing.
10:50 drift off and quickly awakened by someone slapping me and yelling, “mommymommymommyyyyyyyyyyy!”
11:00 turn on Blue’s Clues and forced to participate in ritualistic wailing for mail.
11:15 held captive on the couch and forced to watch as Blue finds every stinking last clue.
12:00 prepared a lovely meal for the floor to enjoy.
12:30 on hands and knees again to clean up floor.
12:45 play let’s make a deal- if you let me change your diaper you can have a cookie!
1:00 toss children in crib with cookie… stick a fork in me cuz I’m DONE!
That’s only HALF MY DAY!!
This post made me laugh then, and it makes me laugh now. When I was in the thick of the insanity of taking care of two toddlers alone I didn’t always find the humor. It felt like those struggles were going to stick around for a long time. The good news is it is two years later and we have all survived and moved on to different dramas!
I wasn’t the most patient parent, and sometimes I put way too much pressure on myself to make everyone happy (friends, family, kids, hubby) and forgot about myself. I really hated when people said, “you will miss these days.” The last thing I thought I’d miss is the nonstop screaming and crying and lack of shower time. I still don’t miss that part, but what I miss most is each unique little age and stage. I feel like I just didn’t get enough time to enjoy each kid during particular stages. It was just the three of us and not enough of me to go around. I felt rushed to get them through their milestones so I could check them off my parental to-do list.
Now that they are four, things are calming down in many ways. My girls are still a handful, and we still have our intense moments of battling wills. But it has only taken me the past four years to understand what it means to slow down, relax and don’t sweat the small stuff. The house is a little messier, the crafts get set aside and I’m happier to just sit down and hold my girls close. This is our last year together before they spring board into being a “big kid”: kids with their own opinions and mom just gets a little less cool each day. I already miss the spunky little toddlers they used to be with their chubby little bodies bobbing through the house, their tiny little giggles and the sweetness of their tiny head tucked under my chin.
Even though people warned me to slow down, take it easy and don’t rush- I just couldn’t understand it until I walked that path myself. I am not one to loiter with mom guilt, but there are days I feel completely guilty for wanting to hurry us through the roughest parts. I didn’t realize that would also hurry us through the sweetest parts too.
Enjoy the insanity- it doesn’t last as long as you think. And, one day when it is over you really will miss it!
