A Week in the Life of an Overextended Mom

Let's run through this week, as boring as it might seem, if you don't mind. It's felt a little rat-racy, but I've managed on the whole to keep up, and would say, despite crazy events to the contrary, that it's been a fairly decent week. I think I believe this solely because the kids finished the Stage from Hell and have been enjoyable once again. Oh yes, and better yet, sleeping.

1. Monday

Refreshed after actually getting to sleep during the night, I spring to action in the morning. First thing, on the scale. First thing, hide my eyes. Second thing, moan, gnash my teeth, try to talk myself into eating cardboard masquerading as high fiber cereal. Fail. Eat leftover taster waffles and oatmeal from kids. Points: O. It's leftovers! Set goals for day too high and end up with 15 minutes to workout. Friday weigh-in weighing on me.

Grocery shop for week.

Make homemade meatloaf with potatoes and peas. Plan to eat this all week as I have exhausted myself with this culinary effort.

2. Tuesday

Hit redial to local cloning clinic to find out if they have Second Me ready yet as I have two overlapping meetings tonight, both of which are essential and Cannot Be Missed Period. Keep getting message, "This number has been blocked."

The sad: Lesson was a bust. Nobody wants to know helpful methods of communicating with preschoolers about tough topics. Parents want to prevaricate. And I was boring, I fear.

The annoying: The school director cancelled tonight's meeting. This is bad, bad news as I have Big Deadline fast approaching and lots of dropped balls. This is good news as now I only have one place to be tonight. This is annoying news because she neglected to tell anyone she cancelled the meeting. I found out by accident.

The good: My daughter, after failing three hearing tests, passed this one! We can look forward to a life of being able to hear me just fine, no matter what pretense she employs otherwise.

The bad: Return home from ENT to discover the main water line to our house burst. Yard and street are flooded, and water is spraying out. It is after five so city workers have gone home. Too bad I missed my shower this a.m.

The good: City approved our grant proposal and awarded us $7,500. Only stipulation: come to big awesome party in August and tell everyone about project. Throw me into the briar patch.

3. Wednesday

The sad: Friend says, "Oh sweetie, if it weren't for bad you'd have no luck at all." Spend good span of time considering whether it is true that one attracts what one is and has inside. If true, I have a lot of home damage inside, primarily of a plumbing variety.

The bad: Still have not repaired pipe under the house, and now water main needs repair too.

The worse: Only left 20 minutes for workout.

The good: The burst bit is on the city side so it is their problem, not mine (except for no water most of the day).

The better: We have gone almost an entire week with little one using the potty for pee pee and keeping pants dry all day, even through nap. Poo Poo still goes in the pants, though. Luckily still have hose from cloth diaper days.

The best: Water line is repaired. Yard is reasonably replaced.

The shameful: Ate two girl scout cookies. The big ones, the lemonade ones. Had another later, with husband. Now consider I ought to attract loads of sweet girl scouts selling lemonade if Oprah and her secret are to be believed.

4. Thursday

Accomplished: all bathrooms cleaned (kids' upstairs bath promptly destroyed, mainly via toothpaste), floors swept, two loads laundry washed and folded, toaster and microwave and oven all cleaned out, downstairs dusted, friend's kids' babysat, downtairs and my room tidied

Not accomplished: Forgot to call plumber, HVAC air vent guys, and homeowner's insurance (the chronicness of this begs a big question about intent here)

For fun: Played outside in gorgeous weather---all windows open---and watched John Mayer concert with kids (new huge fans)

5. Friday

First thing, forget to get on scale.

Run downstairs, make breakfast 1 for kids (oatmeal). Take cat box outside, unlock cat door, and remove raccoon blocks and traps. Sweep downstairs. Take out trash. Make breakfast 2 for kids (Kashi waffle with honey and cream cheese). Forget to eat despite rumbly tumbly. Make kids's lunches. Take kids upstairs and throw into bathtub with quick hair wash to remove honey. Run back downstairs to let dog out (again) and grab forgotten tea. Shovel leftover half of Kashi waffle into mouth for food. Dart upstairs and into bathroom to wash face and brush teeth. Use baby wipe on armpits. Apply fresh deodrant. Dart into kids' bathroom and drag them out of tub, dry them off, throw on clothes I chose (which miraculously they put on without protest). Brush teeth. Brush hair. Remember my own hair, still morningish. Dart back to my bathroom to pony up hair. See scale. Step on. Close eyes, and promise to deduct 2 lbs for clothes, shoes, and breakfast. Know this is a lie lie lie. Look down.

Moan. Wail. Gnash teeth. Curse fate. Curse girl scout cookies.

Remember kids...yell about socks and shoes. Throw kids in car...and sing with Beatles on the way to school.

And that brings us to now.

So...here I sit. My weight going back and forth 2 lbs, stuck stuck stuck. I tinker up and down with my points, make sure to exercise (albet always half as much as I intend), keep busy and active. But am stuck. Stuck stuck stuck.

I will be good at Lenten soup supper I am sure, but bad bad bad at Bunko. Tomorrow is museum day, which will mean naughty-ish food, and then big family birthday party, which will mean naughty food.




copyright 2007 Julie Pippert