Skip to main content

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

Comments

MamaMaven said…
I have had a similar sad luck week. Congrats for living through it. Some weeks you have to give yourself credit just for that.

The yo-yo is hard, but you've done fabulously so far! Hang in there.
sillychick said…
I'd say you've done fabulously...31 lbs down so far? A bad week is just that, bad...so let yourself relax (even if for 5 minutes) and rejuvenate. You'll get your mojo back soon!
Gwen said…
I'm with sillychick! Only 9 lbs to go, out of 40! That's fantastic!

And hey, I cleaned up a toothpaste mess of epic proportions last night. My hub and I were looking at it and trying to figure out how someone with such a small mouth and consequently such tiny toothpaste needs could smear so much in so many places. Magical, these kids.
Girlplustwo said…
The good: you still manage to be funny.

The curious: did you really all eat meatloaf all week?

The bad: you beating yourself up. Talk about a hell of a lot going on.
NotSoSage said…
jen, great minds think alike (and fools' seldom differ, as my mom likes to say).

The bad: You scaring me that this is life mommying two children.

The good: I had to laugh...you're hilarious. Baby wipes on the armpits? You are fantastic, woman.
Bones said…
woke up, got out of bed. Dragged a comb across my head. Found my way downstairs and drank a cup, and looking up I noticed I was late (chaka chaka chaka cha) grabbed my coat, and grabbed my hat, made the bus in seconds flat. Found my way downstairs and hadda smoke, and somebody spoke and I went into a dream... ahhhhhhhhhhhhh
Anonymous said…
I've had that week - not this week, but I'm familiar with it.

Honestly, I read it and see the amazing victories - the water pipe is fixed by the city, good for you. Potty training success, even better.

When stuck at a plateau (when I was actually trying to lose weight and not doing what I'm doing now), I'd try to simplify as much as possible and get as close to the actual plan as I could. You're doing great!
Julie Pippert said…
Heather and sillychick...I feel good about the prgress but have been stuck now for several weeks. I thought I passed it last week but then stagnated (with slight increase) this week. UGH. Maybe it's PMS. Always like to blame that. Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to focus on that.

Gwen, OMG what IS IT with the TOOTHPASTE?!?!?! And then the little one, potty training and all, now insists on bathroom privacy and she has forfeited all rights to privacy by dumping out the entirety of a brand new bottle of handsoap all over the bathroom floor, all while I waited outside.

Jen, LOL if you don't have humor what do you have? I did seriously eat meatloaf all week except tonight, which is no meat. And what I reported? Not the half of it. I always leave work out of it if at all possible. I'll try to ease up on myself. Had fun at Bunko with friends, and won two books. Woo hoo! Thanks hon!

Notsosage, life with two kids kicks my ass some times. Seriously, baby wipes are God's gift. Better than sliced bread. What don't those things do! On the hot and humid days (i.e. most of the year here) slap on a bit of the hand sanitizer after the wipes. LOL at me. ;)

Bones, what up dude? You in a Kerouac mood or what? I felt the need to snap while reading your comment LOL.

Jakelliesmom, I've been having that week for 3-4 in a row, STG, I'm going crazy from it.

Yes one pipe solved, and potty training on the way! (Using the word trainng lightly since I never train, just wait for kid to say, "Okay, I use potty now Mom.")

Tell me more about this simplify plan...

I need progress.

Thanks all for comments and uplifts!
Unknown said…
Well, I can tell you that I'm exhausted just reading about your week! I had about half that to do (that I was willing to admit I had to do -- I don't count housecleaning because I so seldom actually clean).

I don't know what to say about the plateau that hasn't already been said. I'm not at that place yet but I know I will be. (Maybe this week after eating 20 of my floater points in one day!) I know it will happen for you. 9. more. pounds. Hang in there!

P.S. Baby wipes are also great for spot cleaning your clothes when you spill something on them.
Mom O Matic said…
I'm stuck to. Hang in there...spring is coming and we will all be outside moving our tushies more.
IzzyMom said…
Use baby wipe on armpits.

lol...that made me laugh out loud. I use baby wipes for all sorts of non-butt related things. I'll add the above to the list!

Hope next week is better :)
Unknown said…
Wow, what a week. I hear about the dieting. I keep yo-yoing with the two pounds myself. I know its my fault, just can't help. I am glad the water main is fixed. Hope you weekend is much calmer!!!
Bobby D. said…
Yeah, well you did good, anyway, despite it being a ratty week.
Library Mama said…
Wow! 31 pounds already? You're an inspiration. Seriously!

Also - you're a genius. Baby wipes for armpits? Genius, pure genius!
Julie Pippert said…
Mary-Lue, I just signed up for Spark and hope that will be some further help. I'm trying not to associate this plateau with having to cut the WW meetings due to budget. So far Spark didn't help with menu today because it has sugget peanut butter (and I'm allergic to peanuts!) and celery, which I'd rather starve to death than eat LOL.

I have baby wipes with me always LOL.

Lotta, hon, I have no winter here. It's PRIME season here now. Sunny and 75. Or 70-80ish degrees. We're outside a lot. I know we have about a month of decent weather left and then we are stuck indoors for hmm about six months.

Izzymom, I keep saying the same thing and then...another pipe bursts (or somesuch) LOL. Thanks!

Kim, sorry you had a sucky day! What's up? I need help on the last ten, clearly.

Momish, thanks!

d chedwick, simply put but wow, really good to hear. Thanks!

Librarymama, thanks! I tell you, these nice comments make my day (and it's tax day so that's saying a lot!) .

Popular posts from this blog

In defense of vanity...I think

Do you have one of those issues where you argue with yourself? Where you just aren't sure what you actually think because there are so many messages and opinions on the topic around you? I have more than one like this. However, there is one topic that has been struggling to the top of my mind recently: vanity and perceived vanity. Can vanity be a good thing? Vanity has historically been truly reviled. Vanity is number seven of the Seven Deadly Sins. It's the doppleganger of number seven on the Seven Holy Virtues list: humility. There are many moralistic tales of how vanity makes you evil and brings about a spectacular downfall. Consider the lady who bathed in the blood of virgins to maintain her youth. Google Borgia+vanity and find plenty. The Brothers Grimm and Disney got in on the act too. The Disney message seems to be: the truly beautiful don't need to be vain. They are just naturally eye-catchingly gorgeous. And they are all gorgeous. Show me the Reubenesque Princess.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Quorum

After being confronted with written evidence, Julie admits that she is a total attention whore. In some things, in some ways, sometimes I look outward for validation of my worth and existence. I admit it. It's my weak spot, my vanity spot . If you say I am clever, comment on a post, offer me an award, mention me on your blog, reply to a comment I left on your blog, or in any way flatter me as a writer...I am hopelessly, slavishly devoted to you. I will probably even add you to my blogroll just so everyone can see the list of all the cool kids who actually like me . The girl, she knows she is vain in this regard , but after much vanity discussion and navel-gazing , she has decided to love herself anyway, as she is (ironically) and will keep searching for (1) internal validation and (2) her first person . Until I reach a better point of self-actualization, though, may I just say that this week you people have been better than prozac and chocolate (together, with a side of white choc

Cancer's Calling Card

Foreword: I'm not a medical person, or any kind of expert. This post shouldn't be taken as God's word carved in stone by Moses. In other words, don't consider it to be any kind of authority or use it to treat, diagnose, or select medications. Do your own research and talk to your doctor, an actual expert, who, you know, went to medical school and stuff. This post is merely my best understanding of cancer and cancer treatment and prevention, as related to our situation, based on what I've learned from reading and talking to doctors. Author's Note: If you aren't interested in the cancer discussion and the things I learned, and only want to know the outcome of our appointment with the oncologist yesterday, skip to the end. I've divvied this up by sections, so go to the last section. What would you do if one day a postcard arrived in the mail to warn you that sometime in the next three years you would be diagnosed with cancer? Would you believe it? Change an