May 3, 2009

Back to Normal (100th Post)

Thank goodness that Mark is working again, and I can go back to whining and complaining about regular things. Like this week for example. First week by myself with the kids in 6 weeks. You would never know I'd been doing this for 6 years. Before the week was over, I'd eaten half a tub of chocolate frosting and cried to myself in a park.

It was a little rough.

The crying thing is interesting because I never once broke down while Mark was unemployed. Well, at least not about the unemployment. (I probably teared up over touching cell phone commercials and that ugly lady on Britain's Got Talent-- I don't really remember.) But leave me alone with my kids for days on end and I end up blubbering at the park while all the other parents pretend not to notice the hysterical mom on the bench. OK, it wasn't really that bad, but I know I made at least one park dad pretty uncomfortable.

What is it about staying home with kids that is so hard sometimes? Kids can be so sweet, and bubbly, and wonderfully innocent, with their big Bambi eyes and pudgy toes, and their cute little noses that haven't morphed into some unflattering shape yet. But they also never. let. up. They whine (oh, can they whine), and fight. They pee on the floor, and demand to be held at just the wrong times, and need and need and need and need, and when you have nothing left to give they need some more. And it just can bring out the worst in you.

That's when you have a good cry in public and break out the frosting. (Betty Crocker, you are such sweet, sweet therapy.) And you make it through another little rough patch.

So we've got the first week behind us: a little breaking-in period, a readjustment, a few extra pounds gained. Next week will be better. Or not, but tomorrow is another day, some famous fake person once said. Parenting can be hard, so hard sometimes. But millions of much less emotionally stable people have done it and survived right?

And just so I don't get accused of glass-half-empty kind of stuff-- on the bright side, none of us died from Swine flu this week.

So that's a plus.

Mostly a plus, I think.

6 comments:

Dakin said...

Way to make it to 100! Congrats! We've really enjoyed reading your blog. You put it like it is and that's therapeutic for all moms to read.

Good luck with the adjustment of employment. We go through this every time John takes a long vacation with us. It's hard to not have him around at first, but then when we all get used to it, order seems to take presidence in our lives again.

LAURA said...

it's true, sometimes they are so sweet and cute...and then other times a tub of frosting is what you need to make it through a whine-filled ugly-child day. I think you and I both have a thing for frosting!

Carolynn said...

Why is it that I laugh so hard every time I read your blog? It has to be because it hits so close to home. Seriously, thanks for letting the rest of us feel like we are normal!

Bob/Kristy said...

The weekend before you posted this, we watched "Marley and Me", and I told Bob afterwards that although there were many cliches in it, they were very true cliches. Especially the depiction of how a few small children can bring an otherwise capable and accomplished woman to her knees.

Kids are superheros with amazing powers of cuteness, and amazing powers of frustration. Hey, just one more summer and then Mia is in school full time! You guys should drive down and spend some time with us when school is out.

Brandon and Lindsay said...

You are hillarious! When I stop in to read your blog every now and then I find myself laughing and nodding and wondering if you can read my mind, even though you don't know me. Sometimes when I look back at my day I wonder how I am still somewhat sane, and I'm glad to hear I'm not the first mom to cry for no particular reason (well, lots of reasons, but...) in public!
Thanks for sharing on your fun, witty blog!

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