I'm burned out......

I am snapping at everyone.  While I was just typing this I yelled at my daughter to "Please give me two seconds to myself!" or something like that ( I think what I actually said was a lot meaner...but at least I said please?)  I think I yelled at everyone before school today, even the baby.  I had to call my husband and apologize to him at work for being a beast...wow, I am a real treat to be around right now.

I had friends over for coffee this morning and they all unanimously agreed that I need to have some sort of mental health day soon......I concur.  I think this is important for several reasons:

1. I need to clear my head and appreciate what I have.

2. I need to stop going to bed feeling guilty every night because I was a bad mother that day.

3. I need to rejuvenate my body - my physical health is deteriorating right now as I am not taking care of myself which then trickles down to my family and pretty soon we are all eating Elios and Pop Tarts for dinner.

4. I need to keep the friends I have.  I love the different groups of moms that I hang out with.  Right now, I think I would actually "break up with me" if I was my friend.  I had one of my friends actually put her hand on my shoulder today and ask me if everything was alright and then she calmly suggested that I sit down because I was making everyone nervous.

Being a mom is tough, in my opinion, being a stay at home mom is just as difficult as having a job in corporate America - I've done both so I feel like I have the right to say that.  

So now that I have blog-vented (saves my mom from yet another phone call), I think I'll apologize to my kids (again) and go take some deep breaths (again) and enjoy a glass of wine before 5 o'clock (yep, again....)

And the award goes to.......

.....not me

I am not winning any awards today.  Not for "Mother of the Year" or "Most Patient Mother" or "The Mother Who Yells the Least".  I probably won't win them tomorrow either....

I guess I am having a rough week.  Things are not flowing.  My 15 month old has been clinging to my leg like some sort of baby Marsupial.  My middle son has a video game addiction.  My oldest daughter - well, let's just say that everything her teacher told me in her conference, can be directly correlated to something my husband and I aren't do correctly (how's that for mom guilt?)

Why do some weeks suck so bad?  Pardon my French, but I feel like going to bed and not getting up for the next two days.  Make that three....

I just took away an after school "sundae party" from my kids because they were kicking & slapping each other in the car.  Picture me driving down the road in my minivan with three screaming kids inside - two kicking each other and one just plain screeching.  

I was so excited for sundaes today - I really needed one - my thighs & butt didn't need one, but my brain did......now what am I going to do?  Go back on my word?  Or let the kids do a little housework to "earn" it back?

Hmmmmm....I think I'll get out the feather duster and the Swiffer and get these kids to work, it's almost dinner time.......

I'm June Freakin' Cleaver......

....well, today anyway.

I am so proud of myself.....my better half went back to work today after 6 weeks of being home and basically being my manny, my handyman, my grocery delivery boy, my runner to Costco, my personal chef, my school bus & my ATM.....but now, all the balls are back in my court...all 3 kids are mine, I am the soccer mom that I was meant to be - I have reclaimed the title after a 6 week sabbatical!

So, I decided to try and get organized last night in preparation for the big change (well, not "the change" but you know what I mean)...OK, fine, I can't claim FULL responsibility for getting my stuff together, my therapist suggested it - so there - I am being totally honest with the hundreds of people who follow my blog~!

Today, I am less Peggy Bundy and so much more June Cleaver (note to self: I need to get an apron) - we would have been on time for school if my daughter wouldn't have held the covers over her head and screamed that she "already knew everything that they teach you in school!" and if we didn't have the last minute poop that our little friend always seems to produce when we are late leaving the house....well, you see where I am going with this.  My point is, that if I can get organized and have clothes laid out and lunches made the night before, so can pretty much anyone!  I am the last person that you would expect to have these things done more than 10 minutes before they are needed - seriously, my organizational skills have really suffered since baby #1 came along 6+ years ago......

So, lists really do help (Yay - I can finally justify my subscription to REAL SIMPLE!) and getting everything ready the night before does have its perks (Thanks Mom).  Day #1 is halfway over and I think I made this transition better than I thought I would!

Now, I'll give myself a little pat on the back and finally go and scrape the gum off my rug that no one in this house seems to know ANYTHING about......

10 Things that I just don't understand.......

1. Dirty Dancing...The Musical....nuff said....

2. Rihanna & Chris Brown

3. The hype over the Snuggie (so I bought one to do some research, I'll let you know what I find out...)

4. Why everyone is saying that they now "Tweet" (does this make Twitter less cool now?)

5. The new hype over Mario Lopez, his new abs & his book (seriously, who cares??? his best work is by far from his "Saved By The Bell" days, and besides, he pushed my sister last week in a bar - who pushes a girl anyway?)

6. Why is everyone talking about Jason, The Bachelor and his breakup - do people really have that little going on in their lives? I'm sorry.......

7. Tatiana....is she for real? I can't figure it out.......

8. Why it's so hard to get a 15 month old to sleep in his crib, is it really necessary for me to have to climb in with him? For cripes sake, I'm scrunched up in a ball like a hedgehog so this kid can get some zzzz's.

9. Why can't coffee make you skinny?

10. Why the New England winter is so damn long......

Did I mention that I DON'T cook????

Occasionally, I will pop around on the web looking for some easy recipes to make for my family....I either bookmark them or print them out and then I never see them again, but my intentions are good.....I assure you.

I found this blog today:

http://baconconcentrate.blogspot.com/2009/02/most-dangerous-chocolate-cake-recipe.html

First of all...anything with "Bacon" in the name will immediately capture my attention...I'm not a salad girl nor do I pretend to be one.....

Now, I can't make a foie gras (I'm not sure I even really know what that is) but I can make Chocolate Cake in a Mug - I'm sure of it! What better dish to serve when you are hosting your next girl's night out (a.k.a. bitch session, PMS party, "Thank God the Kids are In Bed and We are Boozing" get-together)?

Mmmmmm....I could make this in secret and no one in my house will even know there was even a cake to be had......Have I also mentioned that I have a problem with saying no to sweets? My kids were asked today what their mom's favorite food was and they replied "Junk Food" & "Cookies"......apparently I have to work on the Food Pyramid with them.....(after I finish my cake-in-a-mug.....)

Bon Appetit!

10 things I learned on my recent vacation to Florida....

1. They make swim suits with skirts now...I strongly encourage people to check them out.....

2. Families that dress alike when visiting the Magic Kingdom creep me out - I understand dressing your kids alike so you can spot them in the crowds but do the parents need to wear shirts that say "I'm the Mom of Thing 1 & 2"?

3. There are still nice gate agents and flight attendants, you just have to treat them like people and not people who work FOR you.....they may even do you some favors.....

4. I highly recommend drinking when your 15 month old screams on the 3 hour plane ride home, it really takes the edge off.....

5. The more people you travel with, the more likely someone on your trip will get some sort of puking bug.

6. When visiting the Magic Kingdom you will be treated like a herd of cattle, don't take it personally, they are just trying to move you along.......

7. Grandparents are amazing, they help you out when you need them, watch your kids when you need a break and may even bring you with them to Florida...but when they start mentioning things like "We'll really miss you guys" or "Wow, it is going to be so quiet here when you're gone" and you still don't leave for a few days....that's your cue....start packing.....

8. Things in gift shops that seem like good ideas to buy for your kids will only be thrown under their bed when they get home......my kids bought about 7 new hats, 3 stuffed animals and a few other random items - their favorite thing? The free Benihana chopsticks from dinner - they are still playing with them...I could have saved a lot of money.

9. If your kids tell you they don't want to meet the characters, and you insist it will be fun and you then stand in line for 45 minutes only to have to RUN past the characters when you finally get to the front, then you can only blame yourself...not your kids.

10. If you stay at someone else's house on vacation you will most likely have to replace a few things (a comforter, a spatula, a pool skimmer...) If they are good friends of yours, they will most likely understand.......