God Bless the United States of America

Okay....so Christmas is still  my favorite holiday.  Even as an adult.  However, Independence Day is a very close second.  

I love the United States of America.  I choke up when ever the National Anthem is sung.  When every single fan at the Boston Garden drowned out Rene Rancourt at the first Bruins game after the Boston Marathon Bombings, I sobbed.  Hard.  I am so proud and grateful to live here, I am consumed by it sometimes.  Usually my life is too chaotic to slow down and really think about how blessed and lucky we are.  But July 4th is a day we have to stop and appreciate what we have.   

We had a party.  I was so stressed out before the party because I wanted my house and yard to look good.  Then, the closer we got to the day of the party, I realized that A.)  all of my friends are working moms and dads that are as busy or busier than I am B.) my friends value the rare opportunity to get together and see and talk to each other again and C.) after three weeks of rain, there was NO way I was going to conquer the jungle our country acre had become.  The pool was clean, the bathrooms were clean and the rest of the house was mostly clean.  Done.  I didn't care that there were weeds growing up through every crack in our brick walkway.  I didn't care that weeds surrounded the outside of the pool fence.  I didn't care that there was dust on most of the surfaces in the house.  Nobody else cared either.  

How did I celebrate this country's birthday?  I got to spend a beautiful summer day with my family and the my very best friends and know that we live in the best place in the world.

Do I suffer from depression?

I am glad to say that I do not have Depression.  I think I just had a serious case of the blues.  But I have broken free from them.  For now.  The ups and downs of life sometimes seem like an unbearable roller coaster.  The joy of the riding the peak (for however long it may last) makes it all worth while.  But getting through those down moments can be a long, arduous challenge.

Do I suffer from depression?  Have you ever asked yourself that?  Considering 12.4 million women (versus 6.4 million men) are affected by depression each year, you very well could be.  But there are many positive points to make.  If you are depressed, you certainly aren't alone and there is help.  As I mentioned in my last post, three of my dearest friends suffer from various degrees of depression -from bi-polar disorder to mild depression.  They are both happy and healthy.  It was a long road for my friend with bi-polar disorder, but her support team (family, friends and doctors) were invaluable to her daily survival.  If you suspect you have depression, please call someone - friend, family or doctor - for help.

Such a difficult question to ask yourself.  Do I suffer from depression?  Click to find out.  I've actually bookmarked the website.  I think it will prove helpful for many aspects of my life.

I'm Back after a Bad Spell

I am back. It's been a month since my last post.  My last two posts were pretty depressing and I stopped writing because I thought I had to be more positive and helpful.  Then I realized that there were probably many other working moms that were (or are) struggling like I was.  I realized that I should embrace that audience.  The upbeat, outgoing, I've-got-my-shit-together blogs can be helpful and motivating but often times, I think they can annoying and distressing - because I can't seem to do it. Get my shit together, that is. 

So here I am.  My blog name is Multi-Tasking Master Mom and I am anything but a master at this.  BUT, my kids are happy, healthy, polite and love to read.  So I must be doing something right.  And I hold onto that - tightly.  

My "bad spell" brings up a topic I don't see covered much, although I don't have much time to read other blogs, so maybe I am wrong.  Depression.  It's a disease and a very big deal.  I know people who suffer from mild cases and are on medication and that helps them.  So I wonder.....do I have it?  Can it come and go without the use of medication?  Should I be on medication (I'd rather not)? I think the answers to the first two questions are yes, but I am going to do a little research and get back to you.

My parting words are - don't worry if you don't have your shit together.  I think we are in the same boat as a lot of moms.  

Weekend

Here it is, Friday night, again.  A night meant for relaxing and/or celebrating the end of the work week.  Then why do I feel just as stressed and overwhelmed as I do on a weeknight?  UGH.  I have a list of things to do a mile long.  Grocery shopping.  This must be done without the children.  I keep trying to take them with me and every time I do, I regret it by Aisle 3!  So that leaves evenings.  After my kids are tucked in I rush to the store and by Aisle 3 I hear that the store is closing in 15 minutes.  Oh no they are not!  

Tomorrow - TBall game and dance class in the morning.  Saturday afternoon we are going to attend the town fair (it's actually called a Hoe Down and we live in Massachusetts!)  And it is going to be WICKED hot here.  It's going to be a LONG, hot day.  Good news is the children will sleep well.  Saturday night I have a date with a couple of girlfriends and the NHL Eastern Conference Final Playoff Series stars tomorrow night at 8:00, too.  My girlfriends are going to harrass me because I am going to insist we sit at the bar instead of the outdoor patio.  I can see it coming.  But I am an avid hockey fan and love my Boston Bruins (especially Krechi), so I WILL watch the game.

Sunday morning I am doing my bi-weekly trip to Trader Joe's.  I also want to go to the nursery to buy some vegetable plants (my seedlings failed again this year) and some pansies!  The Mother's Day gift I haven't actually gotten yet.  And then I have to plant them before the weather turns.  

At least I won't be at work and I will be with my family - most of the time.

Bad Mood

I feel like such an ass.  I took an hour off of work to get to my daughter's Preschool graduation. Needless to say I get stuck in holiday traffic.  When I call daycare to tell them I might be late, I discover I have the wrong date!  *&%#@!  I am so annoyed with myself.  Today was graduation picture day.  Crap, crap, crap.  Horrible way to start my holiday weekend.

And of course the kids are exhausted, so they just feed into my bad mood.  My husband, thankfully, was calming and helpful (he stopped at a bar for a beer because he was early for "graduation").  I managed to get the kitchen totally clean before getting the kids to bed so now I am going to pour myself a BIG glass of wine and sit my stupid ass down in front of the television and decompress.

Here is to 3 "stay home days" as my children call it.  We don't have any plans for the weekend and after 3 weekends of total chaos, I am glad.  Three whole days to get all the laundry done, get started on some much needed spring cleaning and quality time with my family.


                     Happy Memorial Day, everyone. God Bless the USA.

Overwhelmed

First things first.  Happy Belated Mother's Day, ladies!  I hope you all had a wonderful day - or part of a day.

Now back to the subject.
So completely overwhelmed!  I haven't even had a minute to write a post in nearly two weeks.  Some days you think you have everything under control - like you are a master.  Like you were meant to be a career mom. Then most other days..not so much. 

Work has been out of control the last two week.  So busy that the days flew by in a whirl and I worried how I was going to get everything done.  Then I get home and the kids are out of control, don't listen to a word I say and complain about what food I manage to get on their dinner plates.  They make a mess of the growing pile of baskets of clean clothes (at least they are clean) that I haven't had time to put away because they can't find a clean pair of pajamas. Then once the kids are asleep, I have to make lunches, clean the kitchen and collapse in bed around 11 pm absolutely exhausted.  You are probably wondering....my husband contributes a little.  But we won't go there.

  Then the weekend.  T-Ball game, dance class, a visit from friends, grocery shopping, my nieces 3 1/2 hour dance recital (thank god it was an excellent show - my daughter and I both really enjoyed it).  Holy hell!  I'm exhausted.  Thank god for the visit from friends.  At least I got the family room vacuumed  the kitchen and stairs swept and the kitchen floor mopped (the kitchen floor was GROSS!). 

Overwhelmed - seems to be the story of my life for now.  I have to go fold some more laundry now.  

Morning Chaos

Drives me crazy!  I try and try to get out of the house on time every morning and nothing seems to work.  Maybe one day in 5, I get in the car, look at the clock and smile.  Yes!  On time! 

The next day I try and recreate that morning.  Fail.  Ugh.  One of my biggest problems is over the last two years, our morning routine has varied quite a bit from non-existent (unemployed), relaxed (working part-time for a friend), to absolute chaos (since starting my current job).  So it is hard.

Today I go on-line and try to find help.  I realized that 1.) I am not alone and 2.) this is probably the one thing most of us working moms have in common.  So what to do to fix it.  One suggestion is to make sure I take care of myself before the kids get up.  I do that.  I try to get up with my husband and work out and then I make coffee and take a shower.  I don't even do much with my hair and makeup, so I can't cut out time there.  Suggestions include making coffee the night before.  I should do this but I don't think of it at night when I just want to go to bed.  I think the most time consuming thing is making lunches for my kids and myself.  I suppose I should do that the night before too.  But I'm tired and want to got to bed (how about some cheese with that wine).  *sigh*.  

Something has to change though because I want to have some peace in the morning.  I want to start the day out right.  A list!  I must generate a list of all the things I need to do in the morning - and the night before.  

Night List
1.)  Set up coffee pot
2.)  Make at least some of the kids lunches
3.)  Make husbands lunch
3.)  Work bags near the door

Morning list
1.)  Workout
2.)  Shower
3.)  Finish assembling lunches
4.)  Get kids up, dressed, teeth brushed (yeah right)
5.)  Get breakfast for everyone (we have breakfast on the go - subject for another post:  Recipes for breakfast on the go)
This is where chaos ensues
6.)  Get Ben's hearing aids (another subject for a future post)
7.)  Coats and shoes
8.)  Get in car, buckle up and go

I gotta go - I have some things to do.  Wish me luck.  I'll let you know how it goes.