Seriously, Monday sucked.
Not because it was laundry day. Although, that was likely a factor.
It was one of those rare days when I had planned to do the grown up chores that I really needed to get done. Ya know, like: What the hell to have for dinner this week so we don't blow the paycheck (again) ordering in because it's easier and faster than trying to cook a frozen pork roast. Oh, like make a grocery list for Thanksgiving dinner. Ugh, and the calls & emails that I never have time to do. And do the stupid laundry.
Laundry Day used to happen every other weekend & was basically an all day family torture session in the laundromat. Now our building has it's own laundry & the room is next door to our apartment. Which means I now do it one day a week. Really, it shouldn't take THAT long. I SHOULD be able to do a few other things like making lists & notes & deleting photos at the same time. And also be hangin with the kiddos.
Come on, I'm a multi-tasking mommy! I got this.
Right. And we should all be eating our green leafy veggies & getting 8 hours of sleep every night too. Let's be honest, when pigs fly out my butt I'll know that any of that other shit might start happening.
I know, I know... Life of a mom. Life with toddlers. Life in damn general. Sidetracks pop up & plans get changed. No biggie.
But I was determined. Determined to GET THINGS DONE.
DETERMINED.
And so I got frustrated. Frustrated that my daughter was being super clingy. Frustrated that my son wanted to stand on everything in the house that was not the floor. Frustrated that I couldn't look down at my list for 30 seconds, literally, without hearing some scream or cry or crash.
Frustrated that I couldn't make them understand why mommy needed a little cooperation.
Frustrated that even if I shouted GET OFF THE TABLE or STOP LEAPING FROM CHAIR TO CHAIR - no one was listening.
The more I got frustrated, the pain in my back & neck started to pound. Aside from hurting, the pain really made me upset, because I'd been feeling so much better...
The more upset I got, the harder they worked to get me to give in to kid life. To let my plans go & just roll with it. I even posted about how that's what the Universe was telling me & yet... I barreled along ALL DAY, frustrated. Honestly, mad at my kids.
By the time my husband got home I was fed up & done with everyone & everything & told him so. The laundry wasn't really dry & was piled up unfolded on the bed. There was nothing ready for dinner & we had to scramble to decide what he could make, because I had to run away & hide in the yoga room.
Even after 90 minutes of intensely hot yoga, I still came home frustrated. But by then it was more because I couldn't resolve why it had all gone so badly all day.
Not until the kids were in bed & I was again raving to hubs about my crappy day did I actually stumble on the truth. I mean stumble - I honestly didn't see it until the words magically flew out of my mouth.
Really, it was all my fault. I said this out loud & a wave of calm finally came.
The kids just wanted Mommy's attention. If I had stopped being pigheaded and acknowledged that this day wasn't going to go as planned the whole day could have been better - for everyone.
It seems so easy. I had acknowledged it earlier in the day, but I didn't listen even when I was saying it myself. So there it is. Mommy needs to use her listening ears too!