I remember when Avery was a baby and we’d take her to parties. That little munchkin wouldsleep the entire time! She was never the type of baby who required Jeremy and I to take her home in lieu of spending an entire evening with friends or family. That kid could just sleep, anywhere and everywhere. It worried me a little at first and then I started paying closer attention and noticed a pattern. Whenever things got especially noisy she would drift off. I had heard about this before.
This was her defense mechanism. If she started getting the teensiest bit overwhelmed she would force herself to fall asleep and transform into a blissfully unaware tiny littlepile of peace.
Don’t you wish adults could do that?
“Oh, I’m sorry, Officer. I realize I was going 10 miles over the speed limit but I’m incredibly sleepy right now. I’ll catch ya in about 20.” Zzzzz.
“How many times doI have to ask you to put your dirty clothes into the laundry room and not all over the floor? You know what? Just a minute…I have a nap to take.” Zzzzz.
Now, I realize this wouldn’t be a terribly efficient way of handling our overwhelming lives but…God, wouldn’t it feel wonderful to know you could check out for a few minutes every time smoke was beginning to pour out of your ears in the style of Fred Flinstone? Man, I know I do.
So, Mindy, you may ask. Are you feeling so…say…overwhelmed lately that you feel the need to blog about it and your apparent desire for more nap-taking opportunities?
Why, yes, readers, I am. Thank you for asking! Allow me to explain.
My husband is a hunter/fisher/videographer extraordinnaire. He and two other men are partners in, Pursue the Outdoors, a web-driven community for all things outdoors. Really though, they are outdoor enthusiasts who have come up witha way to turn their hobbies into a business leaving their wives with no choice but to support their frequent need to leave home and hunt poor precious Bambis. (Jer assures me there are no Bambis being pursued but, still.)
So, he has been gone all week long on one of these extremely important trips. Leaving me alone. All week. Just me and the kids. And school volunteering. And snotty noses. And poopy pants. And early morning nightmares. That’s just me…the kids have their own sets of issues.
And, in case you haven’t been following my blog (which, by the way, what’s wrong with you?), I’m a bit of a chicken and HATE being alone in my house at night. You can read about all of that here. And because I’m so sure that an axe-murderer or space alien is hovering outside my bedroom door all night long, I’m not getting much sleep. So, I’ve been a little bit overwhelmed this week and definitely not operating at full function.
And, yes, I realize that people do the single parent thing all the time and I admire you for it, I truly do. In fact, and I am being 100% honest here, I cannot imagine more hardworking or dedicated people than single parents. But I am, admittedly, ill-equipped for single parentingand am ready for that man to get his camoflauged-behind home.
And I still have 3 more days to go.
Alone. With the kids.
And I really want to take a nap, like a little baby, and forget for 30 blessed minutes that I have laundry to fold, dishes to wash, breakfast to pulltogether, lunch to prepare,dinner to make,fights to break-up, Candyland to play, teeth to brush, baths to administer, axe-murderer/space aliens to conquer andlastly…my sanity to maintain.
Three more days.
Love to all, Mindy
First of all, bless you. The preschool years are incredibly difficult.
When mine were little, Rich had a 6 week consulting job that required him to be in Texas M-F. The only way I survived it was to hire a babysitter every Wednesday night for three hours. She fed them and put them to bed and cleaned the kitchen so I could come home to peace.
Maybe you could hire someone so you could take a nap! Charge it to your husband’s company. 😉
I can’t imagine being by myself Monday thru Friday, for six weeks! Bless you!! I’m liking the idea of a babysitter for naptime…and the idea of charging it my husband’s company even more! =)
Mindy
I was just going to suggest the same thing! Give yourself a break by handing over the kids and the house to someone for an hour or two. Good luck for the next three days, I’ll be thinking of you.
Thanks Daphne…I think I may just have to do that! I appreciate the thoughts! =)
Mindy
I feel your pain! As I type this, my hubby is driving home from a 12-day elk-hunting trip! It was supposed to be 14 days, but he missed us. We have 3 girls – 7, 10, and 13, so it probably wasn’t as difficult at home for me, but we did have soccer (for all 3), church, and drama commitments. Along with my full-time job! I just gritted my teeth & got through it, knowing how appreciative he was that he was able to get away for so long. Yours will be home before you know it!
Hello there Mindy! See? Elk hunting…you feel my pain. But, yes, my hubby was in deep need of some away time and I think it’s helped a whole lot! He’ll just have to make it all up to me when he gets home! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!!
Mindy
Oh, just let the housework wait a bit and try and get that nap. I have always admired the way children can doze off anywhere. That might be a problem for me tho. LOL.
Hubby will be home soon from said man activities. They are mostly just there for moral support anyway….Teehee.
If it helps I can promise there are no axe murderers or aliens around your bedroom.
Hey, Christina, that helps immensely! =) And AS SOON AS hubby walks in that door I will be walking out that door for at least 2 hours. =)
Mindy
Dah!! You sound like me when my hubs is out of town! I feel your pain, so, so acutely! In fact it makes me dread his next all-weeker!
Hang in there, Mama! Just have as much fun as you can and throw that there schedule/routine thingamabob out the window!
Oy! It’s rough…
Oh, and p.s. I am working on getting my CCH because those same axe murderers and space aliens stake out my place too…
Let me know if you find any sure-fired defenses against them! So far I’ve managed to keep the aliens at bay, but… ya never know. =)
Mindy
You know what’s so strange for me? When my daughter was little I was divorced (I’m remarried now) and on nights when she was gone at her dad’s, I would feel more afraid. Why would I be less afraid when she was home? I guess kicking in that protector mechanism for her, left some over for me as well. The oddities of motherhood!
I know…when the kids are gone it’s so silent. I think it makes me hyper-aware of any other noises going on in the night. I can’t blame those on the kids! -)
Mindy