Saturday, April 2, 2011

Hi. My name is Mommy and I am a chaos addict.

I cannot leave well enough alone. Whenever it seems like life is just a little too mundane for my taste, I seem to find a way to pile on a whole bunch of insanity all at once.

I guess I am kind of a stress junkie. I seem to function at a much higher level when I have twenty different plates spinning in the air.

As a young professional, I had jobs that literally kept me running from start to finish.  The more "in the weeds" I was, the more accomplished I felt at the end of my shift.

After Little Diva was born, and I dragged myself back to work, armed with nothing more than a chip on one shoulder, and a breast pump on the other, I evolved into one of those moms who could do it all. Cue the "Enjoli" commercial from the 80's - I could bring home the bacon AND fry it up in the pan. My day usually included two hours of commute time, a white knuckle race to the daycare before closing time, and an evening of checking email from home because I felt guilty about leaving the office after 9 hours had to catch up.

So when The Baby came along, and the potential for a double day care bill was looming large, I had two options, continue working in a high stress situation for the equivalent of zero pay, or stay at home, for, well, zero pay. I made the choice to "retire", as Little Diva puts it, quite happily. And it has been a wonderful 18 months so far. Not without its challenges, I am not going to lie, but I cannot imagine things any other way right now.

Well, except for having more money. I think we can all agree that it would be kind of nice.

So, in my efforts to add a little something (emphasis on LITTLE)  to the family piggy bank, I have started spinning the plates again.

All of the sudden, I feel very busy. I am juggling the rather opposing schedules of three different tutoring clients, shopping for the best deals to find super cheap (sometimes free) activities/food/stuff to offset my lack of income,  doing product reviews and service evaluations, trying to keep up with my blog, and most importantly,  playing chauffeur and housekeeper playing Barbies as much as I can spending time with the little girls that I am here for in the first place.

Yup, I am totally "in the weeds". Having a severe case of the mommy brain makes the chaos just a little bit more exciting, too. I am never 100% sure if I will make it through the day without totally spacing out on one commitment or another. Luckily I have my iPhone calendar to keep me on track. I have noticed that it doesn't work so well, though, if you forget to add your events. Really? There ought to be an app for that.

Lucky for me, it's that kind of stress that makes me tick (and not usually in the time bomb/ready to explode kind of way - in case you're wondering).

So I wonder, how many moms out there dig living the life chaotic, the way I do? And how many moms are happier when things are serene?

6 comments:

  1. When I was growing up, I was totally going to be the woman from the Enjoli commercial! LMAO! Luckily, I chilled out and got a clue before my little one came along.

    Thanks for participating in our first hop! :)

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  2. This is so me! I went back to work took but was miserable. Now I'm home but things are still hectic. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Having 5 kids while doing part time work was hectic, but I can honestly say that when I finally got to lie down at night to go to sleep, I slept soundly and woke up rested (not always the case now.) To be sure, napping was essential and gave everyone in the household who was five and under a mandatory "time-out" from the craziness of life in a busy household.

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  4. I definitely thrive on stress and do better under pressure, but I also enjoyed my time home. Unfortunately, when home with my kids, I get less done, even in my home, than when I'm working. I think I need the pressure as incentive (or maybe its just that my kids are far more interesting than housework). That being said, I would totally love a couple of weeks home with them right now.

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  5. Loved the post! I definitely thrive on stress, though I'm constantly vowing to do less, not more ;) I'm home full time with my two little ones, and I work from home, which means I'm incredibly envious of anyone who gets to drink hot coffee at desks that do not double as laundry folding tables or fingerpainting stations. But like you, I love this life and wouldn't have it any other way. :)

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  6. I'm a serene kind of person. Too much stuff and I get too stressed and that's not a good thing. Staying at home helps my sanity. Most days anyway. :)

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