The perfect storm

You know how some days it just takes the stars to align for a really great day? A good amount of sleep, happy kids, relaxed state of mind, good company. Some days you jag it, if you tried to plan it, it wouldn’t work, but it just does. The perfect day.

And then other days? The stars align, but not in a good way. Just the right amount of a shitty nights sleep. Some pre menstrual tension thrown in. Cranky, overtired kids, no carbs in your system, and BANG! You have yourself a perfectly shitty day.

Come! Pull up a pew, and have a listen to my day. Thursday 15th November 2012. It wasn’t particularly bad I suppose. Nothing really bad happened. In fact, it was probably just annoying, but that’s going to get in the way of a good story, so humour me if you will.

Last night Harper woke every 45 mins or thereabouts. She has a weird viral thing going on which is kind of like a cold, but not really, with some conjunctivitis thrown in for good measure. Irritability. An inability to fall into a deep sleep at night. And my old friend, the cough vomit. Good times people, good times. She had slept badly for 4 nights and last night I couldn’t cope anymore. I am dramatic and not patient. It’s a wonder I have a husband at all. I snapped at 12.43am, kicked Rob out of bed and ordered her to sleep next to me so I could pat and console from a semi comfortable position. Needless to say I was a little, shall we say, cranky when I was awoken at 5.15am.

I think I am also about to get my period.
I have also not eaten any bread since Sunday.

My day started like any other but was shortly shat on when I received an email about a work related thingy that I have been working very hard on for months now. I was hugely frustrated and today instead of just dusting myself off and moving on, I cried. And screamed at the kids. And generally went into dramatic overdrive of DRAMA. It wasn’t pretty.

We headed to School, and then to swimming with Harper. Harper LOVES swimming. Until she has to get into the pool. Today she REALLY hated getting in the pool. So I lied to her and said it would be fun and quickly dumped her with the teacher so I could go behind the door and cry some more and wave and smile and remind her what fun she was having. She actually did, eventually, have fun. Told you so!

We got home and I made lunch for us all. I fought Harper about whether she would wear a pull up for a rest so she wouldn’t wet the couch, she wasn’t interested. Funnily enough, neither was I! I then eventually placated her with Dora, the couch and sat down for my day of work. And then? We had a black out! FOR 5.5 HOURS! I did manage to get some writing down, so it wasn’t ALL bad. I SUPPOSE. If I wasn’t trying to be so dramatic. HOWEVER! There was just enough power to make my dishwasher think that it was turning back on so it beeped at me. On and off and on and off for 5.5 HOURS. Over and over! And over and over! Just like that! OVER AND OVER! I even took a quick video.

Then I had to go and set up our local hall for the Annual Bridge Day that is on tomorrow. BRIDGE DAY. That took an hour. I raced to School pick up and grabbed Daise and one of her friends for a play date. I don’t usually do play dates in the afternoon, namely because Daisy is EXHAUSTED and they end in tears. This afternoon was a GREAT reminder why I haven’t done them. Daisy performed the most extraordinarily large tantrum that was so bad, I cannot even go into it.

We eventually calmed her down and the play date went on. Harper got bored and hungry (again, just for something different) and asked me 12,456 times WHILE I was cooking dinner, if she cook have an ice cream. I said no, patiently and kindly 56 times and then a little crankily a further 12,399 times and then? Well I snapped of course! And I grabbed those fucking ice creams out of the fucking freezer and I threw the entire fucking packet in the fucking otto bin. Just so she couldn’t ask me about the fucking ice creams anymore because we didn’t FUCKING HAVE ANY SEE?

She got the picture.

Eye contact to me by everyone was then avoided. Dinner was eaten. I think the girls ate the loudest they have ever eaten with their mouths open, but I sucked it up. Got them to bed. Poured a VERY large glass of wine and now I am heading to bed so this day can be gone forever.

Have you had a better day? I hope so!

Comments

  1. It can only get better from here x

  2. There seems to be a fair bit of this going on at the moment.
    I for one am TOTALLY over being a mother.
    I don’t know why I chose tonight…when Daddy R was away…to begin my “you must eat what I serve you for dinner” plan.
    Needless to say dinner ended in tears…both Toddler C’s and my own.
    Why are some days so hard?

    As the saying goes, tomorrow is another day.
    Let’s hope it is a good one!

  3. Crikey. A bottle I would have had. Good days and bad days – we get hem all.
    Masses of thoughts for a better night and day and weekend ahead!

  4. I kind of enjoyed this post =P
    ox

  5. I’m so sorry that your day turned to shit lady, but let me tell you, that shit is fucking hilarious!

  6. I think I would have lay my head down in my dinner and cried over the loud eating – hate that – it’s like sitting in a field of cows while they chew grass!

  7. Yikes. I had a tired and grumpy day but nothing like yours. Lots of tea and chocolate held it together.
    Afternoon play dates are also a disaster at our house. Once the clock hits 4pm my son hits crazy psycho. The only upside is the 6.15pm bedtime.

  8. Oh and Beth have some bread! Toasted soughdough

  9. I had a crap day too, I knew it was shaping up to be an interesting one when I trod in a cat vomit covered hairball when I was getting out of bed this morning…….

  10. I think we may be sisters. That sounds like a very bad day indeed. And you did nothing, said nothing that I have not done or said under the same circumstances.

    It is nearly tomorrow.
    Sleep well. x

  11. No. My day was shit. Middle son ear infection again. Oldest son’s phone and wallet stolen out of his school locker. Had to pick him up from school making me late to pick up other kids from school. May have to sell youngest son to pay for a new phone for eldest. Bring on tomorrow please?
    Ally

  12. Ahhhh, the perfect shit storm hey dude? Hope tomorrow is less stormy.

  13. Yep that’s a shitty day! Hope you’re sound asleep now and tomorrow is so much better. Not the best day here but it doesn’t even compare to yours!!

  14. Nice to know I’m not the only one who has shitty days like these! Hopefully everythings better in the morning!

  15. Sleep well my lovely. Your an amazing person doing a super duper job and Isabella had a DElightful time at the Macdonalds, so much so that she want’s to come live with you. Apparently your not as bossy as me! Ohh and you forgot the cheeky Gin & Tonic you poured at 5:21pm!!

  16. Oh Beth. I am so sure we were made from the same mould. That I’ve cream thing? I am sure I have done that before. Several times.
    Cheers to a happy Friday honey xx

  17. Shocker everywhere. Won’t bore you with the details but was tipped over the edge at 6.30pm when sister and cleaner had an impromptu party on the porch with my bubbles whilst I spoke to a client, finalised two reports, dug up garlic and cooked an awful dinner! Aaaaaaaagh to make it worse listening to radio and im a prime candidate for cancer! Bring on tomorrow. Hope you get some sleep xxxx

  18. This makes me feel so much better about my dramatic crazy days!!!
    Rebecca S.

  19. Yeah yeah happens to me all the time…those s@$$ mother f$&@@** days and then you feel so bad for losing it and letting your kids and husband see you like that. Glad to know I am not or the only one….but I am the first to comment…maybe you scared eveyone else away…maybe we are the only ones! Oh dear!

  20. When I posted it said there were no other comments, I thought everyone was too scared…lol!

  21. Stay tuned for my version of November 15 soon. As soon as I have recovered. Fuck it. Xx

  22. My day was Shit with a capital S… Bank shat on my plans to build my home. Will let me borrow enough to buy the shitty ugly house around the corner but won’t let me borrow enough (even though its less money than the shitty house) to knock down and build my own lovely house! I just don’t get it… I’m off to bed – quicker this day is behind me the better – hopefully I’ll dream up a hair brained idea to force the hand of the bank… now I know why they are called Wankers instead of Bankers..

  23. I’ve had PLENTY of these days ( haven’t we all?!) & I feel for you Beth, I really do. But let me congratulate you on not eating any bread or chocolate or greasy food ( which is how I cope with such shitty days) * stands & claps hands* Well done you!!

    My day wasn’t as shitty as yours but was less than stellar as it is fly out day which means hubby gone for 4 weeks, my eldest broke the FB rules again which resulted in a screaming match & I ate shitty take away left overs for dinner instead of cooking. It’s only just over until bed & tomorrow is Friday so that’s a good thing right?!

  24. Gah! Days like these SUCK!! We all have ’em. Sounds like you’re all just feeding off each other’s energy. Tomorrow is a new day. Breathe. Smile. Breathe again 🙂

  25. Thus was me yesterday! Also low on carbs and doing no wine on weekdays. It’s killing me I tell you…

  26. I really do know how you feel. It’s a rollercoaster sometimes; great day followed by absolute shocker and so on. To make it all worse, after a bad day like that I feel so terribly guilty at the way I’ve snapped at the kids that I then replay the whole thing over and over in my head and don’t sleep. This, of course, perpetuates the problem as I’m then a wreck the next morning and particularly low on resilience.

    I think working from home creates issues in this regard too. A displeasing / frustrating / infuriating work call or email can impact my demeanour and cause me to be impatient with the kids. And then I’ll feel guilty about that too…

  27. Equally bad day in this household. Please let tomorrow be better for all of our sanity’s sake!

  28. Hahaha, had to laugh about the ice-creams… they just do. not. stop. hounding do they!? And why is it ALWAYS when you’re right in the middle of preparing food, so they won’t be so hungry? Just pointless stress really. Sounds very much like an annoying day lady, hope tomorrow makes up for it with lotsa good xo

  29. You are making me laugh hysterically. Thats exactly what i do…. Throw things out that are asked for ova and ova again….. The sleep thing is just shit though. I’m thinking you are sound sensitive or something…any musicians in the family? You mention noise a lot in your posts. We really react badly to the coughing thing too.

  30. That icecream episode is exactly me!!!!! I love that u make me feel normal…. I just cracked up laughing reading this and my 12 yr old son wanted me to read it to him…… He loved it too and agreed that all mums must be like me….Yay!!!!!

  31. I’d hug you, but I fear having my face scratched off. I had a go at starting the day without guzzling two cups of coffee yesterday. NEVERAFUCKINGGAIN. never. hope today is the upside to the shit spiral of yesterday :)sarah

  32. Some days are diamonds, some days are just crap! Your girls will learn that shit happens and it’s not the end of the world ‘cos tomorrow will be better…builds resilience! Hope you have a lovely Friday x
    Annie M

  33. The perfect days in my house are very few and far between. The shitty, sleep deprived days? Nearly every day. I feel your pain, my friend. xx

  34. Oh totally snap on the bloody swimming thing. I had that trauma today. He was literally hiding under my daughter’s high chair, refusing to get changed, so in the end I had to pretend we were going to the post office just to get him in the car. Then had to deal with crying all the way from the car to the lesson and then finally managed to get him changed and thrust into the arms of the swimming teacher. Of course he loved it in the end and decided he deserved a present for being so good at it. Really! Hope you’re week gets better and better. xxxx

  35. Why do those days always happen around PMS time??
    Hope you enjoyed every sip of that wine. xx

  36. You made me laugh girl! The ice-cream saga is a classic. I hear your pain. Some days just suck!

  37. I’ve done the icecream thing. I think at some stage we all have.
    It’s the end of the school year, I’m sure of it. I’m exhausted, my kids are exhausted. And I can see it on the face of every other parent at the 8.30 drop off.

    You’re nearly there Beth, stay strong! And pour another glass if need be.

  38. These kind of posts make me feel SO much better. I had a day so much like this, it is scary. Then we had another craptastic night last night with a sick/teething baby then all seemed ok this morning, until she power chundered over everything, myself included which saw us both getting in to the bath fully clothed, as I had no idea what else to do. And somehow, I have to construct an orange fucking robot cake for the boy who will be three tomorrow. Send help. Or carbs.
    xo

  39. Had a shit day too with a 4 month old who started the day at 3:30am…. Hope Friday and your weekend improve 🙂

  40. The only way is up! (stole that from Yazz)
    Hope today is better for you.

  41. OMG Beth, you remind me so much of me.

    Did you stoop to searching through the bin after the kids were in bed to retrieve an icecream for yourself? I can see I would have ended up there.

  42. These are the days when I tell my husband that his BREATHING is TOO LOUD…and he needs to STOP it!

  43. Sounds like you deserved that glass of wine at the end of the day.

    Just two small things. Please don’t take a sick child to swimming lessons and really don’t take a child with conjunctivitis to swimming lessons or anywhere in public. It is highly contagious and eyes are extra sensitive to light when you are suffering from it and sunglasses should be worn if outside.

    Jackie

  44. Thank you for losing it. I lose it. I think my so in love neighbors who have been married for a year and have no children, who live like 20 feet from my house think I am the worst mom ever. Easy to know everything about parenting when you don’t have kids.

  45. Ok thatis a shit day. Awesome move on the icecreams, brilliant and brave and bold move in one. I have been so tempted to do the same on so many occasions and I think I just will the next time.
    What is it with three year olds and whinging half an hour before dinner like the will die if they don’t eat that second. then of course won’t eat the bloody dinner when you serve it 10 minutes later!!!

  46. Don’t you just wish such days were over when you’re only about 15 minutes into one?! Your ditching the packet of icecreams cracked me up 🙂

Leave a Reply to Mother Down Under Cancel reply

*