Hey, Mama! How are you doing over there? If you’re like me, you are trying to juggle kids being homebound for 4.5 months and counting. We got through distance learning, and we all hoped that we would resume some sort of normalcy by now. Boy, are we surprised that it seems like we are in the long haul for this rona crap. Yes, I know COVID-19 is real and very serious, but I still refer to Rona as a b*tch. She is, I’m still bitter that she’s here, and I’m sorry.
My kids are tired of me entertaining them, they are tired of not seeing their friends, outings have a 10 minute mask limit before someone loses their sh*t, and well we are a house full of crabby pantry-raiding boys over here. Well, all except Hayes. He is young enough to where he will play with his BFFs Buzz and Woody and watch Bluey, Blues Clues and Thomas the Train on repeat while snuggling with me on the couch all day long.
Let’s get real here. We are all tired of being tired. My husband is essential and has pretty much been business as usual, and well I maybe… kinda snapped at him last week. I snapped because he had one of his socially distanced meetings on the golf course on his day off. I knew he had to have this meeting for work, but I also knew how I was feeling and I snapped. We had a long conversation about my feelings and agreed for him to set aside time to stay home with the boys. Ya’ll, I realized I was becoming depressed. That is not me at all, I have never been depressed a day in my life! Even when I was going through some dark times, I never felt blues like this that I had a hard time shaking. I love my kids dearly, I love my large chaotic circus of a family. I don’t like being the mama who has a short fuse, who constantly wants to be alone tucked away from everyone. That is not me! Normally, I am an introverted extrovert. I love being home but I also love being around people, socializing and entertaining! We are doing our part by not going to parties and large social gatherings (man, I miss those). Yes, I’ve had driveway happy hours with my besties (cautiously of course) and date nights on the patio with my hubs and those have been wonderful, fleeting moments of human interaction, but I needed something more.
That “more” was my husband working from home yesterday. He worked all morning and got the important stuff out of the way and then I left once he was done. I left the house with my hair curled, a full face of makeup and dressed up in something more than an oversized shirt and cutoffs. I had an appointment for a mani/pedi to fix my ratchet nails, they were terrible ya’ll! My nail salon was very clean and I felt totally safe. It was pretty much empty and had one lady who was devoted to wiping down and sanitizing every surface and taking every precaution. And I felt like a brand new woman after being pampered a little. I grabbed a diet coke and decided to turn my music up and sing at the top of my lungs and just drive. I picked up all of my curbside errands without feeling monotonous and took a little walk around an outdoor shopping center, and you know what happened? I came home refreshed, I didn’t feel burnt out or depressed. I came home and actually enjoyed fixing a homemade supper for my family.
Why am I writing this post? Well I know that I’m not the only mama struggling with life right now. I have had 2 conversations with friends just yesterday and I know they were feeling the same way that I was. I know there are many more mamas out there struggling and trying to keep it together. Who are trying to survive this “new normal.” (Man, I really hate calling it that!) If you are feeling burnt out, tell someone, figure something out. If your husband isn’t available to help you, phone a friend or a grandparent! We are the rocks of our family and it’s so important for us to be present both mentally and physically. Take the solo drive, whip into the drive thru for a peaceful treat, blare your music and sing at the top of your lungs, make yourself a mani/pedi appointment, and take a walk where you can peacefully take in some new scenery (or feel like you are doing some retail therapy)!
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