Anyone else chasing their tails??

elliemom

elliemom

Cathlete
Hi All,

Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed?(life, kids jobs, etc) I sure am. :eek::eek:
Not sure if I took on too much or things are changing but I feel constantly behind. ( I'm not constantly feeling my behind!!!):D:D:D

Since school started for the boys in Sept, I'm busier than ever. Homework, school volunteer, exercising, cleaning, Halloween, eating, Christmas shopping I could go on forever!!! DH is travelling a lot so I'm doing it alone as usual. Somedays I just cringe when the phone rings or my email box is full.

It's been raining here for 5 days, and dark soooo early, maybe it's just getting used to the change ( oh, I've already had THAT change) I don't know.
Anyone else?????

elliemom
 
Oh yes!!! Every since the time change - I have not been the same. I feel like I am running ragged with my kids, too! I made a pledge last night to myself to do at least one thing just for me everyday. AS little as taking a shower or reading a magazine...
My workouts have really suffered the past few weeks - I just have felt burned out.
You are NOT alone - I feel the same way. (((((((HUGS)))))))
 
YES! We are down one person at my office (and we are a small office to begin with, normally 6 people, 3 of whom are case managers, and right now we are down one case manager). So instead of supervising 300 probationers, I am in charge of about 450. My head is spinning and I work at 110% all day long, go in early, stay late.

And of course when work is stressful, it impacts everything else too.

But it's almost the holidays!! Things will get better for us all very soon!
 
elliemom said:
Not sure if I took on too much or things are changing but I feel constantly behind. ( I'm not constantly feeling my behind!!!)
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:D !!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I bet many on this forum will sympathize. I often look back on my early 20s and think, "What did I DO with my time back then?!"

Every once in a while, I consider going back to school. Like maybe take some online courses. I think that would put me over the edge though, and I'd go from Busy-But-Happy Mom to Momzilla.
 
Yep, sounds like me. I wake up at 4:45 am every morning for my PT clients and I am non-stop after that, training here and there, and my evenings are crazy. I usually work 4pm until 8 or later, back to back clients with NO DINNER until I am done (soooo hungry). I have a 4 year old at home with me who comes down in my gym and plays in a separate area while I train during the day hours and a 7 year old who comes home at 2:45 and has piano, football, basketball and homework every night - not to mention 2 friends who come to our door like clockwork every day at 3... Also, being pregnant, I practically collapse by the time 8 pm or so hits. And, I am the chore person in my house. I do everything, everything, from A to Z. I mean, this is 6 days a week for me, Sundays being my only day off unless I have a make-up client.

I am so tired, I have to drag myself to even workout on my own. I just want to REST! Finding time for Cathe forums is hard for me actually! :)

Clarissa
 
I feel your pain..I have 3 girls, 2 of whom I homeschool, and am preparing to move from Ohio to Montana the Sunday before Thanksgiving..It's all a little overwhelming sometimes...
 
Hey, Ellie! I LOL at the 'feeling my behind' comment! :)

I have to admit that for the first time in 4 years, I feel calm and in control. And I'm surprised. I'm PTA President this year, older DS is in his travelling basketball league right now. School. Work for me, part time. Kids, house work, and like you I'm doing it all alone.

HOWEVER....

As this past summer was winding down and I was anticipating a CRAZY school year, I decided it was time to shift my focus and my mind set. I started biking and walking as many places as the kids and I could (mostly local, in-town things). If we didn't HAVE to be somewhere, we simply stayed home. Spent time together. Had friends come to our home. Served neighbors and friends dinner. And basically made the DECISION to just calm down. I'm organized and on top of all my PTA Pres stuff and our monthly events are getting organized weeks in advance to avoid the last-minute rush.

An important thing I do is to always look ahead on my calendar. I plan ahead as much as possible. I realize what days are best to do my laundry and ONLY do it on days when I'm home so that it doesn't go into the next day (or 2 or 3, etc). I get my kids to help with chores. They help make the grocery list as we run out of things. In my house, everything has its place and it goes directly to that place when you're done with it.

I run a tight ship, but when you have to do this each and every single day, alone, you simply have to DECIDE to settle down. Younger DS doesn't like all the sports and stuff, and you know what??? I'm fine with that. I'm not forcing him just to keep him busy...he can stay busy at home here with me.

I hope some of that helps you. I know when you and I chatted at Cathe's gym, you and I shared and comisserated with the "doing-it-alone" syndrome. You're an AWESOME mom and a great (and quite funny) person. Decide what you CAN change to help YOU and your BOYS calm down a bit...it's SO worth it! I've seen a big difference in both my boys and the way they interact with me and each other (when they're not bickering, of course) and I LIKE IT!

Sometimes, quite honestly, we HAVE to force ourselves to just slow down.

Gayle
 
Absolutely!

I feel like the most scattered, disorganized person on the planet! I have the two kids in two different schools (and on different schedules), run a business from home with DH, and I feel constantly interrupted and unproductive!

If I get one thing under control, ten others fall apart. :(

I always wonder how those "perfect household, perfect children, perfect body, perfect marriage" women manage it!

However, in all of this chaos, there's one thing that I won't give up: Working out. My family knows that it is an unchanging priority of mine. Of course, they're not likely to interrupt me anyway, since I work out at 5:30 in the morning!

When you figure out the secret to getting it all together, let me know. I've been searching for years!
 
i have been running circles since school started. since i work at a school that is bad enough with new changes and policies and mixs up and just working with generally nasty teenagers and nasty co workers(well a select few). then its IEPS,therapies, doctors, new therapists, scouts, illness,death in the family, holidays coming up. everything going up no money to compensate working extra jobs OI!!! i can't take much more LOL.

but you know when its good its grand and makes it worthwhile!

kassia
 
crazy here too

Life is always crazy in the middle of harvest...but crazy weather, 2 little boys who are pretty high energy, a house that just NEVER seems to stay clean for longer than 2 minutes...then my poor mom fell and pretty much demolished her left elbow (thankfully, 4 hours of surgery has her pretty well put back together and healing nicely) and that threw me for a total loop as my family owns grain elevators and this time of the year is just nuts. Then paperwork at the office is crazy (computer glitches lost several of my dictations!!!) and I also am on the parochial school board. I know that now that fall work is nearly done, things should start getting better.
Gayle-you had excellent points...we do have to "control" what we can and be prepared...but it's so difficult some times. It seems that chaos begets chaos...whether it's regarding my family, housework, or office work environments.
I have decided to carve 1 hour out per day...do my office work at work and leave it there. tighten up ship at home...establish a better schedule but know when to relax...
Why is it that women often feel so pulled in so many different directions...and I for one feel guilty if I spend some time on myself???
julie
 
Pearlstrand said:
I always wonder how those "perfect household, perfect children, perfect body, perfect marriage" women manage it! QUOTE]

Kathryn-that's just it. It's NOT perfect. It took me a long time to realize that what looks perfect on the surface really is not so perfect overall. It's funny, when I first became a SAHM, I was afraid to admit the issues we were dealing with.....money, DH's job, cars, stress, etc. But once I just decided to 'let it all hang out', everybody comes out of the woodwork with their own struggles.

All we can do, ladies, is our best. Figure out what's important and what's not, and work on those things that ARE.

Life, truly, is too short to worry about the stuff that's no important.

Gayle

ETA: I'm sorry, I just re-read my post and I certainly don't want to sound preachy.
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Gayle,

I read your post and felt much better and quite inspired!!! No preachiness I heard. :D:D:D

I sat down with my calendar and went thru all the must -do's like my son's birthday in December and certain important family things. Then I wrote a list of all the "sorry I won't be able to make its" and felt so much better.

I am a bit of a clean freak/ control freak so I think I need to let some of that go. But you are sooooo right. There is NO PERFECT. I never even strive for that. I have been thrown too many curve-balls to ever expect to be 100% at anything. I just want my boys to be happy and healthy.

I called DH (somewhere in Boston) and we talked about it and made some goals. Now we do goals every January and review them every June. We were doing so well until school started. I just over committed to some really big things and I got burnt out. I was at the school everyday, 3 days just to take and pick up 4 yr old from pre-school, then sometimes 2 other days for room mom stuff, PTA stuff etc. So the plan for now is to get thru Christmas and re-evaluate again.

Thanks for all the imput and help. :D:D:D

Now I have to go do IMAX 2. YIPEE
ellie
 
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