One of those days

Stay at home moms, or hell, working moms, too: What do you do when your day goes from

       to         ??????

I mean, aside from pouring a strong drink before noon.

Which I, of course, have never done. Ever.

*cough*

That would be irresponsible parenting.

*cough* *cough* *cough*

My absolute lowest moments of being a mother are when I lose my cool with my son. My sweet, little, innocent (*cough* MONSTER *cough*) of a son.

(Ok, I may be overusing the *cough* on this post)

(But hang in there, I’m getting to my point.)

Seriously, I hate that feeling. When you’re outside of your body, looking at yourself, going….. wahhhhh??? Why am I taking this out on him right now???

So I’m always in search of new ideas for cooling off and keeping my patience with my son, even on those days when everything just feels impossible.

Things I’ve done in the past when we’re faced with a day like this (besides the whole gin & tonic thing):

Get out of the house – Sometimes we just need a change of scenery. Sometimes I’ve been trying too hard to get the house clean and the laundry done and dinner prepped and I need to just say “F it, people!!!” and take my son to the park and watch him throw sand at the other babies. (Kidding.)

Harry the Bunny – OK, I’m all for the no-TV-before-2 thing and we *mostly* follow that rule. But when the whole house is sick with a deathly cold, or I’m going through a difficult time with a pregnancy or miscarriage, or heck, when I’ve just woken up on the wrong side of the bed…. sometimes a little 20 minute break where I plop the baby in front of Harry the Bunny on the iPad is superior to snapping at him when I’ve run out of patience. Plus, it gives me plenty of time to mix that drink. And down it. And mix another one.***

Impromptu play date – I have been known to emergency message my local playgroup and ask if anyone wants to come over or meet at a park LIKE NOW. The opportunity for my little monster toddler to be distracted by another little monster toddler, and the social outlet for Mama is invaluable in time of crisis.

If anyone is out there reading, share yours too!

 

*** I swear I have never had more than one drink while alone with my son. Please don’t call child protective services. Thank you.