Drive Me Crazy

Most of the time I'm a pretty good mother, I think (if I do say so myself). I'm a stay-at-home mom and completely and totally dedicated to motherhood. I'm 100% engaged with my kids (okay, 99%). Just by touching a hand I can tell if one of them has a fever. I know what kind of mood they're in with one glance at their faces, and if something is on their mind, they can't hide it. All this is wonderful and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Except when it all drives me MAAAAAAD. Like now. It's 4 p.m. on a chilly, gray Saturday afternoon and I'm home alone with my two kids. My husband had to go out for a couple of hours for work. I haven't left the house yet today, and I just managed to get dressed an hour ago. Shower? Ha.

THEY. ARE. DRIVING. ME. CRAZY.

I sent them to our gross, unfinished basement to play because I needed them out of my hair for a few minutes. For some reason, they love it down there (probably because it is, in fact, so gross). Five minutes later I heard the dreaded words: "Uh-oh, Mommy's going to be so mad."

Turns out our cat (who has Irritable Bowel Syndrome) pooped in the playhouse. So instead of relaxing and having a little "me" time, there I was scrubbing dried diarrhea out of the rug instead. Calgon!

There's rarely one event that ends up pushing me over the edge. My kids are great kids and rarely do anything that makes me want to get in the car and keep driving. Usually, it's just a slow buildup of tiny frustrating moments. Then one or two more little things happen (today it was my daughter not napping combined with my husband having to work) and suddenly I find myself falling off the cliff.

I've noticed I lose it more often on weekends. During the week, I manage to keep it together better--I think because I have no choice. With my husband at work until evening, I'm the one in charge. But I don't stress it at all during the week--I'm happy doing all the mom things I love.

But then the weekend comes around and for some crazy reason I expect it to be a little relaxing. I expect to get a break from being the one "on" all the time. Except it hardly ever works out that way. My husband is a great dad and spends as much time with the kids as he can. But it's not like I can easily and breezily take a day off from being mom and recharge. The kids whine and pout about me leaving, which makes me feel guilty--which then makes me not enjoy my time away as much. Instead of recharging, I worry and end up rushing to get home.

But tomorrow is a new day. I will go to the gym and sweat this stress out while my husband takes the kids to church. Hopefully the sun will be shining and we can all get outside to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful spring flowers.

If not, at least I have "Mad Men" to look forward to tomorrow night. And the new season of "Game of Thrones." Yes, things are looking up.

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String

Here are a few things I'm loving these days:



FurGOPet

Before we got our cat three months ago, I'd never had a pet that shed, so I was clueless about how to deal with all the hair that kept flying off Paulina whenever we touched her. A regular wire brush worked pretty well to remove all the dead hair that had accumulated on our Princess Paulina while she sat at the shelter waiting for us to adopt her. But this hot summer has required a more powerful device...and FurGoPet is it! The first stroke down my kitty's back yielded the most massive hunk o' fur I've ever seen. After a regular grooming session, I'd almost collected enough fur for an entire new kitty! And Paulina loves it--she's been much less scratchy and rubby since I've been using it on her. It comes in small dog, big dog, and cat models. Also reduces hair balls. $20-$25.

A Song of Ice and Fire Series

How the hell did I miss the original publication of the four novels in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, by American author George R.R. Martin? (I was working in children's publishing and following the adventures of a certain boy wizard, that's how.) I'd never even heard of George R.R. Martin or his books before reading an article about him in The New Yorker back in April. This was a few weeks before the HBO series aired, and it piqued my interest. I'm currently almost done with the second book, Clash of Kings, and the ongoing adventures of the knights, princes, queens, and "cravens" who live, love, and kill throughout the Seven Kingdoms (and beyond) get better and better with every page I turn. If you enjoy a good fantasy, pick up Game of Thrones and see if you get hooked. It's sort of like Tolkein lite: more sex and incest, less highbrow Englishness. The highly anticipated fifth book in the series, A Dance With Dragons, was just recently published.

Mission Tortillas--Whole Wheat Life Balance Flavor

Kids love carbs (at least mine do!) but plain bagels aren't exactly nutritious. I'm always looking for foods that pack a punch--that are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and other good stuff. Ideally, the foods should come by these nutrients naturally, but that isn't always possible. That's where Mission’s new Life Balance™ tortillas come in. These yummy tortillas are fortified with 23 vitamins and minerals, as much calcium as a glass of milk, have 3 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein each. They even contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Roll up whatever healthy filling your kid prefers and you are good to go.