- Pulling out the last wet wipe, after you've already opened the diaper, and you just know that one wipe is not going to cut it
- your finger slipping off the wet wipe
- having just spent the last 45 minutes bundling up the kids to get out of the house in the winter, and smelling a poop, just as you're strapping them into the car seat
- opening an avocado I just bought at the store and it's already rotten
- little finger prints on my glasses, which is a daily occurrence nowadays
- Waking up to a cold house every morning and having to start a fire, before the first sip of coffee
- Mosquitoes, black flies, horse flies and wasps. In short, anything that stings and doesn't provide me with honey
- stepping in dog poop (nowadays mostly chicken poop) or chewing gum
- This, after just having bathed her (I know it's my fault for bathing her before dinner, but coming to that conclusion just makes me even angrier, because I don't like having nobody to blame but myself)
- broken beer bottles and cigarette butts on playgrounds (there's not a lot that makes me angrier, since I had to dig more than one nasty butt out of my babies mouth last summer and, once, even a piece of glass, which could've done some serious damage to my child. Just throw your stuff into the nearest garbage can, for God's sake, and stop endangering the health and safety of other people's children)
- getting to the store and realizing you don't have change for the grocery cart
- a screaming baby or toddler tantrum when you're having a bad day
- running out of hot water in the shower, especially in the wintertime
- having to shave my legs (whoever started this and thought it to be a great idea, was obviously bored, didn't know what to do with herself and certainly did not have children, trying to climb into the tub with her, fully clothed)
- I mean, come on! Just finish it and throw out the empty container
- giving yourself a hernia, trying to open a mason jar you desperately need to open to get on with your dinner preparations
- people seeing you struggle, trying to handle your kids and say things like, "You sure got your hands full." I know most of them are just trying to be nice, but after you've heard it for the hundredth time, it does get a little irritating
- unwanted parenting advice from childless people (let's talk again once you have a couple)
- flying with kids
- people giving you annoyed looks when your children are having a fit. Really? You think you're having a tough time right now? Just look the other way and be glad you're not the one having to take them home.
- the dog jumping up on me with muddy, wet paws
- the dog barking when the baby is taking a nap
- the door hitting you in the butt when your transporting an egg in your back pocket
- Christmas shopping because people tend to get a little cray-cray that time of year
- Barney the purple dinosaur
- having to take both kids out of the car, even though you just have to run into the store for, like, two minutes tops
- bothersome calls from people trying to upgrade your services or sell you something new
- people who ask you what exactly it is that you do all day, after you've told them you're a stay-at-home-mom and men with cavemen mentalities, who think their life is so much harder because they have to go to work every day. Pretty sure 90% of you would beg to go back to work after being home with the kids for a couple of weeks. Now, I know there are also stay-at-home dads out there - who are doing an amazing job I'm sure - but those guys would probably never say that being a stay-at-home dad is easier than going to work. All I'm saying is, until you've done both, you don't really know what you're talking about.
- when the milk carton gives me a hard time
- pop-up ads
- moms complaining about how their baby only sleeps five hours at a time
- paying interest
- stubbing your toe (especially right in the morning, when you're not even fully awake yet)
- finding a piece of clothing you love, but it's not there in your size
- intolerance of any kind
- racism
- the 'tear here' lie, when you're either pulling and nothing happens - other than stretching the plastic - or it tears open but you're still not getting to the Ziploc part
- ordering something at a restaurant, you've been looking forward to all day, just to find out that they're all out of whatever it was you were drooling over. This seems to happen to me every time we eat out, which is not very often
- trying to pay with your debit card and your transaction is declined (awkward)
- when I've had a rough day and Noah just won't fall asleep and keeps coming out of his room
- no clean coffee mugs in the morning
- running out of water halfway through making your coffee
- getting sick or your children getting sick
- canker sores
- TV or book series ending with major cliff hangers and having to wait for months, or even years to find out what's going to happen next.
- two feet of snow in April
- folding laundry and turning around to find Mia standing at the open drawer, pulling out the clothes I've already put away.
- people talking to me when I'm trying to read a book
- ordering a beverage at a coffee shop and realizing I've just paid for a small coffee in a large cup, because 3/4 of the cup was filled with foam
- owning about twenty soothers but not being able to find a single one when I need one
- wet spoon in the sugar bowl
- when I want to take a picture or video of something amazing and the phone dies, just as I'm about to push the button
- And last but not least (I don't know why, but the paper coming out the back is almost worse than an empty roll)
I could go on and on and on, but the point to this post is this. There are times (days, weeks, sometimes even months) when I'm perfectly able to brush all of those things off and take it for what it is. Life. It's not always easy, but some days things are easier to take than others. I consider myself to be a fairly balanced, mostly happy person or, at least, I try to be. I've never been the angry type and I've always tried to make the best out of any situation. But there are definitely days, when the tiniest thing bugs me, I do lose my temper, and I don't like it when it happens. I want to be a good mother to my children, and in order for me to be a good mother, I need to take care of myself and listen to the signs. When I get to the breaking point, everything is irritating, especially the things listed above, and that's when I know that I need to make some time for myself. It's important for you and everyone around you, because the people closest to you are the ones who suffer when you're stressed out and in a foul mood. So listen to the warning signs and make sure you take care of yourself. As parents we tend to always put the needs of our children ahead of our own, and that's what a good parent does. But a good parent also recognizes that even the toughest person needs breaks to recharge their battery, in order to function better again, and there is absolutely no shame in admitting to needing help or time away from the children. I also ask myself if I really want to let a small thing - like stepping in dog poop - ruin my day. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down and try to think of something nice, like the fact that I can put my feet up soon, because there's only two more hours left before the kids go to bed ;-) Or I'll think of something nice that happened that day, and there's usually always something that will remind me that it's all worthwhile. Like these little special moments that make you all teary-eyed, because they're just so adorable, it's almost hard to take.
Try to wake up each morning and be grateful that you and your children are safe and healthy. You'd be surprised what it does to your mindset if you simply start off the day with a positive thought. Let me know what kind of little things drive you crazy and how you handle the stressful times in your life. What do you do to snap out of a bad mood or to recharge your battery? Don't hesitate to comment or send me an email. It's always nice to know you're not the only one struggling. Hope to hear from you soon and don't forget to subscribe, so you won't miss a post.
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