I have had a series of bad days and ongoing incidents of forgetfulness. I’ve only lost things like my cell phone, camera, and my wallet. While losing things are a major inconvenience and expensive to replace, I’ve thankfully managed to not lose my babies and my dog. Knock on wood.
Last week, I drove all the way to work only to realize that I forgot my laptop at home, so I had to go all the way back home to retrieve it. Then, I had a terrible weekend with the babies, which included my most embarrassing moment at the store where I was one of those parents and my kids were those kids that should never be exposed to the public. It was super hot in there, probably because we were having unseasonably warm weather and they still had the heater on full blast. I could barely maneuver my double-decker stroller (my dad calls it “the Fiat”) around with one hand, while holding a basket full of Christmas presents in the other hand in the packed aisles. When I finally made it to check-out, Zavier threw a screaming and screeching tantrum and he was wiggling and arching his back to try to get out of his stroller harness. Did I mention it was hot in there? With all the little old ladies staring at me, I felt like the temperature in the store rose like 200 degrees. I muttered to the associate, “Please, just get me outta here as fast as possible” as I realized that I LOST. MY. WALLET. I thought I was going to die of embarrassment. Just then, Arielle started screaming too and all I could think was how I had to get the EFF out of there as fast as possible. I left all the stuff right there at the check-out counter, pushed my Fiat with all my might, and bolted for the door. One little old lady called after me, “RUN! GO! Get outta here as fast as you can!” I think she was empathizing with me, but it didn’t help. Not one bit.
So that was Sunday, a terrible end to a terrible weekend. When the babies were tucked away in bed, I realized that I spent the entire weekend yelling at their bratty whiny asses and the weekend was over. What a waste. That night, the guilt set in and I worried that they think I don’t love them anymore and I couldn’t sleep. Not even all the kisses on their perfect sleeping faces could make up for the awful weekend we had. When I went to work on Monday, I felt like my wheels were spinning at full speed, yet I got nothing accomplished. When the day was finally over, I walked back to my car and realized I lost my keys. So I spent the next 20 minutes walking to and from my car, back to my desk, until I finally realized that I left my keys in the bathroom.
I was done. Over-done. Burnt out. AAAAAHHHH!!!!!
I called off of work on Tuesday due to my craziness so I could rest and reset my buttons. I just told them that I wasn’t feeling well – not like I was dying with the flu or playing hooky a-la Ferris Bueller – I really was unwell and needed to take rest. I picked a good day because Jeff was off of work and when A&Z woke up, they were in their normal cheerful moods again. “You’re not going to work today, Mommy? You’re staying home!” was Arielle’s reaction that morning. Jeff was thrilled that I took off and wanted to go catch some Christmas festivities in the city. I had to keep reminding him that I needed to rest, not be even more tired from the day’s excursions. We just ended up going out for breakfast at my favorite pancake houses, Richard Walker’s in Crystal Lake. Then, we walked around a few stores and I took a nap in the afternoon. I spent the rest of the day with the babies and Jeff cooked a nice dinner for us. Just what I needed! Rest and quality time with my family. Here’s a sweet pic of Jeff and Arielle that I took that morning:
When Wednesday came around, I felt much better! I took an inventory that morning and confirmed that I had all my stuff – cell phone, wallet, badge, etc. I had a productive day and a fresh supply of patience with the babies. I wouldn’t say that I’m 100% better – I think it’ll take more than just one day’s rest to get there…but I think that was the best thing I could do to break the series of bad days and forgetfulness.
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