Can you honestly tell me that you didn’t read my title in the tune of the Staind song? Because I did.
Wow, I haven’t written a column since May. Three months since the #MomLife audience has heard about my hot mess life or the random things my kids are doing. I want to tell you about all the fun things we have done this summer, and how I am soaking up every last minute with my kids before I send them off to school but that would be a lie. The reality is I got a job working outside the home, and it’s been hard to adjust to this new schedule.
I’ve done the working full-time with children routine before but for some reason I just can’t seem to adjust this time. My life feels like it is constant chaos. There is always something happening and very little down time. I’m always on the go, yet I can’t seem to figure out where I’m going half the time. I have obligations pulling me in different directions and I can’t decide which way to go. So honestly, I’m very excited for my kids to go back to school, so that we can get into a somewhat organized schedule. If you know me, you know it won’t be totally organized because like I said earlier, I am a hot mess, but I’m working on getting there.
Working outside the home after working from home the past few years is a different world. I actually have to wake up and look presentable and wear nice clothes and brush my hair. I wore makeup my first day but quickly gave that up because I was too lazy in the morning to take the time to apply it. And I sit in an office all day by myself, so who really cares if I have my nose highlighted just right or not? That last sentence is for my daughter who has been trying to educate me on the proper way to apply makeup but has so far been unsuccessful. Sorry Cadence, maybe I’ll learn the art of makeup later.
Besides starting a new job this summer I also took on the task of moving bedrooms around, and catching up on the mile high pile of laundry in our basement. I’m not exaggerating when I say I folded laundry for FOUR hours the other day, and I’m still not done. I bet you can guess what my least favorite chore is. How does one get so behind on laundry that you fold for four hours on a Sunday and still not finish? Well, I guess I just wash the bare minimum to get us by and call it good. Well, obviously that cannot happen any longer so I’m trying to get it together. Moving bedrooms around has become a larger project than I ever imagined. I still have a bookcase in the middle of my kitchen that needs to be moved upstairs. Hopefully I get to it before Thanksgiving. But for now, we just walk around it.
On top of the chaos of starting a job and cleaning my house, I have also been stressing out about my son’s transition to middle school. If you’re a regular reader you know my son has Autism. So the normal worries about middle school are multiplied by 100. We had 6th grade orientation the other day, and even though he took charge and found his classes with the help of a map, I’m still not OK with leaving him in a hallway full of pre-teens to fend for himself.
But alas, that’s life, and I am in the part of it where my kids start to gain more independence and stop needing me as much. I’ve been through this with my daughter already who is going into her sophomore year of high school but with my son it’s different. With my son we have IEP’s and parapros and special ed classes, and things have to be just right or all hell breaks loose. So how do I keep up with everything?
Have you just made a major life change recently and are having trouble adjusting? How are you handling things? Are there any sweet life hacks you’ve adopted that you can share with me? Am I the only one who watches all of those silly “Life Hack” videos on Facebook?
OK, enough with the questions. Send me some suggestions. I look forward to hearing all of your tricks and secrets to hopefully help in making my “hot mess life” a mild hot mess instead of a diablo hot mess.
Steph Hightree is a hot mess mom who is fueled by stress and too much caffeine. She is a Three Rivers native who talks about the good, the bad, and well, everything else about parenthood.
Any views or opinions expressed in “#MomLife” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.
