Busy...

With the house demanding a cleaning, the dog overdue for a bath (even with a recent grooming Max still smells like an odd combination of sweat and mildew), a thousand emails to respond to, a million more to just read through, a lovely pile of patient referral forms just waiting for a particularly disinterested pharmacy student to review every medication listed (and provide a very detailed summary of each drug as well as information about each of the – oooohhhh I don’t know – maybe 6 to 10 disease states  listed on each sheet), a pile of laundry – some clean, some dirty – in almost every room in my house (a house that still needs to be cleaned),  and a little one with a “ TRIFECTA”, which includes teething, an ear infection, and a cold…anyway…I did what any other mom on the verge of a complete meltdown would do…

I turned off my computer and turned on the bath water

I grabbed a magazine – not my dorky Scientific America that I typically read on a low key night – a trashy one with Kim Kardashian and her over-the-top wedding, Lindsey Lohan scandals, and my personal favorite, Teen Mom updates.

I kicked away rubber alligators, poured in at least twice as much Elmo Sensitive Skin Bubble Bath as the bottle suggested, and sank.

Because I needed a break.

It didn’t matter that it wasn’t a trip to Caribbean or even that it only lasted a little under an hour.  It sufficed.

If you haven’t already noticed due to my lack of recent posts, I’ve been busy…Rushing to complete assignments, Staying up late to plan a Mickey Mouse birthday party, Giving a huge yet uninspiring presentation in the midst of an earthquake, Pushing James around our house in a big inflatable duck (which used to be his bathtub until he outgrew it), trying to run more, wanting to write more and surely needing to sleep more…and, to be completely honest, I’ve loved every moment.  Not so much the fact that I had a Zombie-like expression on my face when I picked James up from daycare last week or the look that the Toys-R-Us lady gave me the fourth time I came through her line because I forgot something the first three times.  It's the thrill of trying to balance it all that I enjoy and the adventures that evolve when we can’t get it just right.  And I love being a family and a mom through all the chaos.

When James was born I wasn’t really sure how I would juggle everything, I just knew that I needed to do it…and figure out the “how” part later.   So, while it may not be working out perfectly, it’s working out.  James will sometimes break away and zip down the hall to the bedroom where I’m doing schoolwork plow through the door then peek out from behind the corner with a big grin that says, “See what I did while Daddy wasn’t looking?”  Other times he helps me move clothes from the washer to dryer or watches me vacuum the rug while I mumble something about Max and fur and shedding too much.  There have been days where running meant chasing James down after a bath, when fast food lunches were the most favorable option, and when blog posts – though written – just didn’t get posted. 

At the end of a long day (or a long month in my opinion) it feels good to sit back, take a break and know that even though you may slip and bust your tail as soon as you set foot outside of the bathtub, you’ve still pulled it off and made it work…and that’s how this little family of four does it(just to be clear Max the DOG is included as a family member in this calculation).  We work then we become exhausted and complain that everything should slow down, but bubble baths with trashy magazines are so much better amid a whirlwind of excitement because that’s when we need them most. 

So, while it has been busy, it has been good.  Things will eventually slow down, which we will all welcome with open arms.  We’ll have time to read Goodnight Moon three times instead of only two or spend a lazy Sunday morning in our PJ’s rolling toy trucks through the house.  And with any luck I’ll carve out a little extra time to share all of it.  More posts to come shortly…