Hey there tired mama! So, I posted on social media yesterday about a coffee mishap I had. Woke up early, ready to start the day, put the K-cup in the Keurig and hit 'brew'. I could smell my fresh coffee ready to wake me up for the day and when I went to grab my cup of hot, delicious coffee, there was no cup. I didn't put the cup there. So my delicious, hot coffee had brewed itself right into the overflow tray of the Keurig. Great way to start the day right!? Now, there are some days where this would happen and I would have just started crying thinking about how the heck I could have done something so ridiculous and made another mess for myself, but this morning it made me laugh and I just had to share my small misfortune. I had so many people say “I’ve done that too!” and it got me thinking and I was cracking up about this! What if they threw a bunch of us tired mamas in a house together for an observation?
Can you just imagine?
Everyone would have cold cups of coffee, some would be holding it, some would be trying to remember where they put it as it sits in the microwave after being heated up for the second time an hour ago, and some would find it later that day probably on the fireplace mantel because that’s a logical place.
We would try having conversations with each other but no one would finish a sentence because we would forget what we were talking about half way through or remember something we had to do and walk away to do it mid-sentence! No worries though, one of the tired mamas will remember what you were talking about later and the conversation would pick right back up.
We would call for each other but not before saying 3-4 names that do no belong to that person first.
Everyone would have mismatched socks because its match is hiding somewhere laughing at you as you swear up and down every sock had a match when it went into the wash.
Someone would be in the corner crying over an overwhelming morning and then suddenly break into nervous laughter as you wonder how the heck the rest of your day will go.
Laundry may be clean but piled up in baskets to dig though and if you are lucky like me the only folded clothes would be the basket of dirty clothes you accidentally grabbed.
Our phones would be full of text messages from friends and family, marked read because we have read them, we have even answered the questions asked. The only problem is the answer and replies were either done out loud and, in our head, so none of those messages have been replied to.
We would all be wandering around but with a strong purposeful reason to what we are doing but then half way to our destination it turns into walking into rooms, stopping and staring before asking yourself “why did I come in here?”.
There will be someone who asks for a random piece of paper and amongst the piles of mail, or school papers, or papers “to be filed” you my super amazing tired mama will know exactly where it is.
Basically, it will appear that we should all be in strait jackets but somehow, someway you get.the.day.done. Your kids know they are loved even if the morning was rough, you (and them) will think about it all day and even if reluctant to do so later that day a hug will be given and a fresh start can begin, if not later that day, the next day.
Even if you go to bed and your to do list has only one thing crossed off of it, there are a million things that were not in that list that you accomplished. You fed the kids, you got them to school, you made them know they are loved you probably even made a lunch or at least provided money for hot lunch.
You probably put things away that had been out for days, even though more things have been taken out in its place, you put it away. You took care of things that unexpectedly popped up throughout the day, you sent a text to a friend that made them smile to see your name, you gave another mama a “you got this nod” at the store. If you work at home you made a deadline or at least are closer to it then you were this morning. If you work out of the home, you took care of the kids and the house then went to work and took care of clients, patients, coworkers or whoever it is.
Tired mama no matter how much is left on that list, the unspoken objectives that only YOU can do are complete.
You may be put together, you may be a hot mess, you may feel like a hot mess but have your “I’ve got it together” armor on. Whatever you look like we are all in this together and as my good friend says, it’s all just part of it. One of my favorite sayings ever. It’s all part of motherhood, the good, the bad and the ugly. So, when you have a day that feels like nothing went well or if you have a day that went great try to remember this is all part of it, it is supposed to be messy, tired, good, bad, happy, sad all of it!
Whether you are a stay at home mom with 1 or 5 kids, a working mom who works in or out of the house, a military spouse who is doing it all on her own while not hearing from her spouse for weeks on end, a single mom, a mom whose kids are older and about to go to college yet mom duties still consume your life and your trying to find you new identity, or even a grandma who is taking care of her grandkids.
Well tired mama, you’re doing it and you’re not alone. So, when the day feels like it is going in the wrong direction and you’re not sure how you can do one more thing remember to laugh at the thought of all of us tired mamas bumping into each other during that observation that only another tired mama can make sense of. And as I was just given permission from another mama today, I give you permission to be tired, grab a straw and drink the coffee from the Keurig overflow tray.