Accepting Help

Just hit the reset button hard.

Was woken up earlier than I was ready to by an enthusiastic 3 year old sharing her enthusiasm 3 inches from my face. Her groggy teething sister followed shortly behind, immediately demanding snacks with shrill screams.

Auto pilot kicked on, but with a hefty side order of the grumps.
Get kids fed. Ask 3yo to focus on bites. Let dog out. Check on sleeping husband recovering from surgery. Cut up more fruit for toddler. Ask 3yo to focus on bites. Pick up fruit toddler dumped on ground. Feed dog. Ask 3yo to focus on bites. Stare off sleepily into space while her first meltdown of the day ensues.

And that brings us to about 7:13 AM.

So when their Mimi messaged me 2 hours later asking if she could take the 3yo for the day, you’d think it was a resounding “HELL YES” right? At that point we’d had another decent meltdown, a poop fiasco, and an extra helping of defiance.

Welp. The Grumps were still hitting hard, and pride started to creep up. I texted my husband (yes, from across the house).

“Ha, did you message Mom to take E?”
“Maybe. I’m trying to get you some relief.”
“Trying my best. I’m sorry I’m not Zen Earth Mama all the time.”
“I’m not asking you to be.”

That’s totally it, you know? No one expects us to be 100% serene saints 100% of the time. I’m sure Mother Teresa had her shitty days.

Now, a few hours later, the 3yo is happily with her beloved Mimi. The toddler is happily tearing into all of big sister’s toys. And I’ve had the chance to reset my attitude and take a more mindful approach to my day.

Thank you to my village for knowing when I need a life jacket even when I won’t admit I’m drowning.
Thank you to the Calm app for the guided meditation reminding me to return to my breath.
And thank you for reading. Whether you can relate to my morning or not, we all have moments that can be better handled with more mindfulness and breath. There’s no shame or blame in hitting a hard reset.

Here’s to a restorative and joyful Saturday 💙⚡️