It is hard to get back into the swing of things after holidays - more so when you have just changed jobs and have left the comfort of a familiar routine and the friends you have worked with for almost ten years.
The kids are just back to school, I am learning a new job, going back to the gym and we are attempting to survive the first week back to real life to varying degrees of success. Early in the week, I often set my alarm to go off early so that I may have a few minutes to myself. These are precious minutes that are recommended to busy moms to make sure we, the tired mommies, have a bit of a life at home by ourselves. They are supposed to be minutes that are sacrosanct and vital to the working parent. These sort of recommendations are supposed to be helpful and only work if you have children who are not the lightest sleepers and the earliest risers. Every time I have set my alarm early this week, I roll out of bed to discover two bright-eyed children asking me for breakfast.
"It's 5:30 in the morning!" I whisper shriek, as to not wake their father. "Why are you not sleeping?!"
"We're hungry!" They reply, unconcerned. "Can we watch TV?"
After I have showered and fed myself and the children, I finally sit down at the kitchen table with my laptop and eagerly open a fresh Word document and start to type.
"Excuse me, mom?" my son asks, politely.
Sighing, I look up from the 24 words I have managed to type in this brief moment.
"Yes, Liam?"
"What are you working on?"
I let him know what I am working on and we have a brief discussion to remind him that mama needs a few minutes to work. He goes back to watching television and I go back to typing.I have 10 minutes before I have to leave for work.
"Mommy?" my daughter calls from the living room.
"Yes, Emily?" I respond, not looking up and trying to finish my thought.
"What's for dinner?"
I remind readers that it is six-ish in the morning and we have just finished breakfast.
"Food! Leftovers, probably."
"What did we have for dinner last night?" she asks.
"Lasagna."
She frowns and then sighs, dramatically. "I will try to eat it, I guess."
I often have unrealistic expectations of what I can accomplish in the mornings and it can be frustrating to not have enough time to do all of the things that you think you must throughout the day. I am often harder on myself at the start of the new year because I genuinely believe that I should be able to write and do laundry and make lunches and play with the kids and get ready for work and school all in the morning after a less-than-stellar sleep.
By February, my normal optimism has been ground down to a more realistic level and I have managed my own expectations. In the meantime, I am going to be able to get so much done this month.
It will be amazing.
