Motherhood is Exhausting

Have you ever been so tired that you just want to dive face first into a nice comfy mattress? If you are a mom you have. No matter how many children you have, I know you have been this tired. You know you are tired enough to say your exhausted when your fourteen month old is feeding the dog her dinner and you just ignore it. You know you are exhausted when there are dishes piled high in the sink and you just don't really care. You know you are totally done in when the kids keep nagging you for something (at that moment you are zoning out and aren't even sure that they are speaking english) so you tell them to go ask their dad.
I went back to work in May and it seems that it is finally hitting me. I teach at a childcare and learning center. My three youngest children get to go with me. It is a fabulous school and I love working there, but I am tired. My kids are tired. It takes a toll on all of us. When I am exhausted, it spreads to the rest of the family. It is a contagious disease and it spreads like wildfire. Everyone gets grumpy and argues. The boys take it upon themselves to start primetime wrestlemania in my living room. This is when I ask myself, "Where do they get the energy to do this when they are as tired as I am?" Someday, I am going to find a way to harness the energy that children have and bottle it and sell it. It will be located on the shelf right next to patience.
Have you ever noticed that when you are exhausted that your kids take it as their cue to act like wild apes and do things like jump on the furniture, play tag in the house, and literally climb the walls? I am totally serious-three of my children can climb the walls. Should I talk to the pediatrician about that? My mother would say, "I used to know a little girl that did the same thing." This is also the time when they decide to fight like cats and dogs. Typically, my kids get along quite well with one another. When mommy is ready to lose her marbles because she is sooooooo tired, they act like Rocky and the Russian.
One of these days I think I will just take a day off. I threaten to do it all the time. What would really happen if I took a day off? I shudder at the thought. It couldn't be any worse than what happens on a daily basis. I come home from work and the house is trashed-thanks to kids on summer break who think the house is their bachelor pad. I am going to have to pull a "mom" and leave them do-lists. Yes, that is the answer. I know for a fact all they do is eat, sleep, and play video games. I think it's time they had something to keep them busy.
I am going to declare it "Mom's Day Off" and treat myself to a nap, laying in bed reading, soaking in the tub, and ignoring everything that falls under the title "Mom."
You know, it is healthy to do something for yourself every once and awhile. Take time for yourself. It not only makes you feel better, but everyone else seems to realize how wonderful you are.