Except for this week.
Since we got the new carpet in our basement, we've been taking a chill pill from home projects and it's been wonderfully relaxing. However, I now have almost nothing to do (except the typical house work and chores). And I seem to be doing too much thinking and going a little bit nuts. This seems to happen every summer. I get bored, which leads to anxiety, which leads to any other number of unpleasurable Nakelle mood swings. And then I go back to school and order is restored. But school is quickly ending for me and I'm a bit worried that this insane feeling I have will become something that I experience all the time.
So my question is: How do stay-at-home-moms do it?
I have a wonderful 2 year old boy who is great and loving and fun and everything in between and another little boy in the oven. So, the possibility of being a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) is quite a reality for me.
How do SAHMs not go crazy? How do they keep themselves from feeling run-down and worn out? How do they stay positive when their kids are sick and cranky? How do they make time for themselves when there literally is no more time in the day? How and who do they vent to when they need to vent?
Anyway... this is just what has been on my mind for a while. If you have any tips to pass along, please do!
Here are a couple of recent pictures of our summer:
Carter was "helping" us organize all the baby stuff. I honestly can't believe how much of that stuff we have...
My cute family enjoying the coolness of the basement.
A quick shot of what the new carpet looks like. It's one of the in-stock carpets that Home Depot carries. It's called "Firework Explosion." So far it's been fabulous and I really love its color.
I know exactly what you mean! It sounds to me like you thrive on structure. When I have no order or structure for more than 2 days I get very irritable, down on myself, etc. My best advice is to make a routine for yourself. Find something that you have to do every morning at least. For me, I wake up, go for a swim, take a shower and brush my teeth before my husband goes to work. If I do that, then I feel pretty good about myself.
ReplyDeleteFind something that you want to learn, and take some time once in a while (maybe every 2 or 3 days at least) to learn about it. I hope that helps.
Also, you will have days, maybe even weeks where you do feel stressed, bored, irritable, etc., but that is just part of being a mom, and learning how to be patient. Go to playgroup, meet up with other moms, go to a book club, or something to talk to other adults. And try to talk about something other than just kids. That is very very important in my opinion!
Oh, and one more thing that helps me. Dates! Try to do at LEAST one date a month. That is a great way to reset and get back on the same page with your husband.