Survival Mode
Wake up. Nurse. Get little one and adults fully dressed. Race to daycare. Work all day. Pump at work. Race to pickup little one. Curse traffic. Get home. Run around like wild people to get the little one fed and bathed. Nurse. Collapse into heap in front of the TV for an hour or two…
Oh wait. Watch TV? That doesn’t sound quite right.
Feed adults. Make baby food. Potentially work some more. Tackle laundry. Wonder if dog has been fed. Feed dog just in case. Put away laundry from the night(s) prior. Contemplate working out. Fall asleep while thinking about working out.
Repeat Monday – Friday.
We’re in a dual working household survival mode. A mode that makes me thank my lucky stars every day that Rylan is a great night time sleeper. Please let the teething gods (2nd tooth coming up now) be kind.
But amidst our chaos are many moments of perfection. Yep, that is the best word to describe our ridiculously overwhelming life. Mike and I have never been more in sync. We try hard to pick up where the other left off or anticipate what will make the other a little more relaxed. There is no room for being less than 100% hands-on and we are killing it. We say ‘thank you’ more often and tell each other whenever we remember to breathe that we’re doing a really great job.
Then there is Rylan. He is unreal. I can’t get over his infectious laugh and endless energy. He is mobile and quite independent, yet nothing makes his eyes sparkle more than seeing us walk into a room. Kisses make him squeal. He brightens my whole heart. I would gladly take on more chaos if it meant he would smile this sweetly forever. I often catch myself saying, “that kid. Man I love him. ”
But this post is about surviving. Which leads me to share what’s in our current survival kit with an almost 9 month old…
- Compassion
- A lot of forgiveness
- Grandparents, aunts, uncles, great aunts ~ family
- Wine. Preferably a Malbec. Club W would be the jackpot
- Peace & Calming and Valor essential oils from Young Living — in the diffuser, behind ears and on wrists at bedtime and before work
- ABDL (Always Be Doin’ Laundry)
- Friends, even if time only allows for a few text exchanges
- Stitch Fix
- Butternut squash slow cooker chili
- Door to Door Organics online local and organic grocery delivery (a client of mine, but we’ve been using them for long before that)
- Apple TV for catching up on Girls, Jimmy Fallon, Game of Thrones and Parenthood on weekends
I am trying very hard to add working out back to that list–it varies greatly each week. I’d also like the list to include Sunday freezer meal prep, regular evening family walks and a spa day. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
How do you survive? What do you rely on and what have you had to give up on?
