It’s a well-known fact that Monday’s have the tendency to be pretty......well, crappy, for lack of a better word. Some Monday’s just seem to drag on & on. Some Monday’s feel like a day of never-ending disasters. Some Monday’s are almost too much to bear. Let’s just be honest, as momma’s, most days can feel like that. To put things simply, every day can feel like a Monday for momma’s.
On this fine Mother’s Day, I’d like to share a glimpse into one of my “Mommy Monday’s” that actually took place on a Thursday, proving my prior statement.
So here we go with story time: A few weeks ago, my girl was signed up for her first baby gym class & this momma was super stoked to check it out. The class for her age range was set for 10 a.m., which I know, sounds reasonable. I thought so too, until my girl & I both over slept & were rushing out the door half dressed.
Now, let’s take a quick pause right there. Before you continue reading and start judging me as a new momma, please try to keep in mind that when in a rush, we tend to make simple mistakes.
So, we finally make it to our gym class across town, a few minutes late, because remember being late to everything is a right of passage in motherhood. Now that we are officially late for our very first class, I rush to get the little
one of the car. I may have forgotten to mention that it’s also pouring down rain outside! I drop my keys, phone & wallet in the car seat with Charlee girl & speed on inside. Once we make it inside, we now have to wait in line behind other momma’s who have arrived late as well, to sign in. We get all checked in & we’re finally ready to get our fitness on. As I walk into the class, already embarrassed that we’re 15 minutes late to a one hour class & we look like we haven’t bathed in days after waking up late, I realize I forgot to grab my phone. I wanted to make sure I got some cute shots of my girl, so it was a must that I go back to the lobby for my phone. That’s when things took a turn for the absolute worst. I realize I can’t find my phone, my wallet or my keys!!! I try to hide the panic on my face. I suppose I didn’t do such a great job of that particular task because before I know it, the owner and a bunch of her employees are trying to help me find them. I have brought total chaos into this place! I’m not kidding, I’ve got people calling my phone, checking under chairs, outside looking in the parking lot (IN THE RAIN). They are even checking the cameras trying to see where my stuff had gone. I finally decide to just let it go for the time being & enjoy what little time we have left of our session & try to pretend like i’m not a total failure as a mom. Then, the inevitable comes, class is over & it’s time for me to pay, which is really difficult to do with no wallet. So we are back to searching. It’s evident that my belongings are nowhere in the building. So, I make a judgment call to go outside, and check the parking lot one last time. There they are! Sitting in the backseat of my LOCKED car. Turns out, Charlee wanted to get started early with her exercises and in the middle of me trying to get her out of the car & her kicking up a storm, she was able to kick my stuff out of her car seat without momma even noticing! She’s a quick one! Now I have to go back inside & face my fear & embarrassment of explaining that I have found my things, but have no way of getting to them since my car is locked with my car keys inside. A very generous lady offers to take Charlee & I home, all the way across town, to grab my spare keys & then bring us all the way back. Yeah, that didn’t make me feel like a total imposition or anything! So as I wait for the kind lady to finish paying, I start fidgeting with the diaper bag to keep my mind busy, attempting to avoid an emotional breakdown. Then things change, for the good, or so it seemed... my keys made their way into my diaper bag, only by the Grace of God! I then leave Charlee (in her stroller) with the kind lady to keep her out of the rain for as long as possible, while I run out to my car to grab my wallet so I can pay & get out of that place ASAP. In the middle of
my rush to try & leave, when I come back into pay, I grab the stroller & run up to the counter, only to find when I look down, that I GRABBED THE WRONG KID!!!!!!! Clearly, I need to add some style to Charlee’s stroller so that I don’t mistake her’s for every other doona stroller out there. Anyways, I play it off, because what else can you do? I pay & leave with what little dignity I have left. At least I know we left a heck of a first impression!
Finally, I arrive to the comfort of my home. Once again, remember we tend to make simple, STUPID, mistakes when we’re running late. That lesson has been proven more than once on this particular day. When I walk in the house, it’s apparent that I forgot to lock the back door before I left. See, this is a huge mistake in our home, because our pups are masterminds that have discovered how to open our back door when they want back inside. This rainy day was no different. I walked into a house COVERED in mud. My couch, my floors, my rugs, my bed, EVERYTHING. I suck it up, and get to mopping while Charlee is taking a quick nap in her car seat. It’s finally all cleaned up & looking somewhat decent & I think I’m finally going to get a break & then, you guess it, Charlee’s awake & hungry!!!! I forgot to mention earlier, because we were running so late to our gym class, I made Charlee a quick bottle & let her feed herself on the way there. She was not having that at all, so she ate very little & had enough. I slipped the mostly full bottle of formula in the diaper bag, thinking I could save it if she got hungry again soon. When I got home to muddy chaos, I forgot to grab the diaper bag out of my car. So when I went out to grab it later, the diaper bag had fallen, causing the mostly full bottle
of formula to spill all over my brand new car that I had just gotten just a few days prior. All this happened before noon. At this point, all there is left to do is laugh.
What can we learn from this particular experience? Lots. Even if you’re
running late, take your time to avoid stupid mistakes. Be kind to other momma’s that you see struggling. Remember to double check that your doors are locked before you leave your house. NEVER leave a full bottle of formula in your diaper bag. Don’t put essential items in the car seat with your child. Lastly, when you’re a momma, most days are just going to feel like another Monday. Laugh it off, take a breath & remind yourself that you got this because guess what, you were chosen for this, momma.
Happy Mother’s Day to all you momma’s! I hope my story brings you some laughter & some relief that you’re not the only one out here on the momma struggle bus!
