Motherhood Called And Needs You to Cancel All Your Appointments
It’s embarrassing how long I’ve put off some of these appointments.
Embarrassing, I tell ya!
Motherhood just seems to take precedence over following through on this to-do list. Whether its canceling because of a family illness, not setting up child care, or not not taking the time to call and schedule an appointment.
It’s down right ridiculous.
So I’m askin’ you all…
How do you balance it all? How do you find time for YOU? How do you get all of your appointments scheduled and accomplished while juggling motherhood?
Help a Quad Mama Out. =)
ugh— I know the feeling. And the last thing I want to do is get a babysitter to go to the OBGYN. Or take Daddy time up for that. If I am getting 2 hours to myself I would like it to include a latte and a pedicure. 🙂 It is tough. I was telling my husband the other day that I feel like I am constantly giving something up …. If I want to work out, take a shower and “really” get ready, and have a quiet time…all 3 of those things are not going to happen in a day. (I don’t have late sleepers, so waking before them sounds nice, but that would mean at 4:40-5:00)
We give up a lot to be a mother— trying not to give up myself.
I only have 1 child, who is now 5yrs old, but I have dragged him along on most of my appointments, including my well woman exam (until this yr). Brought a small bag with some toys and he was just fine. Or I schedule appts while he was in MDO. I work part time so we have had part time daycare since he was 3.
I realized early on that not taking a shower daily made me unhappy. Unhappy Mommy equals unhappy family. So I take a shower & get dressed every morning. If that means my son had to sit in a bouncy chair in the bathroom while I was showering or be in the crib, then it was ok. As Charlie got older I’d put in him in his jumperoo/entertainment center & turn on PBS kids. I leave the bathroom door open so he can come in if he needs something now that he’s capable of being left on his own for quite some time. Charlie has been taught that certain things are “sacred” including Quiet Time.
Bottom line – you have to take care of yourself. It is part of taking care of your family. Being a Mommy Martyr is not taking care of your family in the long run. Resentment, bad health, etc. eventually will take it’s toll on your family, making everyone unhappy.
Been there–just got my haircut for the first time in over 6 months, so I totally know where you are coming from. I’ve tried to re-locate some of my doctors to get them closer to home and schedule them back-to-back. I’ve also gotten to the point, where we “Divide & Conquer”–that might mean dropping one of the twins at Grandma’s and the other with a neighbor. They love the one-on-one time, but it isn’t asking anyone for too much trouble.
I hear ya and I only have one boy that is 2 1/2 not 4! (BTW, my son looks very similar to your boys when they were his age – it’s uncanny!)
It can be hard as we get so little time to ourselves.
You want time for yourself and not just for running errands or going on doctor appointments.
You want time for yourself to do fun things every now and then, too.
The problem is if you do, then you end up feeling a little guilty for taking time away from the kids or using up your husband’s free time by making him stay home with them, etc. We always think that other people’s time is more valuable than our own.
Then if we don’t take time for ourselves, we become cranky, sullen and maybe even jealous of other people which also brings feelings of guilt.
It’s a very narrow tightrope we walk and I wish I could give you the magic answer, but I’m where you are at.
I wished we lived closer as we could help each other out and if you are fortunate enough to have some mom friends who are brave and loving enough to help you out now and then, don’t be afraid to ask them for help. And I believe it does get easier as they get older, especially with the potty training mastered!
I love your blog and when I feeling stressed, I read one of your stories and say to myself, “If she can do it with 4 of them, I surely can do it with one!”
I’m a teacher, so during the school year, I plan my doc appts, if possible, during my lunch hour. I don’t want to take off a full day of work for a 40 minute appt! In the summer, when I am full-time mom to 3 kids, age 6, 4, & 1.5, I have one morning a week when they go to a sitter. Those 4 hours each week give me time to clean my house (u know that can’t be done when the kids r home!) or get to those put-off doc appts, or even have lunch with a friend–sometimes I just need time for recharging!!!!!
Jen, You sdhedule your appointment, call your MOM, ask her to put the date on her calendar, call a friend to have lunch after the appointment, and then you have a day planned that you see the doctor, enjoy fellowship with a friend, and get to be with your MOM part of the day. How is that for a day of encouragement? MOM
I’ve been told I know how to babysit!!!!! And by the way…….tag…..lol.
I have a good friend that I switch babysitting/playdates with on a weekly basis. So most months it means I have two days (from 10:00ish until 2 or 3) “off”. I usually try to do something productive or necessary during part of that time, and something fun or indulgent for the other part!
Doctors? They have those? We haven’t been in a very, long, time! LOL
I think it really comes down to the fact that we don’t. We let go what we can until it becomes a pressing issue. Then we deal with those issues and push something else to the back.
My daughter is almost 15 and I can tell you the times goes way too fast. Thankfully I did let that other stuff sit. Her childhood memories will be of the fun things we did together, not how much time mom spent running errands.