surviving the summer.

Let me start off by saying that I love my kid. I swear, I really do.

BUT,  I am going to keep my day job.  I have learned quickly that I could never be a stay at home mom.

This is my first real summer that doesn't involve careless pool days, shopping, and crafts to fill my days. Yes, I know I was off last summer with Lou, but that was different. I was a topless milk machine. I was in survival mode, and it was all a squishy blur.

This summer, I have a toddler...a freaking TODDLER. She is running laps around me, and when she isn't slamming her head into the ground because I told her no, she is eating everything out of the fridge. 

I literally fall into bed after she goes down at 7, and it takes everything in me to get into my pajamas. 

Cheers to you stay at home mamas. You are the real MVP. I could work a 12 hour day at school and not be as exhausted as I am after a full day with my Lou. Indoor recess ain't got nothing on this.

Here's a peek into our day:

5:00 am...Jon...SHUT YOUR DAMN ALARM OFF! If it wakes up Lou, you're dead.

5:02 am...There she is, up and at em'...mama mama mama mama ma ma ma maaaaaa is all I hear from the top of the stairs.

5:02-6:00 am...Roll around in bed and dodge jabs to the face.." Eye, EYE, Eye...maaa maaa" "nose, nose, NOSE"

6:00-9:30 am...Drink cold coffee and sit and wonder why the hell nothing opens up until 10. Except for Target (THANK GOD for Target)

9:30-11:30 am...Take Lou to some kind of organized kid event. (open gym, splash pad, petting zoo, whatever other free crap the town is offering) This is always so awkward to me. I'm not one of those mom group people. I just follow Lou around like a nut job and smile. (Nothing against those groups...I guess that's just why a sorority never worked out for me)

11:30am...ROLL ALL WINDOWS DOWN IN THE CAR, SING SUPER LOUD and keep baby awake until we get home.

12:00 pm...Lunch and wrestling match for the heaven sent nap time.

12:15-2:30 pm...Pee, figure out dinner, laundry, clean, dishes, sweep, mop, dust, put away clothes, shower...let's be honest, maybe shower. 

2:30-5:30 pm...Ask Lou when daddy will be home.

5:30 pm... Thank the heavens, daddy is home. All is good in the world again.

All this to say that I am amazed. I am amazed how stay at home moms do this - day in, and day out. I enjoy every second that I have with Lou, but I feel like I have run a marathon by the end of the day. Our fridge is always empty (despite the million trips to the grocery). We have walked up and down our street so much that I could tell you exactly how many cracks are in the pavement. 

Motherhood- It's like one big  test. How can you savor this moment? How are you going to handle this situation? In what ways are you making life better for your child? 

I'm clinging on to these memories. I know the afternoon naps together won't last long, and I will be wishing it was summer again when parent-teacher conferences roll around...but damn.

Cheers to you... stay at home moms. and single moms. and anyone else who has a kid; and needs a drink.