Sunday, October 4, 2009

Fall Used to Be My Favorite Season

I have always loved fall. I love the weather getting cool and crisp but still sunny during the day, I love the leaves changing colors and I love school starting. The return to routine after a structureless summer is a relief for all of us and I really love that the house stays relatively tidy for longer than thirty seconds at a time.

Until this year.

So far this fall has been a blur of homework, dance practices, open houses, PTA meetings, math tutors, concession stand work and laundry. I feel like I'm running as fast as I can and getting nowhere.

I'm not sure WTF I was thinking when I volunteered to be co-president of the high school parent group (oh yeah, sucking up to the administration) but it has been ten thousand times more work than I was told it would be when I agreed to do it. So I've spent hours working on recruiting volunteers for the concession stand as well as trying to put some mechanisms in place that will give us a steady stream of volunteers from year to year rather than starting from scratch every September.

Plus there is my own schoolwork as a senior in college this year...

A good friend of mine from school described the start of the first quarter of our senior year as "getting hit with a fire hose" which is an extremely apt description for the un-fucking-believable amount of reading I have. Not to mention the writing...

On top of all that, the holidays are coming up too. Can you hear the clock ticking down?

Thank GOD the kids are old enough that I can tell them they are on their own for Halloween. I'm not buying, making, crafting or painting anything for a costume - if they wanna dress up they have to figure it out themselves.

But then there is Thanksgiving and Christmas to get ready for too.

As well as the regular cooking, cleaning and laundry to do. Can you hear husband laughing? That's because I haven't really cooked in two weeks, the housecleaners are once again coming every other week starting on Tuesday and Mount Laundry is piling up at an incredible rate.

My mantra right now is "this too shall pass" and it is the only thing (other than red wine) keeping me sane right now. I do enjoy being busy, although perhaps not quite THIS busy, and in a few short years the kids will be off to college leaving me with only husband's messes to clean up. I will be done with school before I know it and joining the working world while husband slows down and gets to relax. I know this crazy-busy schedule is temporary and the house will be clean all the time someday over the rainbow...

But for now I'm losing my goddamned mind. Where's the wine?

5 comments:

ChiTown Girl said...

Yes, Girlfriend, it WILL pass. And, when it does, you'll be amazed at how quickly it will have done so. I was right where you were, doing graduate school, working 2 jobs, and I very stupidly agreed to be co-president of my son's Parents' Club. FOR TWO YEARS!!! The second year, my girlfriend, who was co-ing with me, had MAJOR stuff going on in her personal life, so I was left to do it ALONE!! Oh, and all that happened withOUT the help and support of a loving husband. :( So, I guess, now that I'm thinking of it, you've got it way better! tee hee :P

I'm kidding, I know it's still VERY difficult, but you'll be able to handle it. I'm still amazed that it's been over 2 years since I've graduated, especially because I can remember those stressful days/nights so vividly! (I'd love to say things have calmed down now, but after I graduated, my son started high school at a private school, so I had to get a THIRD job to pay his tuition, while paying off mine from grad school! yikes!) Hang in there! :)

Yo said...

dude... you're so awesome. and you have great hair.

TSintheC said...

Wine is at my house. C'mon over. ;-)

MOM #1 said...

You want a shot of sanity? Have tequila, will travel.

Shelly... said...

Does this mean you won't be having anymore kids to add to the fun?!