Life Is Too Busy

We're used to not being very busy. Well, not busy doing things that involve leaving the house. The boys wake up when they want. I wake up with Gabriel - Ethan sleeps later. We nibble at breakfast. They play. I alternate doing chores and spending time with them. Jesse works from home so he's in and out of his office. Laid back days. Once a week the boys and I run errands. Church on Sunday. Sometimes we'll have something else going on. But most days are fairly low key.

My mom lives on the other side of town. Due to some health issues, she can't drive. My only sibling doesn't live nearby so it's my responsibility to bring her to run her errands, go to doctor's appointments, etc. Which normally isn't a big deal. The boys and I enjoy seeing her once a week usually.

But lately... For the past month she's been in physical therapy Tuesday through Thursday. I set an alarm. Get the boys and I fed, pack diaper and snack bags, get us all dressed and out the door. Then go pick up Mom. Then drive back this way for her therapy. Find something for the boys and I to do. Bring her home. Get us back home. I get up at 7:30am. We get home about noon... One of those days we bring Mom to run her errands so we either come home after therapy and I make lunch for everyone or we eat out. Either way, it makes for a long day!

We've had other things going on that make us busier than usual too - Gabriel's birthday, Christmas errands, holiday family visits etc. A lot of weeks we've been gone 6-7 days, where we're usually gone 2.

It's just too busy for us...

The holidays are over. That part should calm down. Mom has 1 week of therapy left but it will likely be extended after the follow-up with her doctor this week.

All the busyness is taking a toll on us. Ethan's getting up a couple of hours earlier than usual. But not going to bed much earlier. His anxiety issues are flaring up from the overstimulation of constantly being on the go. I'm not getting enough sleep. And it's showing :-( I'm typing this on my cell, in bed, laying down, waiting for the boys to go to sleep. And a few minutes ago I yelled at Gabriel - for the first time ever :-( And it was right in his face because he was laying next to me. His face crumpled and he busted out crying. I almost did too... It wasn't that loud but it definitely wasn't good :-( The basic housecleaning isn't getting done. I asked Mom to schedule her PT for the mornings because that's when the boys are the most pleasant. By the time we get home and I fix lunch and we eat, their most content time is over. So it's hard to get anything done. Gabriel won't nap by himself and Ethan rarely naps. So I do what I can in between taking care of what they need.

Jesse's helping with the housework some. But between the time he's had to take off for the holidays and trying to work ahead in anticipation of an out-of-town trip coming soon (funeral) and the money we need for that, he's having to work a lot.

I'm exhausted and overwhelmed. And dealing with an anxious, defiant, overstimulated toddler. And an occasionally overstimulated and fussy baby.

Can't wait for things to get more back to normal, for a while at least...