Well, that was something

Does anyone else feel like they were in kind of a timewarp?

I know I felt really strange having the snow day on Wednesday and then traveling for work and then having a day off yesterday. But I know lots of people who kept getting snow and having days off school and work who are only going back to work today.

It begins to feel like suspended animation. Like being in a Stanley Kubrick movie, only trapped inside with kids instead of an insane writer. ("All play and no outside makes Mommy go crazy.")

It's like we need a reset button.

Mine is sitting at my desk at work and doing all the officely things that I don't do when I'm working from home or am on the road.

What's your reset? Or are you still trapped inside?

Comments

[Cori]

I think you just put your finger on what I miss most being SAHM now. Every day is a snow day. There is no reset.

[Maureen Thomson]

I work from home so don't experience snow days. But I LOVE the idea of a reset button. Don't like the way the day is going? Reset! Ate junk food for breakfast? Reset! Had to deal with a difficult client? Reset!

The possibilities are endless.

[Alison]

Our snow days are over for the year (I live in western TX), so I can't relate per se. BUT I do work in an office once/twice a week and I'm SAHM the rest of the week. I like to think I've struck a relatively nice balance, between working outside the home and inside the home (although when I'm working "inside" the home, I'm hardly there!), mainly because I recognize the value of Mommy time. Thanks to my friends, I've put aside a couple of mornings per week for Mommy time, to get errands and chores done while a sitter is watching the little guy, so I feel free to interact with him when I'm with him instead of feeling pulled to do chores and run around doing errands with him. It's made my life a LOT less stressful, and it's worth every penny I pay her.

My re-set buttons include: reading a book for fun, playing on Facebook and crafting (knitting, needlepoint, crochet, etc).

[Alison]

Whoops! I meant, "Thanks to my friends' advice..."

[Lisa]

can you believe they actually canceled another day of preschool? We woke to dry streets and sunshine. We are in ALex. VA. What is their motivation????? It's going to be a big fight to get her to go back!

[Cloud]

This is actually why I like being a WAHM. Work is the reset button for home, and home is the reset button for work. For me, having both is very important.

Of course, there are days where things go south in both places, and I just want to crawl under my desk (or under the covers in my bed) and hide. But most days, the balance is good.

[elizabeth]

Time warp, YES!!! We have been sick in our house for a month, stomach flu, 103+ fevers for the boy, colds ect..... We live in "where the sun doesn't shine" Chicago and I'm done with winter. To add to the time warpiness of never leaving your house for fear of another germ invading the body, we had no internet for almost a week. I actually cried in frustration and watched a lot of kids tv!!

[the milliner]

@Cloud, That's exactly it: "Work is the reset button for home, and home is the reset button for work."

Though, some days I could use a double reset button. Like yesterday. No coffee. Badly organized. Issues at daycare. Issues at work. Blech. My double reset is spending the entire evening, no matter how tired I am, preparing for the week, cleaning up and getting more organized.

Did that last night and today has been soooo much smoother. Even if we did sleep in until 7:10 am.

Suspended animation for me is when DS is home sick. We're stuck in a moment we can't get out of. Heh. And because he's sick, outings aren't such a great idea. I find those days really, really hard. And DS isn't old enough to sit still and watch a movie.

If we're just home and have cabin fever, the weather has to be really, really, really bad for us not to go out (We're used to lots of snow and cold temps here. Roads don't close often if at all).

I can't wait for spring. Cold weather, and little snow is for the birds.

[MrsHaley]

I cried when our MOPS meeting was cancelled this morning. The snow & the germs have flattened us. I want to fast-forward to April NOW. DS has been on antibiotics for 30. DAYS. WTF?!?!?!?

My reset is a good night of sleep. Usually my sleep is crappy -- fragmented, disrupted and inconsistent. If I can get a SOLID 8-10 hours without wakeups, I'm rebooted to go back on offense.

Even all the way over here, I can hear you all laughing at 8-10 hours! Me too. That tells you how often THAT happens. Maybe once in the past year!

[caramama]

It's been crazy in the DC area! I am a consultant for the government, so when the government is closed (like most of last week), I can't go into the office. But I don't get a free day off, so I have to juggle working from home and watching kids when we are snowed in. Luckily, my hubby is the same boat, so we take turns with the juggling.

I've been likening the last week and a half to winter break from college. But with kids and a lot less beer. A time warp is accurate too (and now I have the Time Warp song stuck in my head).

As for resets, @Cloud nailed it for me, too. Though I will say that the week and half at home with the kids and hubby were really fun--except for the second night with no power, including heat. But it's nice to be back at work today.

[Heather]

Stuck in the house again. In northern middle TN. Yesterday we were out for a holiday. Today for snow. Like tomorrow for snow, too. My kids have not went to school for an entire 5 day week since the second week of December I believe. It was before Christmas break. We may finally get back in the swing of things only to be out for Spring Break next month. Up until a month ago I worked full time outside of the home. I lost my job due to downsizing on January 5th which is about the time the kids were supposed to go back from break but the snow started. SO this is a big change for me. Starting to lose my mind!

[MemeGRL]

I was at CVS on February 13 saying to the clerk, "How is it Valentine's Day tomorrow already? It's like I lost a week somewhere!" and then, "OH. Wait. I DID lose a week somewhere." Clearly I blocked it out of my consciousness.
It got better once the kids could go outside. The snowy days were so bitter and brutal, we used up our whole long-weekend's worth of crafts in a day!

[paola]

Wupps, I somehow understood that your reset button was physically at work (while you were at home) and therefore did not understand the post!! Sometimes I wonder whether English is actually my first language.

I'd say running. It has been so good for me on so many levels.

[Susan]

Reset is definitely exercise, and sleep.

[Need a Break]

I really need a reset right now. I am SO unproductive with lately. And I am in sales, so it's easy to slack off, but it definitely catches up with you. Can't complain about the weather as I'm in N. CA, but man, I've got to get my rear in gear.

[Rudyinparis]

Putting on my work clothes, or, once home from work, changing into my play clothes. The same reset button as Mr. Rogers.

[hush]

Reading blogs like this one, and @caramama's & @Cloud's. Good stuff.

[lucee]

I just did an amazing reset..listened to one of Pema Chodron's audiobooks. Amazing.

[Tonina]

I live in north central Ohio and it's like the entire winter's worth of snow has decided to arrive in the span of three weeks. It's not as though we aren't used to snow, but this? We have two feet on the ground, my sons has missed five non-sequential days of preschool, and everything is just bizarre as a result. The kicker? There's ANOTHER storm supposedly on the way this weekend!!

My reboot is definitely reading. I'm a full-time student/SAHM (for the moment) mom and my husband works crazy hours, so the times when I can sneak in pleasure reading help enormously.

[crescentgirl]

My reset I guess is spending about 20 uninterrupted minutes remembering how badly I hated working after I had my first child, praying to be able to stay at home with him. Well, another layoff and another child later, here we are (full time SAHM). I often climb the walls and wonder if I am just doomed to hate the details no matter what the job, inside or outside the home, with kids or without. And question my worth, and criticize my results no matter how hard-earned.

Gotta figure out more how to love the journey and stop my habitual "once this happens, then everything will be great!" fantasies. I love my kids so much; I am happy to spend their early years totally dedicated to them. But it also is changing my personality, I think. My reset button has the letters worn off, I need to hit it so often!

[Anonimizer]

@crescentgirl - EVERYTHING you said! You are not alone (if that helps at all). I also wonder if I am "doomed to hate the details no matter what the job....". Hated WAHM, hated WOHM, hated freelance and not hating, but so NOT loving SAHM (although at you said, love my kids, love to be home in the early years but...) chomping at the bit to change again..Ugh. I totally hear you.

I just try to focus on one day at a time. I find I can enjoy it much better that way.

[Cloud]

Did I say WAHM? I meant WOHM. Not that it matters, really.

Aw, thanks, Hush!

@Crescentgirl- I have a real tendency to think "things will be better when X happens", too. And yeah, they never really are. They're just different. I hope you find the right mix of things soon.

[crescentgirl]

@Anonimizer - one day at a time, indeed. I keep trying to tell myself to slow down; I think my worst parenting moments, and thus worst guilt and questioning of purpose, come when I'm in a rush and my little independent, dependent creatures aren't of like purpose. I also try to remember "What's the purpose?" (if you can hear that without the skateboarder dismissiveness ... more the Maugham/Murray version.)

@Cloud - thanks! I sometimes think I will live to be 90+, be on my deathbed and finally figure out a balance. I think also that I just overthink stuff. Do you think we do the "things will be better when" thing as plain old survival tactic??

[marci]

one thing about 'it'll be better when...' stuff - i used to think that in marriage #1, and it *never* was, ending with a gun shot in the house pointed toward my sis in law (he missed).

if you're thinking that, it's really a call to put a bit of effort into 'how can i tweak this to be better now?' believe me, i know that's more than i can muster some days, too, but see if a bit of daydreaming in the present gives you some ideas for streamlining a troubling process or reframing something annoying about those little people living in your house.

[SarcastiCarrie]

I just had a Girl Scout cookie for breakfast. Could someone loan me a reset button? Because I think mine is still at Staples next to that infernal Easy button.

Thanks. That was easy.

[Kate]

Next Thursday is my reset button, because I have a 3 hour Hebrew language exam (after 5 months of classes) on Wednesday. I literally cannot plan for anything beyond that, although there is a holiday--which of course requires preparation--coming up on the 28th and my parents are arriving for a two-week visit--thankfully staying nearby and not WITH us--on the 1st.

I am managing to keep everyone alive and in clean(ish) clothes, but other than that if you're not a Hebrew preposition or reading comprehension text you're not getting my attention. Unless I'm yelling at you, then you've got my attention. Sort of.

[Kate]

Oh, so what I meant to say was, Yes on Timewarp! (and I was just singing "Rock Lobster" the other day)

[caramama]

I spent a lot of yesterday and this morning thinking about this and my resets. It turns out that I have multiple, depending on scenario, location and need.

At work, my resets are reading blogs and chatting with coworker-friends (usually about kids).

At home, my resets are reading and playing solitaire or Facebook games.

Anywhere and anytime, CHOCOLATE!

@hush - Thanks! When are you starting a blog?

[crescentgirl]

@marci - good perspectives, thank you! I have been daydreaming a lot today about a beach vacation. Then I went out and shoveled the driveway for the third time in two weeks. I love snow, but this is enough.

The little people are hanging in; we have a hard time usually getting out the door on time to school because little brother does not want to leave the warm house/toys/snacks no matter how many you bring of each. He's 3, he's independent, he's not going to wear boots and will kick them off thank you! I have put him in the car on 4 degree days with no coat, no boots, just carrying him and everything else, to sidestep the fight. This too shall pass. I am lucky; I have two very logical little boys who you can often reason with. (The difficulty comes with my older, too, who is borderline autistic and freaks when tension rises. This is my life lesson: how to get through to both with no tension. On time. Every day.)

Chocolate! Oh yeah! And Moxie!

[Tonina]

To those with a chocolate reset, I HIGHLY recommend the Scrumptious Frosted Fudgy Brownies from Allrecipes.com. They're unbelievable - the frosting alone will satisfy your chocoholic side. Baking is a reset for me too, so I love allrecipes as the world's greatest source of fairly simple free recipes. Here's a link to the brownie recipe if anyone's interested:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Scrumptious-Frosted-Fudgy-Brownies/Detail.aspx

[blue]

Unfortunately, eating is my reset, which leads to the need for more resets sometimes....

Also, reading, walking, and Moxie. I second (third?) the vote for a Hush blog.

@Crescentgirl and Anominizer, One day at a time, indeed. I learned, through therapy, that the anxiety I didn't know I had is what keeps me always thinking ahead instead of enjoying the moment. Someone here once said that expectations get in the way of joy. That little kernel of truth helps me through the tough moments...

[juliejaw11]

@crescentgirl - I am so with you. I was miserable when I went back to work with my son. So I quit work and stayed home. Now, I also have a daughter and there are days where I watch my husband leave for work and I get jealous. Interacting with adults, using my brain, feeling productive are all things I miss. And just to drive in the car alone for 20 minutes would feel like a treat.

But, when I think about how I felt when my son was in daycare, it snaps me right back to reality and I remember how lucky I am to stay home... as hard as it can be sometimes. I'll be going back to work once my kids are in school, so I know that I'll get to experience the corporate world again...and I know that as soon as I go back, I'll miss being at home. Grass is always greener.

My reset are chocolate without a doubt, 15 minutes on the computer when the kids are sleeping and watching junky TV. Some of my favorites are on MTV...sad I know - please don't judge. But watching '16 & Pregnant' makes me relax for some reason....go figure.

[Alison]

@Kate: Chag Sameach! There, that was Hebrew and relevant ;)

I can't wait to eat tons of hamentaschen. I suck at making them, but I am really skilled at devouring them!

[hush]

@caramama & blue & @ the kind folks from the last thread who live in Podunkvilles everywhere.... this one's for you. I got a blog! I'll give it 6 months and see if anyone still gives a shizz. :)

Thanks for the love! Please to Enjoy:

http://husheveryone.blogspot.com/

[blue]

ooooooh! Rock on, Hush! See you there.

[Acai berry trial]

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