Jayme and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Morning

Disclaimer: This is a venting post. I know the things in this rant are not really that bad but they felt like it at the time. I know there are people experiencing far worse things than what I am about to rant about. You have been warned, read at your own discretion.

The list of terrible, horrible, no good, very bad events:
1. The alarm clock went off at its normal time this morning, however; I did NOT get out of bed at my normal time this morning. I proceeded to hit the snooze button several times in the hopes of finishing a very funny dream I was having. It did not work. As soon as I fell back asleep, the dream would continue and the alarm clock would sound again. I eventually gave up and got out of bed.

2. I did not loose weight this week. In fact, I may have gained one pound. This really bothers me because I am usually very diligent about sticking to the WW plan. I plan my meals two weeks in advance to make sure I am going to be within my points every day. This week was hectic therefore the plans fell apart. There was Valentine’s Day and while I did not eat chocolate, I did enjoy a very yummy Valentine’s date with my hubby in which I had wine and stuffed mushrooms. I also went to my nephew’s baseball game where they were having a fajita fundraiser. How could I not support the team? Then Shawn wanted Mc Donald’s for dinner. The french fries and cheeseburgers were calling my name… and I answered. At least I only ate a Happy Meal instead of a Quarter pounder with cheese meal like the one I really wanted. Needless to say, I will pay for all the poor decisions I made last week at today’s weigh-in. Now, I am starting my morning out feeling very guilty and ashamed at my lack of self-control.

3. There is a time warp in my shower. I am convinced of this. It does not matter what time I get in the shower, how quickly I go through my showering routine or how many steps I cut out of my showering routine, I still get out of the shower at 6:50. Sometimes that means it’s a 30-minute shower, sometimes it’s a 5-minute shower and sometimes it’s a 45-minute shower. What is going on here folks? It doesn’t feel like I’m performing my showering routine at a faster or slower speed. I’m not adding steps on days I get out early and, in fact, I’m cutting out steps when I’m running late. Therefore, the only conclusion is… there is a time warp in my shower!

4. My sweet and loving son has turned into this willful and opinionated toothbrush-throwing toddler. Sometime during the last week, he decided that brushing his teeth is optional. Unfortunately, for him, I do not consider tooth brushing optional. We have had the battle of the wills every morning for the last week. It usually begins with me telling him how much fun it is to brush your teeth and modeling how much fun it is while I brush my teeth. His response is usually pursing his lips together and shaking his head. Then I tell him how much the dentist really liked his teeth and how she went on and on about how handsome and shiny his teeth were and how she knew he was a good teeth-brusher. His response is usually to take the toothbrush and throw it on the floor. Which: (1) really frustrates me because I’m usually running late because of the time warp in the shower and (2) really grosses me out because now the toothbrush is dirty and I have to sterilize it before we can return to brushing his teeth. So then off to the kitchen I go to boil some water and soak the toothbrush in the boiling water for 2 minutes so it is germ-fee again (I know many of you are laughing at this). Then the encounter usually ends up with me brushing Shawn’s teeth while he squirms and whines. As a side note, there is no throwing of the toothbrush at night when it’s usually Daddy doing the after bath routine. I think this toothbrush thing is a game… and quite honestly, he’s winning it.

5. In the middle of the great toothbrush war, my cell phone rings. Not once, not twice, but three times. I didn’t answer any of the calls because I was in the middle of convincing a two-year-old that brushing your teeth is the most fun task in the entire world and I was trying very very hard to not get frustrated with my willful and opinionated toddler. Who was calling so persistently this morning when they know that I am trying to get myself AND Shawn dressed in the morning and out the door by 7:20? My loving and wonderful husband. I did not answer the phone because I was very annoyed that he would call and interrupt my morning routine knowing how critical every second is in the morning.

6. We finally get out the door at 7:27. Shawn wants to walk on EVERY stepping-stone and inspect EVERY rock in the front yard… and he wants me to follow him and do the same. I explain to him that we are running late for work and school and there is no time to look at every rock and play follow the leader. He did not understand… and I feel very guilty.
7. When I get in the car, I return my three missed calls from my loving and wonderful hubby. And what did he want? To know how much money he had to spend on his meals for the day (we each have a weekly allowance otherwise the going out to eat budget would be out of control) because he was running very low on money for the week and forgot his lunch. I was NOT happy that in the middle of all of this he expected me to stop whatever I was doing and figure out how much HE had spent and how much HE had left because HE was not responsible with HIS money last week.

8. I finally get Shawn to school and he doesn’t want me to leave. This is very unusual for him because he usually races to the front door and can’t wait to go inside and tell all the kids and teachers good morning. He’s usually telling my bye as soon as he walks in the door. The only thing I can figure is that my very bad attitude this morning was rubbing off on him too. He starts to cry as the teacher takes him into the classroom… and again, I feel very guilty.

9. When I get into the car, I start to cry… and subsequently smudge my eye make-up, which upsets me. Now, I’m back to frustrated again. And by the time I get to work, I am exhausted, mentally, physically and emotionally.

10. So we’ll add exhausted to the list of emotions experienced this morning along with annoyed, guilty, ashamed, irritated, frustrated, aggravated, guilty, exasperated, guilty, and upset.  And, yes, my thesaurus came in very handy this morning.

So why am I posting this very childish inconsequential rant? Because there is a lesson I learned from it all. Now bear with me as I wrap up and do eventually make a point. When I got to work and finally had a cup of coffee and a healthy breakfast I sat down to try to figure out how much money my very loving and wonderful husband had left for his allowance. When I looked at his spending log, I noticed a very expensive purchase from 1-800 flowers. Last week, he surprised me with flowers at work for Valentine’s Day and a card that said, “To a very special mother that holds this family together.” He always knows just how to make me feel special and when I need it the most. The reason he didn’t have enough money for his allowance this week is because he sacrificed over half of his allowance to make me feel special. I had assumed, because I was feeling very selfish this morning, he hadn’t been responsible with his money and had spent it on energy drinks and potato chips. Seeing that he had sacrificed so much of himself to make me happy put some things in perspective this morning. I AM A VERY BLESSED WOMAN.

1. I have a warm bed in a warm house to wake up in.

2. I have the support of family and friends in my weight loss journey and there will be gains and losses but overall I have the ability and resources to obtain my goal.

3. I have a warm place to take a shower with running water and indoor plumbing.

4. I have a healthy, beautiful and smart son for whom I prayed for many years. I am so very blessed to have him here with me and that he is able to throw toothbrushes and have temper tantrums. There are many parents who would give anything to be able to say the same.

5. I have a very very loving and wonderful hubby who God selected just for me.

6. I have a very curious toddler who wants to experience everything the world has to offer and he wants to share it with me.

7. I have a hubby who wants to make me feel special and knows just how to do it and when it needs to be done.

8. My son goes to school in a Godly place where he learns about the Lord every day and has teachers that welcome him with smiles and open arms.

9. I have a job to go to. A very good job that pays the bills and is not too demanding with my time.

10. I have friends and family that will read this blog and laugh and offer words of encouragement and may even scold me for being so selfish this morning.

Thank you for haning in there for this very long post and thank you for being such a good friend.