Say WHAAA? God broke my iphone? Well, He has been guilty of worse. But… I believe everything happens for a reason. I’m experiencing divine intervention, not cruel intentions.
January, February. Cold, miserable, stuck inside… happens to be a busy month for me. It is the time I am fortunate enough to be handling the majority of my wedding inquires, it’s also full on bridal show planning; and also a great chance for me to work on updating my website, marketing materials etc.
Im also opening a studio March 1st, and I have a little guy scheduled for surgery Feb 10th, AND Im having a baby sometime in April. Deep breath. I. DO. NOT. STOP. I start at 7 and often go til 1am. All that, plus 2 WILD boys – like Tasmanian Devil status keeping me on the move full time
Let’s back up a second – I feel the need to share a day in our life. For comic relief if nothing else. Laugh with me please? Because I cried so much yesterday…
Yesterday.
Keith peed my bed. This week Ive been puked on peed on more times than I’ll want to remember. Onward and upward though; streaming some classic rock on youtube, Steelers Wheel is Stuck in the Middle, while I stripped the bed, folded some laundry, was thinking I was winning and on a roll.
Meanwhile: Keith took the legs off the coffee table. 3 legs. I still cannot find the nuts and washers.
A tsunami happened in my bathroom.. Ollie loves to play in the bathroom sinks – counters, floor soaked, taking a couple of Mac shadows down in the flood. (Might have cried a little). Cleaned that up, changed him; had to change my socks too.
Speaking of socks, Ollie also looooves to throw the laundry down the stairs. The clean stuff… he also developed a lust for tucking them behind my head board. Im quite certain those socks will never see the light of day. (Maybe another divine intervention? Out of sight, out of mind?)
11am: Enter my first, and only cup of coffee. ELEVEN am.. During this brief moment Keith pulled a cubicle shelf over, cracking it, spilling its contents and I think it got Ollie on its way down. Keith laughed. Ollie cried. I shouted. Then I cried.
Quiet time (I use that phrase lightly) We did a puzzle. That was great! Some piece and harmony while Ollie napped. After our small victory Keith got his craft on. Glue is SOOOO fun to squeeze out. All of it. Its super fun to paint yourself with it, and then add glitter to your legs.
Bath time. Stepped in more water. UM, no, nope… that’s not water. I’ll leave that for you to figure out. Socks off again. Wash floors (and feet).
I needed one hour (well actually like 4, but I’d seriously take 10 minutes at this point) to answer a few inquiries, send out contracts, and do some stuff for the show; but I know I can’t leave this guy for longer than 2 mins. He’s a criminal mastermind when he’s bored. He needs constant supervision, and entertainment; or he gets in trouble.
When I’m too busy, we have no routine, and I was saying as much to my friend Lori in Arizona, who recognized I was having a shit day. She gets it – she has a whole whack of boys too – and a Princess who has been in and out of hospital for what seems like forever. AND she runs a clothing store. I told Lori that I’m doing too much – I’m overwhelmed – and I’m feeling defeated. The house is a wreck, the kids are in trouble, Im behind in my work. I need routine. Structure. I need balance. I need to take a step back, and get my head on straight.
Tired, I hacked my way through dinner. Eggs and toast. Good enough. And the boys were seemingly settled watching tv. I played on my phone for a few mins and basked in the quiet. Reinforcement had arrived and I could let my guard down. I set my phone down on the end table, and was giving Ollie my undivided. Keith had reached for something on the end table behind me, when I heard that sound no one wants to hear. The SLAP of iphone hitting the floor. You dont have to see it; you only have to hear it to know…. its done. Smashed to smitherenes.
I locked myslelf in my room. I cried again. I have so much Im trying to do and now I have no phone. I probably run 50% of my business and about 80% of my social media marketing from my phone. I made my bed with the fresh sheets and blankets I washed earlier, put my cozy faux fur blanket at the foot end of my bed and just let fatigue take me over. I laid there and a peaceful calm came over me.
Those that know me know I have a super high level of patience. I am no stranger to wrangling kids, and with my level of #boymom status, I could write a few books on how to deal; but the past few days have been trying, and it’s not those boys; they’re no different from any other kids. It’s me.
Maybe my phone smashing was divine intervention to push me to slow down, if only for a few days. Without a phone I am barely accessable. Without a phone I will not be tempted to check my email every 10 minutes, or facebook, instragram notifications every 20. So while it’s ridiculously bad timing, I beleive that everything happens for a reason.
God broke my iphone.
This is not just a personal post. It’s a post for anyone who is pushing themselves as an entrepreneur, anyone who is setting goals, anyone who is struggling with the balance of being a work at home mom or dad. You guys know how real the struggle is. Nobody wants our business to succeed more than we do… but we have to remember who we are, and why we do what we do. Sometimes we have to take a step back and just take a deep breath and look at the bigger picture.
I also have to say that support is critical. Rally your friends, and other creatives who get it – harness the power of love, and remember – this too shall pass.
Chin up.
Jen