My (In)Sanity

Here is the proof that my husband needs to have me locked up. You see, sometimes, I think I am losing my mind. Is it the constant noise level in my home? Perhaps, the 2 year old asking why nonstop or the constant chatter of a 7 year-old girl? It may have something to do with the tackling, sliding, running boy that lives here. The hectic schedule, constant clutter, constant cleaning of said clutter, repeating of myself, repeating of myself could all be factors. Maybe my brain can only take so much noise. It is on overload and here is the proof.

1. In our mad rush out of the house for some practice or activity or whatever, I can’t remember now, I tell R to go potty before we get in the car. She has only been trained for 3 weeks now and is still in the going every 5 minutes mode. (Now that I think about it, this could also be a possible contributor to the slippage of my sanity.) As I am running around trying to get everyone else ready, I keep saying things like “R, please go potty. You have to go right now. We need to leave.” Etc. Etc. Etc. She, of course, would rather do whatever is appealing to a 2 year-old other than the potty. So, finally in a mad rush, I pick her up and put her on her little potty seat on the big potty. She is crying and giving me a hard time. I think I am simultaneously tying a soccer cleat and reviewing someone’s homework at this time, but I can’t be quite clear on this. I hear her saying something like Mommy I can’t go (faded muted whines inserted here). I finally break from the other 10 tasks I am doing and say, “R, what is the problem?” She says, “I can’t go potty. My pants aren’t down.” Yep, I put her on the potty with her pants and underwear still on her. Well, R, don’t you know that your mother is losing her mind? Get with the program.

2. I have been waiting for the letter from our church assigning the class and time for B and A’s religious ed this year. It seems late to me and we still have not received any info. They are set to make their 1^st Communion this year and I’ve heard rumblings about how involved the year is going to be with that. Great. Add another big item to the already overflowing list of to dos. My mind can clearly handle it. No worries. Usually, I am one of those really annoying, super organized people. I have bins, folders, systems, and places for everything. Starting when I had the twins, I quickly realized that if I were not organized, I would sink. T does not share my organization trait. Not sure how he is so successful at work, but he must have something worked out there. Thus, giving him the free reign to be completely unorganized at home. He is in process of planning his High School reunion. So, we have materials coming in and out of here like crazy. Checks and registration forms all over the place. This has all bled into the various bins of my desk system. So, yesterday morning I find a letter, already opened, in my incoming mail file. B and A were supposed to be signed up for Wednesday classes. This letter said that they were placed in the Sunday morning class. We are in a new travel soccer league and have games at that time. Every Sunday. I know priorities right? In my defense, I have already worked out the schedule so that I can take them to Saturday night mass. This messes up a lot quite frankly. Please take note that I had to change piano lessons to Monday mornings in order to accommodate for the Wednesday religious ed class. (Yes, that means this is happening before school starts. Insert extremely stressed smile here.) I call T furious that he did not tell me the letter even arrived and going off on how they just put kids in random classes. I’ll leave out the pretty details here; however, I do recall one rant about pulling them out and heading to the Lutheran church up the road. They get a little ugly and are just a large contributor to the fact that I am going crazy. Somehow, I calm myself and head into the religious ed office with R after I drop B and A off at school. I politely inquire about how I can get the day of the class changed for not one, but 2 students because my letter clearly says they are in on Sundays and I can’t possibly add one more thing to Sundays (almost close to tears at this point). The sweet older woman looks at me and takes a look at the letter. She says, “Oh sweetie, this is last year’s letter. See the date September of 2008?” Because my brain is failing to such an extent, I say to her in a very confused way “What?” She has to repeat it again. Yes, that is correct. Last year’s letter was moved from the Children’s Classes bin to the Incoming Mail bin. I won’t lay anymore blame on T for this. He’s gotten his punishment. But, how mixed up in the head can you be that you do not even look at a date and realize it is from last year? This is concerning to me. Where the hell is my head? To say I was embarrassed would be an understatement. That polite lady looked up this year’s class lists, even though the letters haven’t been sent yet as she reminded me again, and B and A are in the Wed class. Before I left, she pointed to the door, where a sign up sheet was hanging, and asked if I had time to volunteer to lead one of the classes. As R is dropping gold fish crackers across her floor and I am on my knees picking them up, I look up at her and say, “I don’t think so this year.” You see, I am clearly losing my mind and should not be responsible for, well, anything apparently.