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For Just One Week, I Want to Be One of THOSE Moms

coffee take two

For just one week of my life, I would like to be one of those moms who has it together. Just a week. That’s all I’m asking. Is that too much, really?

One week without going to the wrong doctor’s office, or taking the wrong kid to the doctor’s office, or going to the doctor’s office on the wrong date, or getting the appointment time wrong, or missing an appointment that somehow didn’t make it to my calendar… does anyone REALLY listen to phone messages these days??? They should really TEXT appointment reminders, jeez.

I was pretty proud of myself for remembering that my kids had dentist appointments this morning. I was patting myself on the back when I sent a note with my son so that he would be dismissed from school without me having to arrive and call up for him and wait.

I was pleased that I managed to get everyone picked up at the right schools at the right times and made it to the dentist office with a minute to spare despite the fact that I missed my turn and somehow got lost in the neighborhood behind the practice and had to turn on my GPS to right myself and get back to my destination.

It was all going so well . . . until I got to the reception desk to check in and they started looking quizzically at their computer, trying to locate our appointment.

Um, I believe your appointment is scheduled for next Tuesday, May 13th.

How the heck….

I looked at my calendar, and sure enough:

Tuesday, May 13, 10:30am
3 kids to dentist

So, WHY, pray tell, do I have the exact same thing written in my calendar on Monday, May 5th????

I think my look of complete and utter defeat caused them to take pity on me. They looked at the system and noted that they did actually have a cancellation this morning. If I was willing for the kids to be seen consecutively, rather than all at once, they could fit them in.

Since I was there already, and all…

Well, yes, that would be wonderful, thankyouverymuch.

Thank goodness for the Kindle app on my iPad and a fully charged battery… small mercies that I happily embraced.

I left the office two hours later with three sets of clean teeth and an appointment sheet detailing our next nine…. yes that is 9 appointments. Between sealants and baby teeth that need to be pulled, we somehow have accumulated nine more dental appointments and nine more opportunities to get it right… or wrong… which is the more likely scenario based on my track record.

And all of this on one cup of coffee this morning.

I ask you this: How is it that chauffeuring my kids to dental and orthodontia appointments has become a full-time job? And what do people with more than three kids do? 

I’m serious here, folks. Is it like this everywhere? Because these are ON TOP OF the umpteen orthodontia appointments I have on my calendar with two kids in braces. Oh, and let’s not forget about my own medical appointments that I am trying to fit in. Color me overwhelmed.

So here I am, back at home, dutifully entering each of our next NINE dental appointments in my Google calendar, and I hereby declare a Monday do-over.

Starting . . . NOW.

Seriously, though, I post this so you know that I do not, in fact, “have it all together” — even though I’m told so often it seems like I do. I am truly such a spaz, you have no idea. No one has it all, I’m sure of that. And this right here is proof that organization is NOT high on my list of accomplishments.

So moms, whatever you’re struggling with today, know that we all struggle with some things some of the time. Now let’s all sing it together. Let it go . . .

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22 Responses

  1. Mama said there’d be days like this! Now schedule yourself a lunch with friends for next Tuesday when you were supposed to be taking kids to the dentist!

  2. I have these days. A lot, and I wonder why I do. And reading that you do, too, makes me somehow feel successful because you’ve got it together! xoxo, MJ

  3. I feel your pain. I schedule the next 6 month appointment when we are there. Today however my oldest is sick, so we had to schedule another appointment for him in two weeks. Around his camping trips and the girl’s soccer games. And I teach middle school full time. Ugh. Not enough time in the day or the week.

  4. I’m a minister’s wife & I have it just as bad as you do. 🙂 However, I think the PRESSURE for me to “have it all together” is even worse because a lot of people expect me to be perfect-and do so much. Last summer, I happily announced a VBS meeting RIGHT AFTER CHURCH. (We have church service 1st here -and then Sunday School classes afterwards) IN that hours time, I TOTALLY FORGOT! GEESH! Here I was-downstairs-visiting away with a bunch of people, laughing, joking, etc. Someone came down & said that people were tired of waiting & were leaving. I about peed my pants. I ran upstairs & YEP! everyone was gone….. I was so upset with myself & actually ended up crying. The person who had come to tell me wasn’t real nice about it. I felt like a failure. If this was the only time I’d forgotten a church mtg, it’d be ok. But it wasn’t–and I’ve forgotten numerous things since. I see it as SO IMPORTANT for us all to have mercy on one another…we ARE Moms-and we DO have alot on our plates!! I am so glad there’s others out there like me! 😉 LOL I TRULY thank you for sharing this VERY *REAL* post. We’re all a work in progress…hang in here & just keep doing the best you can!!

    1. Girl. I hear ya. When I met my husband he was in seminary, and I full expected to be a minister’s wife. I really did not feel called to that roll, but I was willing to be obedient. Thankfully, that was not the path the Lord had for my husband (at least, not at that time; I guess you never know….) but I definitely feel your pain. I did not want that cross to carry. Thanks for your encouragement. xo

      1. LOL! When my hubby asked me what I thought of being a ministers wife (when we were dating) I said …A WHAT?!” I SO could not see myself in that role. I KNEW I’d never measure up! I still don’t feel like I do.

  5. I have only one kid, and an easy one at that, and I still get things screwed up. I often wonder how anyone with more than one can do it – – so consider yourself a goddess in my eyes!

  6. I had to laugh at this! My 4th son just started driving three months ago so I sent him off on his own for the first time to his dentist appointment last week. Even with my directions and his GPS, he still got lost and arrived 15 minutes late and frazzled. He was not a happy camper when he called to tell me I sent him to his appointment a month early! Maybe he will get there on time this month since he had a practice run 🙂

  7. I have the same things happen to me, not at home, but at work. I am a K teacher, and there are sooooo things to remember: many meetings to remember and students to remember things for- who is leaving early at what time, who has to sit out gym class, who has to go to the nurse at a certain time; phone calls to return, fire drills, report cards, etc… the list is neverending!

  8. Good news: you look great doing it!!

    Also, I’m feeling ya and I only have ONE! I just returned to work a few weeks ago and I’ve never felt like I’ve been so disorganized in my life.

  9. yup been there….Here’s a copy paste of a recent FB post of mine…
    “My week you ask? Oh nothing much really…There was the one son with a foreign object in his eye resulting in hundreds of micro-abrasions on his cornea, and that same son on the same day had his cast from his broken arm removed (appt w/ X-ray). The other son with back/shoulder pain was diagnosed with a “winged scapula” resulting in (2 appts in 2 days also with an X-ray, and then a daughter with chronic headaches during her gymnastics tumbling was (finally) seen by a chiropractor twice in 3 days to have her severely misaligned pelvis and spine fixed up, oh and she also had her 6 month post-braces orthodontics check up. How about you?”

    Thanks for keepin’ it real!!

  10. OK, yeah, it does kind of make me feel better to remember that lots of other people do this, too. I usually get a date or time stuck in my head, and somehow it’s ALWAYS the wrong one. And then ten minutes before I need to leave I check it and realize I’ve gotten it completely wrong.

    And I don’t even have a smartphone to set with reminders!

  11. Oh, that brings back memories! At one time, I had 3 kids in 3 different schools. The elementary school had a half day and I was feeling like supermom because I took my youngest shopping and out to lunch, a date all by ourselves. We were at a mall all the way across town and my cell phone rang. “Mom, where are you???” I had completely forgotten about picking my high school daughter up from her dance team practice. Sort of popped my bubble! We’re empty-nesters now and believe it or not, I miss some of the busyness. Hang in there! You’re doing great!! (And I agree with the previous post,…next Tuesday sounds like lunch with a friend or a pedicure to me!!)

  12. I am so completely with you Jo-Lynne! I have five kids, many dance classes, soccer practices, youth groups, various committee meetings, twenty hours a week of work, my garden and my little blog. I often get to an orthodontist appointment with my kids and fall asleep in the waiting room, lol. I swear by google calendar, couldn’t live without it!

  13. Ahhhhh I think we can ALL relate to this at one time or another! I feel that we definitely OVERschedule ourselves these days and we often put the pressure on ourselves to be always on top of everything while being perfectly put together! This is why I love reading blogs… nice to see that those who often seem very organized are just like the rest of us… doing the best we can! Thanks for the post!

  14. I’m so glad they were able to see your kids anyway! And you even got a little 2 hour break to read!

    Thanks for being courageous enough to post this. It makes the rest of us feel better when we inevitably screw up.

  15. I just love this post. 😉 Im pretty sure I’ve done and felt the exact same thing on several occasions. Receptionists must exchange their frazzled mother stories.

    On a serious note, though, it makes sense why you hear crazy stories of your typical, seems-to-have-it-all-together, suburban mom who hides a secret addition or one day just ‘snaps’. Its a tough thing and without the help of Someone Greater and Higher, I dont know how I’d stay sane, truly.

    I just try to remind myself after a total motherhood fail, or wiping down the refrigerator door for the 13th time that evening, that one day we’ll look at our husbands in our empty nest and miss all the excitement. 🙂

  16. Some days are like that! Just be thankful they could squeeze you in while you were there. Our dentist does send text message (and e-mail) reminders. It’s great!

  17. Thank you so much for writing this post 🙂 Sometimes I feel like I just have too much information in my brain! It’s nice to know we all have days like this and we’re not the only one!

  18. Oh honey, I have missed so many dentist appointments just because I forgot (and, yes, they WERE on my calendar, which I don’t check often enough) that they have started to charge me $25 for every missed appointment. I’m almost embarrassed to show up there anymore, but thankfully my dentist is very forgiving and kind, so I keep going to see him.

    Loved this very real, tell it like it is post!

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