An Actual Mother’s Day

This year, Mother’s Day is even more special to me than it has been in the past. My husband has been dealing with some health issues over the past few weeks, and as a result I’ve been acting as a single mom while he’s busy getting healthy. Let me tell you; it’s really hard.

Here’s a quick breakdown of a typical weekday for me:

6:00 am – Alarm goes off.
I am pretty adamantly against the snooze button because I know myself enough to know that I would hit it indefinitely. As it is, I have carefully calculated the absolute latest time I can get out of bed and still get out of the house in time. I have to get myself and Miles ready – dressed, hair done, breakfast eaten, teeth brushed, and make-up applied.

6:30 am – Walk the dog.
I love my dog, but my goodness he loves to take his sweet time on that morning walk. Once we’re finally back home, I refill his bowls and give him a morning treat.

6:50 am – Out the door.
At this point, it’s time to take Miles to school. Thankfully, his school opens their doors bright and early (at 7:00 am). He’s usually one of the first kids there, since I’m technically supposed to be at work by 7:30 am. I feel bad that it’s such a long day for him, but I don’t really have any other options right now.

7:30 am-ish – Work.
More realistically, I’m usually walking into my office just before 8:00 am after a bus, subway, and walk across Washington Square Park. I’ll make myself some tea, take a few minutes to journal and map out my day, and off we go.

4:15 pm – Homeward bound.
I talk to my mom every day. Yep. Sometimes it’s hard to come with anything to say, but the walk from my office back to the train is spent on the phone with her. I spend the rest my trip home reading and planning the night ahead.

5:30 pm – Let the games begin.
The hours between picking up Miles from school and bedtime are usually a bit of a blur. We start with a family walk with Barney when we get home, and then I get dinner going and do whatever quick tidying up I can fit in while Miles does his own thing (cartoons, tablet time, coloring…).

7:00 pm – Dinner, bath, bed.
Once 7:00 pm hits, it’s nonstop until bedtime. After dinner, Miles gets a bath, we read for a while, and I can breathe a giant sigh of relief once he falls asleep.

9:00 pm – 11:00 pm – Mommy’s bedtime.
My bedtime varies from night to night depending on how drained I am. Some nights, I only make it to 9:00 pm because I feel like that’s the earliest I can give my dog his last walk of the day. Other nights, I’ll have a Twitter party or be on a roll in my work and make it to almost midnight. Either way, I try to be sure my outfit is picked out and my lunch is packed for the next day.

And then we do it again…and again…and again.

I know that my life and my routine are no different than those of a million other parents out there. If you’re one of them (especially one of the ones who always has to fly solo), I tip my hat to you. I am basically always tired, and I’ve only had to do it all myself for a few weeks!

All that to say this: if you ever wondered if Mother’s/Father’s Day should be holidays, it should. In fact, I think maybe we deserve more than a day.

Mother’s Week has a nice ring to it, no? Now, go call your mom.