When did long weekends become so…LONG!?

By · March 7, 2012 · 20 Comments
Balance, Taking A Break · Tagged: ,

So I sort of accidentally took a long weekend this past weekend.

I was leaving work early on Wednesday to head down to the LA area for a blogging trip to Toyota USA headquarters. I’d take Thursday off and be back at work for Friday afternoon.

Well, Wednesday before I left one of my bosses told me not to bother coming in Friday afternoon and to enjoy my weekend. Oh fine…twist my arm.

Turns out my flight on Wednesday afternoon was cancelled, but instead of going back to work, I just went home. So basically, other than the 24 hours I was in California, I had a 5 day weekend.

I don’t normally take time off of work. I just can’t. Not because I don’t have the PTO, but I literally cannot bring myself to take a day off of work. What if I miss something!?

I’m so used to my 2-day weekends that I’ve somehow convinced myself it’s the perfect amount of time to have off of work. The occasional 3-day holiday weekends are nice, but by the time the last day rolls around, I’m ready to head to work.

So when I somehow ended up with an almost 5 day weekend, I won’t lie…I went a little crazy.

By the time Saturday evening rolled around, I just kept thinking, “Jeez, tomorrow is only Sunday!?”

Then by the time Sunday rolled around my kid was driving me nuts. NUTS I tell you.

I really started to feel guilty about the things that were going through my head…

Oh.My.Gosh. child is it impossible for you to keep quiet for more than 30 seconds at a time!?

Maybe if I went in the bathroom and turned on the fan she’d think I was pooping and leave me alone for a few minutes.

The things I found myself actually doing and saying didn’t do much for the guilt…

Anytime Rylee wanted to play a game on my KindleFire, I let her. I was seriously getting to the point where I couldn’t bare to “entertain her” anymore.

At one point Ry was playing a game on the Kindle and proudly shouted “MOMMY I DID IT!” and instead of asking more about it, or going over to see, like I would normally, I brushed it off with a half hearted, “Good job Sweety!” shouted from the kitchen. I seriously have no idea what it was she did.

By the time we were turning out the lights for bed, my husband (who also had an unexpected 5-day weekend) was saying how much he was bummed about having to go to work the next day where as I? Well, I couldn’t get to sleep fast enough so I could get back into my routine. And there in solidified the fact that he would be so much better of a stay-at-home parent than I would ever be.

I tell myself that I’m this way because I love what I do and the people I work with. I love my kid to death, but sometimes she literally just drives me bonkers. Am I really just that bad of a mom? Am I that selfish? Do I really have this little of patience? Maybe if I had long weekends more often I would handle it better? Am I the only one that thinks these things?

Seriously, by the end of the weekend, I look like this. Straight cray-cray.

About the author

Katherine is a full time working mama in Marketing. She’s married to a handsome, hardworking man that she’s known her whole life. Together they balance two demanding careers, a three year old red-headed country girl, a lovey wolf-dog and 12 acres. She blogs through her lunch hour over at Somewhere in the Middle and tweets between meetings at @LilMissRysMama.

20 Comments

  1. Mary Beth says:
    March 7, 2012 at 5:32 am

    “I love my kid to death, but sometimes she literally just drives me bonkers. Am I really just that bad of a mom? Am I that selfish? Do I really have this little of patience? ” Oh my dear, you are not a bad mom in the least. All moms feel this way, at-home mommies or working mommies. We all have different levels of being able to cope with the demands of being needed constantly!
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  2. Melanie Thomas says:
    March 7, 2012 at 5:44 am

    You are NOT alone! My son is 2 – 1/2, and I LOVE being off with him. Long weekends, holidays, the occasional sick day. But they can drive you bonkers after a while, lol. My mom keeps him while I work, and I often wonder how she does it 40 hours a week! I feel awful sometimes, too – like I am the most impatient mom ever – but I really just think it’s all what you’re used to. We’ve been in this routine since he was 3 months old, and it’s what we know. Hang in there! Enjoy your time at home and at work. (And wish me luck – my parents are going away, so I am at home ALL WEEK next week :)

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    • Katherine says:
      March 7, 2012 at 12:57 pm

      I KNOW! I wonder the same thing when it comes to my husband to LOVES being home with her in the summers (he’s a teacher). And I can’t even imagine being a daycare worker/preschool teacher with who knows HOW many constantly needy and loud little ones running around.

      And you’re right…it is totally all about what we’re used to. It’s all about routine for me and last weekend was definitely NOT routine.

      Good luck next week!! ;)
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  3. Heather says:
    March 7, 2012 at 8:06 am

    I totally get you on the whole “My kids drive me crazy and want to go back to work!” About a month ago my husband was out of town for work and I was home alone with my two kids because their nanny (they go to home-based family daycare) was with her sick husband in the hospital. I was alone with my kids 24/7, I thought I was going to have to be committed by the end of it. The first day went okay because it was a beautiful sunny day and we were outside for most of it. The next day was cold and rainy and we were ALL MISERABLE. They expect to be entertained all the time and are used to playing with the other kids in daycare. Poor frazzled mommy was not cutting it. When my husband got home, I just had to leave the house for an hour to be by myself. I felt like the world’s worst mother!

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  4. Madonna says:
    March 7, 2012 at 8:45 am

    Glad to know I am not the only one. Honestly, there has been a weekend or two where I’m ready to go back to work… or at least send the kiddo to daycare. I love my daughter and I love spending the weekends doing super fun things. However, on the occassional rough, whiny weekend, it solidifies my thoughts about being a working mom instead of a stay at home mom.

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  5. Babe_Chilla says:
    March 7, 2012 at 9:50 am

    You are speaking my language lady. We are peas in a pod!

    I have the guilts about this too. Everly was home sick last week, only she wasn’t really sick. Ok she had the poops but otherwise? She was totally and completely fine. I on the other hand had a mountain of work and only an ounce of patience.

    Thursday we managed. We played games, we coloured, she actually napped. Thursday night her dad had band so it was her and I all the live long day. I was chugging the wine when she was finally in bed. I love that kid so much but all day long, I just can’t keep her entertained.

    And then we had a repeat on Friday, and then you know at least daddy was home on Saturday but by then she was so into mommy that she didn’t want him. By the time I woke up Sunday I was already counting down until bedtime.

    I have this thing where I think this makes me a bad mom and maybe I shouldn’t have kids and HOW CAN I FEEL THIS WAY ABOUT MY CHILD, but then I remember WHY it is I work.

    And to be honest? Everly isn’t super stoked to be stuck home with me all that time either. She’d rather be at school, with her friends, doing her stuff. She ran into daycare so fast on Monday morning she left a trail of smoke. It is better for both of us.

    I think knowing this, and accepting it, and doing something about it is what makes it ok. Trapping yourself at home when you don’t want to be, just because “they” say mommies should be home, is WAY worse for you kid then simply recognizing that no, I’m not the type to be a SAHM.

    I don’t envy SAHMs but I sure do admire them.
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  6. Laura says:
    March 7, 2012 at 12:13 pm

    I am the same way sometimes. I think it might be too because I am such a creature of habit and routine that anything throws me off. I totally get what you are saying.
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  7. Tabitha says:
    March 7, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    I’m so glad I’m not alone in these feelings! Unless there’s a grown up vacation in there… 5 days is a long streak with littles. I tell myself that I need the mental challenge of my job, the adult conversation. Maybe what I really need is more patience. Ugh.
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    • Katherine says:
      March 7, 2012 at 1:07 pm

      Grown-up vacation? What’s that!? Hahaha.

      I KNOW I lack in the patience department…like BIG time. My husband and I were actually talking about this the other day though. Areas where I lack in patience, he’s really strong in such as the toddler’s constant need for attention & entertainment, where I’m MUCH more patient than he is when it comes to the general whininess that comes with being 3 years old. Luckily, we balance eachother out otherwise we’d be screwed! :)
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  8. mrshiggison says:
    March 7, 2012 at 1:07 pm

    Oh I am completely with you.
    When Ry went away on a hunting trip for a week last November I knew I couldn’t take that time off & spend it at home. It would benefit no one. I had to work. No way is my brain developed in the way that I can entertain 3 children’s imaginations all day long. It just isn’t. It needs down time.
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  9. Christa the BabbyMama says:
    March 8, 2012 at 11:26 am

    Some people are well suited to the challenges of work. Some people are well suited to the challenges of home. Whatever works for you, own it! :)
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  10. Cara says:
    March 8, 2012 at 10:31 pm

    You are deff not alone!
    I am with you 100% I confess there are days when I pick my child up from daycare but still struggle the few hours we have together especially if he is in a whinging mood arrrrgghhhh

    I have always said I could never be a stay at home Mum and I stand by that, I don’t have the patience or the creativity to do it!!
    More power to the people that can but I will stick to working full time and leave the entertaining my child and teaching him up to the experts!!!
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