What gets you through THOSE days?

DH is moonlighting tonight, tomorrow night, and Monday night. The baby has a cold and is waking all night. I'm in the midst of potty training wars with the 2-year-old, who craps everywhere but in the potty. I'm exhausted. I have no one to call on for help because (surprise!) we're living 1,000 miles away from everyone we know while he does a fellowship. My house looks like a bomb hit it. I seriously wanted to cry when he left the house this morning. I am so sick of this psuedo-single parent gig. And the worst part is, I can't even get mad at him because he's just as exhausted and cranky as I am.

So tell me, what do you do when you're already exhausted at 8 am and the day is stretching out before you like a 10,000 mile road? What little tricks make it easier to do? Mostly I want to scarf down Snickers bars and a Big Gulp, but I'm trying to be a good role model for my girls.

[DCJenn]

Re: What gets you throught THOSE days?

Well, through the deployment, I went with wine and iMSN until 3am. Thank God for Tenshi who was on in Australia!

Seriously, it sucks and the only thing that got me through was taking it one day at a time.

and chardonnay. I'd go for the wine over a Snickers any day. Better buzz and better sleep.

Jenn

[HouseofWool]

Re: What gets you through THOSE days?

It's so hard when they are little. I don't have much advice, but I feel your pain.

When we were PT, I actually gave up on getting him to poop in the potty. When DH had a rare weekend free, I told him that it was up to him and left it at that. Don't fight her on the PT, it just doesn't work.

My son is 5 and when dh was on call the other night, I ordered Papa John's (one of the locations here has large pizzas for 5 bucks on Tuesdays - can't beat that price), we had a picnic in the living room and watched Star Wars while I napped on the couch.

My house still looks like a bomb hit it, but I am better rested and much less cranky.

Go for the Snickers if it will get you through the day. The kiddos won't remember.

[Meenah]

Re: What gets you through THOSE days?

Are you in NJ? We have lots of Papa Johns here.

[Deebs]

Re: What gets you through THOSE days?

I hate to admit it - Elmo's World. I am one of those parents who had a fit if DH even had the TV on when DD was in the room before she was 2. She turned 2 two months ago, and I think we've made up for both of those years in those two months. I have to nurse the baby, DH is on nights, so guess what - Elmo's World gets turned on. It's the only TV DD will watch, otherwise, I'd probably be turning to full length Disney films.

[HouseofWool]

Re: What gets you through THOSE days?

We're not in NJ - in WI. It seems to be just this location because when I've called a different Papa John's that is on my way home from work, they had no idea what I was talking about. The one that runs the deal is in a dicey part of town... But, I'm cheap and lazy so we risk it.

Shouldn't they make a whole new circle of hell for potty training? It's hard enough to get a toddler to do something they want to do, much less something that requires an effort from them. hehehe

[Rapunzel]

Re: What gets you through THOSE days?

OK, survival mode things:

Toddler: Set him/her in front of the television with a favorite video. Go into an adjacent room and do something for yourself (do your toenails, read, slowly eat some chocolate without a little one demanding that you give it to him/her)

Preschooler on up: Put said child into their bed. Give the child some books and tell him/her Mommy needs quiet time. Alternately, put said child to bed early. Go take a long soak in the tub. Ignore the mess until tomorrow. Watch something on television.

Baby: Good luck! Just kidding.... Put baby in the swing if baby will go for that and do your thing for awhile.

When it's all going to hades in a handbasket and my mind is about to be lost I make sure the kids are in safe spots and occupied or asleep. And, then I forget the messy house for the evening and concentrate on me for awhile. The house can wait - your sanity cannot.

Well, the caveat is you've got to clean up any poop first - but you can ignore the rest of the messy house.

Re: What gets you through THOSE days?

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this way sometimes.

I wish I had some friends here. It'd be a good night to have a playdate and a pizza.

Re: What gets you through THOSE days?

Hang in there girl!

Potty training my daughter (now almost 5) was H. E. L. L. That and morning sickness are the 2 things keeping me from having a second child. PT'ing her involved the following:

1. Peeing and pooping wherever and whenever at home--but on the potty all the time at the sitter's house .
2. My mother-in-law wondering to my husband what *I* was doing wrong since *he* had trained sooo easily (you can imagine the interaction between he and I that followed...) MIL= .
3. A bad case of encoperisis that, when coupled with a virus, ended up in a 3-day hospitalization.
4. Me saying "I quit!" and deciding that she can be the only person in the 7th grade still wearing diapers.

Of course, once she decided that she wanted to go "like a big girl" it took about 2 days and she was going in the potty always and not even wetting the bed at night. :huh:

And may I recommend a good bottle of Reisling (good, sweet, white wine) for the times when "Mommy needs a break."?? (sipping it right now in fact!)

Good luck!

P.S. You know you are married to a doctor when you can spell "encoperisis."