The Best Day of my Life

Last week I became a single mom. Not full time, but part time--Monday thru Friday to be specific. And it's hard. Really hard. Before this was my reality, I saw it as a challenge--something to conquer, to exceed expectations. Two weeks in, I feel like a complete failure. I'm stressed out, tired, and one night last week both boys were up crying in the middle of the night, and I had no idea what to do to get them both back to sleep, so I started crying, too.

I'm outnumbered at dinner time, bath time, bedtime, and every time in between. My hope is that as the weeks and months go on that this gets easier. That we can fall into a routine, find  a rhythm, effortlessly cruise through our five days, party of three. But right now, it looks bleak, and May 2015 (when the casino my husband is engineering in North Carolina is slated to open) feels like a lifetime away. I have a serious case of cabin fever induced by the second Polar Vortex of the winter, and it looks like I'll never cook a dinner anyone actually eats, or successfully get everyone to sleep at night...in their own beds. I don't think I'll be able to keep the house clean, or keep my sanity. But what choice do I have? I move forward.

Last night, Jack pushed a kitchen chair over to the counter (most likely to hunt for candy canes, or M&M's or anything with sugar). The small radio mounted under one of the cabinets caught his eye, and he did what every single 2 year old in America would do... started wildly pressing buttons.

First it was static.

Then really loud static.

Then...barely audible, we heard:

I had a dream so big and loud
I jumped so high I touched the clouds
Wo-o-o-o-o-oh

I reached for the dial and turned it up. A squeal of excitement followed.

Finally, the static subsided, and:

Oo-o-o-o-oo
This is gonna be the best day of my li-ife
My li-i-i-i-i-ife
Oo-o-o-o-oo
This is gonna be the best day of my li-ife
My li-i-i-i-i-ife

And we danced.

Right there in the middle of the kitchen.

The three of us.

Waving, flailing our arms. Bouncing up and down.

I yelled lyrics at the top of my lungs, the boys chimed in with "Oo-o-o-o-oo"

Jack busted out his signature move, "the sprinkler"

Everything is looking up, everybody up now
This is gonna be the best day of my li-ife
My li-i-i-i-i-ife

We held hands and circled the room, finally dissolving into a pile of laughter and catching our breath as the song ended.

Was this the best day of my life? Oh no, not even close. But it was the best three minutes of my day. It erased everything else. It reset my attitude. It energized me. It reminded me to take this new parenting challenge three minutes at a time, and maybe, more importantly, not so seriously. Who cares if the house is messy, and the kids ate frozen pancakes for dinner, and I didn't wash behind their ears at bath time?

We are another day closer to Friday.

And when in doubt?

Turn up the volume and dance.

-Laura