Working parent rant of doom.
There are so many things that suck about being a working parent. Lately, I've been feeling the angst, frustration and exhaustion.
James got a new job, and started it last week. It required a schedule change from all of us, since he now had to be at work by 8, instead of 9. After a few optamistic days of carpooling (since his new office was right across from the daycare), we realized that realistically, it wasn't going to work, since, while we both have to be at work by 8, I get out at 4:30, and he gets out at 5. This was leading to a panicked rush out the door so I could drop both him and the Munchkin off and get to work on time (he would get in early), and me sitting in the car waiting for him to get off work for half an hour. We've settled into a routine of getting up at 6:30 to be out of the door by 7:30, driving seperately. This gets us all where we need to go on time, but it's an earlier wake up than we've had and is causing havoc with a lot of other points.
The Munchkin is not adjusting well to the new schedule. It's thrown off her sleeping, and in the morning she's groggy and unhappy. Prone to tantrums and just stubbornly ignoring our requests. This morning's meltdown was over her snack before the drive (She eats breakfast at the Daycare.) She had rice square cereal. She told me she wanted Cheddar Bunnies, because Daddy was eating them. Daddy was eating rice square cereal. We told her this, and showed her that he was, indeed eating the same exact thing she was. This apparently was devistating, as she proceeded to burst out into tears and wail "Cheddaaaaar Buuuuuunieeeees!" No. We did not give her the cheddar bunnies. Eventually she gets over it...usually.
Add in the new low FODMAP diet we've been doing to help with some IBS issues, which requires a whole lot of cooking and prep time. So dinner now actually takes about an hour of me being in the kitchen while James watches the Munchkin, or the other way around. James gets home around 5:30, so dinner is usually on the table around 6:30.
The Muchnkin goes to bed at 8. If she does not, she turns into a little demon very soon after 8. This makes dinner/bath/bedtime a lot of fun. Since she's already starting to get cranky by 7/7:30, we've had many a meltdown in the tub, or even at the dinner table lately. Also, since as I mentioned before, she does not react well to schedule changes, this is playing havoc with her sleeping habits. She's having a hard time going to sleep at night. We've gone from her being asleep as soon as we tuck her in, to a half hour of her waking up, opening her door and standing at the baby gate crying until one of us goes up and tucks her back in. I know, realistically, this isn't that bad, and that it'll stop once she adjusts to the new schedule, but man, right now, it's additional stress I do not need.
Mostly right now, I'm seriously unhappy because I do not have time to exercise. I really do not have time to do anything other than manage the things that absolutely have to get done. And I know James is doing as much, if not more, than I am to keep the household from falling apart. But even with us both sharing the load, I don't have time to run, or workout really at all. My plan to get back to the dojo is now a distant dream, shelved for a time when I don't have to be home between 6 and 7 pm, since that's when most classes are. This has really put a strain on my efforts to loose the "baby weight", which in turn does a number on my self confidence.
Add in the fact that I already feel like I don't spend enough time with my daughter, multiply it by the fact that I am not getting enough sleep right now (I have a really hard time falling asleep before 11pm) and I'm pritty much an emotional wreck right now.
I know this will get easier. It has to, right?