May Mania

You guys.

About this time every year I wonder why the hell May is my favorite month.
It’s bonkers.
I mean, all parents know it’s typically a hectic month, but holy hell it has kicked. my. ass. this year.

Don’t worry, I’m still basking in my Rob Glowe, but I’m also still sprinting to outrun the train that’s been on my tail for the past four weeks.

And I’m not complaining, honestly I’m not (please keep reading until you get to the end).
I realize that all these things are good, lucky things.
By good I mean no one is in the hospital, by lucky I mean they result in more Chardonnay for mama.

But still … I’m tired, ya’ll.

In the past month we’ve been going non-stop.
I feel like all these major events in our life have just piled up, one on top of the other.
And the thing that stresses me out — or I guess bums me out — is that because of that I don’t feel like I’ve really appreciated the weight, and importance, of them.

I mean, I’ve barely cried at all.

It started at the end of April with Thing 2’s spring play. She played Governor Danforth in The Crucible, a beefy role typically played by a male, but in this reimagination Danforth was a kick ass, terrifying woman in a sassy wig and fierce heels.

Two weekends of five 3-hour performances and volunteering at perfomances and then figuring out when everyone was going to eat, study, sleep, etc.
Check.

Then a few days later it was her 17th birthday, which in my case every year means days of overthinking preparation to make sure the gifts are thoughtful and wrapped colorfully, there are fun decorations, a special dinner, a cake of choice, and overall a MEMORABLE DAMN DAY.

Mission accomplished.

(For more on how I’m dealing with Thing 2’s rapid approach to senior year, read THIS piece I wrote for Grown & Flown.)

Then, not two days later, it was off to Thing 1’s COLLEGE GRADUATION.

Ya’ll.
Ya’ll.

Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday that I was using all of you as my therapists for her high school graduation??
DAMN YOU, TIME.

So we made the 300 mile trek to her adorable college town — for quite possibly the *sob sob* last time — and battled the cold, the rain, and a shockingly low number of tears.
I like to think they were due to pride, but in reality, they were probably courtesy of exhaustion.

The weekend was a whirlwind, let me tell you, because we also had to pack her apartment up, shove it all in the back of the car, and move her home.

(For more about her move home and her post-grad plans, read THIS piece on Grown & Flown!)

It’s been two weeks and I’m still not quite sure what happened.

After a week of back-to-back choir concerts, it was time for Thing 2’s first prom … which meant we basically prepped for the Academy Awards.

Complete with paparazzi:

Prom was immediately followed by ROB LOWE DAY, which we all know wore me out.
I mean, the memories of my mortifying greeting are still causing me to lose sleep a whole week later.

Thankfully we’ve been able to spend the past few days at our happy place to regroup and recharge, because the May mania isn’t over with the onset of June.

Far from.

Besides a big, important banquet, another two weekends of concerts and exciting performances, and a lot of part-time work for me both in front of and away from the computer, next week brings the beginning of finals for Thing 2 — and as any of you with high school kids know, the whole family feels finals week, especially the dreaded end-0f-junior-year finals.

Thoughts and prayers appreciated.

But listen, the point of this post isn’t to complain, even though it appears that way, I’m sure.

The point isn’t even that I’m tired … or the fact that the menopause-induced night sweats and general insomnia are only adding to my exhaustion (that’s for another fun post).

The point is, that while the mania is exhausting, I’ll take it.

I’ll take all the non-stop activity and the sleepless nights and I’ll do my damnedest to appreciate every stress-filled, tired, hungry moment, because soon my nest will be empty.

I mean, that’s what they tell me.

And even though I highly doubt I’ll look back on the crazy, sleepless days of May with envy, I’m sure I’ll look back on them with gratefulness. Gratefulness for the good stresses. Gratefulness for my family. Gratefulness that we manage to keep our sense of humor through the craziness.

And mostly, grateful that my husband appreciates a dinner of Chardonnay and popcorn as much as I do.