It’s Fine. I’m Fine. Everything’s Fine.

Greetings from my little corner of Crazy Town!!

Seriously, man, things around here have been absolutely bananas lately!  I think I’ve already adequately discussed how May is the new December, so I won’t yank your chain any more about all that.  But there are a couple of different things I need to get off my chest, so bear with me.

Goodbye, School!  Hello, Summer!

Somehow, we are once again finding ourselves at the end of another school year.  How did it go so fast?!  I know it’s so trite and such a cliche thing to say, but man alive, time flies!

If I sit here and think about the fact that in less than three months I will have kids in 11th, 8th, 5th, and 2nd grades…  Well, there would just be a giant Beth-sized puddle on the floor.

There is so much that goes into a kid’s junior year of high school, so many things to do and think about, tests to take, questions to ask.  Not to mention he’ll be getting his driver’s license in about 2 weeks.  Crimeny…just shoot me now.  And 8th grade?  Staahhhhhp.  Confirmation, graduation, turning 14, getting ready for high school.  And he’s already taller than me!  I shudder to think what that kid will look like in one short year.  Add in that Leah will finish up elementary school and Lucy will receive two amazing sacraments…

Can I just start hiding in my room now?  Would that be OK?

I know.  I shouldn’t “wish” time away.  And, believe me, I’m not trying to!  So, right now, I’m going to think instead about the amazing summer that is ahead of us.  Ten glorious weeks of swim team practices, beach mornings, a visit from my parents, and two vacations.  Which leads me to my next minor anxiety attack…

Travel Anxiety is REAL

We are going on a family vacation of Griswald-ian proportions, friends.  Yes, we are boarding a big ol’ Disney cruise ship with 2,500 of our closest friends (including my husband’s whole side of the family) and I am FREAKING OUT.

I get nervous enough when Greg and I travel anywhere just by ourselves.  But, at least then, I know that the kids are taken care of.  They’re safe at home and near their doctors and in their own routine.

But nope.  Not this time.  We’re going on a ship.  For a week.  Also, Leah was sick 4 days ago.  And Lucy started sniffling this morning.  And the weather is supposed to suck. Sounds like an ideal time for a cruise, right??

(Hold, please, while I go rock in a corner and suck my thumb for a hot minute.)

Now, before you get all high-horse on me and tell me how lucky I am and how I should be thankful and everything will be fine and yada, yada, yada, let me say this…

I KNOW!!  In the rational side of my brain, I know these things.  We have an impossibly amazing itinerary planned out.  Disney runs the best cruises in the business.  And we’re all going to be together, so (like I said) in my rational brain, I know it’s going to be fine.  Better than fine, actually.

But then there’s the irrational side of my brain.  The “Anxiety Girl” side of my brain that only lets me see the worst-possible-case scenarios in life.  Do you want to know what that side sees?

Sea-sickness.  Seven days of rain.  Feverish children.  Desperation. Montezuma’s Revenge!

St. Christopher, St. Peter & St. Andrew, and Our Lady Star of the Sea…PRAY FOR US!  Because otherwise, I may just jump overboard.  Regardless, it’ll probably be a good idea to just keep the umbrella drinks flowing.  It’ll be better for everyone that way, I think.

But wait, there’s more!

So, in addition to all of that absurdity, Greg was out of town for eight days a week or so ago and he’s been working like a fiend ever since he got back.  The kids had their first swim meet of the season that I was the solo parent for.  I finished up a workshop for Blessed is She that I had been working on.  And my very first year as a preschool music teacher is coming to a close and will end Friday morning with a sweet little program that I planned.

Yes, friends.  Add all of this up and you’ll understand why I feel like I’m teetering on the brink of insanity even more than I usually do.  But, I’m a mom.  And what do moms do?  We dry our eyes, put on that brave face, pack up our entire medicine cabinet, and soldier on.

And we do laundry.  Because making sure six people have everything they’re going to need for an entire week means doing a crap ton of laundry.

But it’s FINE!  I’m FINE!  Everything is FINE!!!

Right?!