The Mother of All Meltdowns: Have You Had One?

After the Animal was born — like, only a month or so after — I developed a penchant for ice cream sundaes. They included chocolate ice cream, sliced strawberries, caramel topping, slivered almonds, and whipped cream. When the baby went down for his early bedtime (because no baby sleeps through the night at that point, right? Right!?), I’d make myself one of these beautiful creations and try to catch a TV show with Aaron.

If I didn’t get this treat — if the baby dared to wake up before I could enjoy — the anger that seethed from my body was so thick it could barely be sliced with an axe. As much as I loved that little, teeny baby, I needed my ice cream fix.

All moms have meltdowns. Even if you want to pretend that you don’t, you know you do. It happens to the best of us. That’s why I was super excited to find and read the book, The Mother of All Meltdowns. This book is filled with stories from fellow moms and bloggers who have been right where I’ve been: in a meltdown.

I was lucky enough to interview three of the contributors to this book. They answered a few questions for me and sent their best meltdown picture for me to share with you. Be sure to read through and then go visit them!

Baking in a Tornado

You have two boys who are very close in age. How was that when they were growing up? Awesome? Insane? Tell me! (My boys are 23 months apart.)
Is nightmare too strong a word? No? Good! My boys are a little more than a year apart and they’re complete opposites in every way. I used to say that was good because I could only survive one of each of them. I need to add here that having two in diapers should be against the law. There were times when I would have loved someone to have come to my house, slap some cuffs on me and take me off to the comparative peace of a cell. Preferably a padded one.

Words of wisdom for moms who stay/work at home?
Mow the lawn. I’m not kidding. I would grab my iPod, start that mower and the whole world would go away. The exercise helps with stress and the sounds of the mower and the music playing in your ears block out the world. And if you sing at the top of your lungs while mowing, no one will come near you. Promise.

How do you decompress after a long hard day?
In the tornado that is currently my life, I bake. And blog.

The Liebers

You’ve lived through life with a name people mispronounce (I have too, which is weird since mine is pretty normal, right?). What name WOULD you choose for yourself if you HAD to choose?
I’ve thought about changing my name before, but I just like it.  I don’t think I would. There have even been some weekends where I’ve been “mommy” all day and Ken will call me “honey” and I ask him to just use my actual name. I don’t get tired of hearing it and I like the opening it gives me to start up a conversation with someone.

Favorite book of all time (or author if you can’t decide)
Phew! Asking a reader her favorite book! That’s a tough one!  I have to say that the Harry Potter series holds a very special place in my heart. I remember I was in college when the first one came out. I had been hearing about it and decided to pick up a paper back copy.  I read a few chapters and then had the thought that Ken might enjoy it too.  I started over and read out loud to him.  He was hooked too.  We took turns reading the first book to each other and then continued on with the rest.  At first it was pretty easy because we were just married and had no kids.  It got increasingly difficult to be awake in the same place at the same time as we added kids to the mix.  I read to him a lot on road trips.  It took a long time, and I had to work hard to avoid spoilers) but we read the entire series out loud together.

What makes you laugh?
Lots of things make me laugh!  I love to laugh (loud and long and clear! <—- Mary Poppins reference) I even made a list of things that make me laugh back at the beginning of the month. On a day to day basis, my kids make me laugh. Either the boys are being silly and giggling together, or Frances is saying something witty and completely out there.

Kiss My List

You are a list maker. What medium do your lists usually come in?
Good ol’ paper and pen. I make the occasional list on the notepad on my phone, but I prefer writing everything down. There is something therapeutic about crossing off completed items; I just don’t get the same feeling from touching the screen of my phone.

What advice do you have for the parent(s) who have had their meltdowns in public locations?
To quote Elsa, you just have to let it go. It happened, it wasn’t pretty, but it’s over. You’re not the first and you won’t be the last. In the book I write about my public meltdown in Disney World. I’ve seen many parents have them there since then. I try to walk by without gawking, because I know how mortifying it can be.

Words of wisdom for moms who stay/work at home?
Take a little time for yourself out of the house every day. All moms need this, but those who stay at home need to make a conscious effort to change their environment. Even a fifteen minute walk around the block can clear your head and re-energize you. And I swear by the healing power of girls’ nights out – I must have at least one a month.

Thank you, ladies, for sharing your wisdom with us! And because I promised, here’s my meltdown picture.

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