Under Pressure

I've always been a pretty self-sufficient person. When I was 4, I was able to read, get my own cereal, loved watching Dan Rather (my idol at the time), and was in love with Tom Selleck. When I was 8, I was able to make pancakes for my family, take care of my brother while we were home alone, and do dishes (if I was forced), and was in love with Kirk Cameron. When I was 13, I was able to make dinner for my family, babysit my cousins and family friends, read everything I could, do laundry and dishes. When I was 16, I took care of my recovering-from-surgery Grandma, doing everything she needed. By this age, I felt I was going to nail being a grown-up.

20 years later, I'm not feeling that way anymore. Some days I feel Super Single - a term my friends and I have coined for myself. A day where I can start a lawnmower, fix my friend's cable,  help move large objects, handle issues with credit card machines, design wedding invites. Some days I feel like I do today - inadequate, alone, tired. I'm struggling as a parent of my near-teenager. I'm struggling to stay motivated when I'm so tired of cleaning, working, going constantly. 

I know I'm not alone in this feeling. I'm sure every other single parent feels this way. I just want to know how they handle it. Thankfully, I'm in a good position to have a 3-day weekend ahead of me. Friday through Sunday, I'll have 2 family BBQ's, card games, hugs, laughs, ice cream, Lake Michigan, doggy snuggles. I am hoping all these things will refresh my tired mind.

Aside from my personal hubbub, the house work is coming along swimmingly well! They are all the way into putting up the insulation on the outside of the house. The gas lines were put in as well. Miss Katherine hosted a lovely video tour of the house after we spent a couple of hours cleaning up. We were hot and sweaty, but it's great to see all the wonderful work the volunteers and construction members have done!
 

Enjoy our video!