The Two-Minute Rule

Every mom needs to institute the two-minute rule once in a while. In an effort to stay sane, there are moments in the day when I need to take a deep breath and clear the cobwebs in my head. Being up with sick kids, kids who have to pee or kids who apparently need help getting a drink that's sitting a foot away leaves me feeling like a zombie most days. I chug the coffee and hit the ground running!
But I need time-outs as much as the kids! Sometimes I take an extra long stroll to check the mail, have a quick chat with a friend or spend a couple minutes browsing a catalog or gossip magazine. I’ll take a long bathroom break if I’m desperate. I’ve even been known to scatter candy across the kitchen floor just to get the kids out of my hair! I'm not kidding...
My motto has become “If Mommy ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”. Ok, not the best grammar and it’s definitely not something new, but if we all took more time-outs from the crazed, hectic lives we live, I think we’d be much happier and in a better state of mind to handle the latest disaster. Things don't have to be perfect and we certainly shouldn't pretend they are.
Whether you are a stay-home mom like myself, just trying to keep your head above water while starting laundry, breaking up a fight, and making breakfast simultaneously, or a working mom who has to fight traffic, meetings and grocery store lines in a mad-dash for dinner, we all have something in common: the need for peace. So while I know there will never be a cure for being hurried, there is always the opportunity for a little break around the corner! Unless you can afford a nanny, assistant and an on-call masseuse to rub the stress away, you’re stuck in this sinking ship with me. I live my life for those two minutes at a time because if I hear “Mommy”!!!! one more time, I may just lose it.