Why the School Year Feels Exhausting Before It Even Begins
No. 77 - Swim lesson sign-ups, birthday party planning and the endless to-do list of working motherhood — why it’s not you, it’s the load you’re carrying.
This Week’s Musing…
The school season hasn’t even started yet, and I’m already exhausted.
This morning I spent over an hour trying to register my kids for fall swim lessons. The website was a puzzle of class times and levels, and figuring out how to get them registered for their correct level and at the same lesson time before the spots disappeared felt like a cruel joke.
Then I remembered my oldest turns 5 this month and I still hadn’t booked his annual wellness appointment. I called the doctor, only to be told I first needed to figure out if our insurance runs on an annual or 12-month model. Cue me spending the next half hour yelling “representative” into the phone just to talk to a human. Why is everything so complicated?
And speaking of him turning 5, I’ve heard about last year’s lack of a birthday party for twelve straight months. So this year, I’m making sure he gets one. Today I submitted the request to rent the gym at our local JCC. Nothing like pulling together a last-minute celebration.
Also, does anyone else ever just wake up one day and realize their hair is suddenly too long and driving them crazy? I had one of those mornings. So in the five-minute break between conference calls, I booked myself a haircut.
Three things checked off, and five more pop up.
We’re out of milk.
The dog needs her Bordetella shot.
I’ve been driving around with a broken side mirror for over six months.
I didn’t eat lunch until 2 p.m. today.
I love my family more than anything. I wouldn’t trade this life for the world. But being a working mom right now? It’s hard. Really hard. And I have help. A lot of it. My heart breaks for all the moms doing all of this with less.
Childcare costs are up. Grocery costs are up. Housing prices aren’t coming down. For most of us, being a dual-income family isn’t optional, it’s a necessity.
Working moms are some of the toughest people I know.
We juggle careers, households, appointments, and the emotional weight of making it all work. If you’re already feeling stretched thin, it’s not because you’re failing. It’s because you’re doing the work of two full-time jobs every single day. And, I would be willing to bet, you’re showing up to all of it with a smile on your face.
And now, as I went to feed the dog, I realized she’s down to her last few scoops.
One more thing for the list: ✔️ Order dog food for Nina.
Friday Favorites…
📺 On a recent work trip I started watching Grey’s Anatomy again from Season 1 Episode 1 and I am hooked. I can’t believe this shows been running since I was in High School. McSteamy or McDreamy?
👟 I’m obsessed with these tennis shoes for a fashionable but comfortable addition to any outfit. I got the hot pink and they are the perfect pop!
🍹My mom and I bought these glasses last weekend and they’re perfect to keep your spicy margarita cold while you’re hanging out outside. I think they’d even be great for white or sparkling wine!
Happy Friday, Friends! I hope you’re able to put your to-do list down for the weekend, and just enjoy a few days of rest (ha!)
Oh, I feel this in my bones. The constant mental juggling, the endless to-do list that somehow grows faster than you can check things off — it’s exhausting. And yet, we still find ways to show up for our families, our work, and ourselves.
I love how you named the reality without sugarcoating it, but also held space for compassion, especially for moms doing it with less support.
This is such a validating reminder that it’s not that we’re failing — it’s that we’re carrying so much.
Thank you for sharing your musings on how overwhelming the back to school transition can be on top of managing a household and working full time. Reading this is a gentle reminder that I’m not alone in what seems like a quicksand of never ending to-do lists. Sometimes it can feel like you’re the human equivalent of an internet browser with hundreds of tabs open. I have to constantly remind myself to take it one step at a time.