Mom Confession: Unhealthy Hurricane Habits Revealed
Hurricane Sandy came with all of its destructive winds and rain. The ocean met the bay. Floods and fires were, and still are, eminent. Plus, there have been a lot of unhealthy habits of late on my end. (This is trivial, but I thought, why not share?)
When you’re stranded in your home WITH A FIVE-YEAR-OLD and nothing to do, you tend to participate in activities that you normally skip.
For one, I don’t drink that often. I’m a social drinker. If I go on a date, I have a glass of wine or a martini. In addition to stocking up on classic hurricane supplies, uncle Bri and I also bought beer, wine, vodka—we bought enough alcohol to sustain us for a month. (Even though we’re both light drinkers and have mostly relied on conversation and Apple TV.)
However, we weren’t the only ones buying booze. The liquor stores were packed prior to Sandy’s arrival and last night I learned every parent in my radius was indulging in some early sipping.
I overheard a bunch of moms saying, “Once it was 3 O’clock, it was wine O’clock.” I couldn’t help but interject. “Oh thank God, I thought I was the only one indulging in an early Happy Hour.” The moms laughed—”Heck no!” I even noticed parents with beers at Trunk-or-Treating last night. One friend, brought wine in a red college style tumbler. (She wasn’t driving.) I had to drive home, so none for me, but still. We’re all going nuts and if a little booze can keep us calm, yet still functional (i.e. NO DRIVING AT ALL), then so be it. I realize this isn’t a healthy statement—totally owning it. It’s not good. Bad.
Also on my list of unhealthy things happening at the condo: Eating. Fine, I made homemade spaghetti and meatballs one day and we had leftovers. But it’s pretty much been take-out ever since: pizza, chinese, sandwiches. Last night, *cringing* I treated my friends to … forty bucks worth of fast food. It was delicious and disgusting all at once. I feel gross today. We don’t eat fast food. We usually live at the Farmer’s Market.
Sleeping has also been an issue. I’m typically a good sleeper, but I’ve found my mind wandering late into the night. My family is displaced. Carlo and my mom evacuated the shore for my cousin’s McMansion, which has power. They are safe, but they’re still far away and they left major damage behind. (Um, a car floated away for example.) I’m worried for them. I flip through the channels watching the same Sandy coverage, I watch bad reality TV, I read, I fold laundry and check on JD 20 times a night like he’s an infant that I just brought home from the hospital. I try to write. Eventually I fall asleep, but only to wake up an hour later, thinking. Admittedly, the storm freaked me out. The winds were so strong, the condo shook. I just haven’t slept well since that night. JD is an early-riser and that doesn’t help either. I’m not sleeping enough. I feel shaky.
TV and my child have also been bothersome, but I don’t care anymore. I just give up. We’re lucky to have power and TV. I usually don’t allow JD to watch some shows on Cartoon Network, but these days, I’m like, “Yeah, watch Dexter’s [bloody eyebally] Laboratory! Maybe later we’ll watch Donnie Brasco!” I’m doing my best to keep him occupied with his Big Kindergarten Workbook, Legos, Art and dance parties, but there is only so much we can do, before I want to … watch TV and do nothing. And the thing is, we can actually drive and get out, but I’m saving my tank of gas, because, bad news North NJer’s, there is NO gas. Anywhere. The magazine opened late today and I couldn’t go in because JD’s school is closed. There’s no power. I plan to go tomorrow if I can find a sitter because the chances of JD’s school opening are … ZERO.
Lastly, it’s the short fuse. I’ve been snapping lately. Snapping at JD. Snapping at my brother, Bri (who’s a freakin saint). Snapping at my family that calls and text-stalks me. I know they care and God, I love ‘em, but we’re fine. It’s just a dizzying mess of cabin fever, the fear of the unknown, the panic over no gas, the concern for my friends who are in trouble. I’ve actually been counting to 10 in my head before I open my mouth and it’s been helping.
That’s my list of unhealthy hurricane habits. It’s almost 3 PM which means I can have wine. I kid, I KID. We’re off to buy milk. Exciting.
What’s happening in your Hurricane Sandy world. Use this blog to VENT. Vent away …
My sincere prayers to all harmed and changed by the storm. I have many friends in trouble. I ache for them.
More from me:
The Jersey Shore Is Just A Memory Now
Adorable pics of JD in his Halloween costumes age 2-months-old to 5!
Stranger Danger: Some Random Peeps Approached My Kid For Info!
I live in the panhandle of FL, and we get a bad hurricane (or at least a scare) every few years. The last major one was Ivan, in 2004. I was out of school for weeks. My aunt and uncle live on the same power grid as the local hospital, so there were 18 (!) of us in their 3 bedroom house. We had a newborn…literally, she was born a day before the storm hit…and a mommy recovering from a c-section. I had just turned 16, and my spinal fusion was scheduled for 3 months later. I had a breakdown: baby crying, too many people in a small house, upcoming surgery, living on crap food, and no cell reception can do that to a girl. So me, my mom, and my aunt started drinking margaritas. We ate chips and salsa for dinner. That night saved my sanity, and probably everyone else’s, too. No shame. You do what you have to do to make life work when it gets tough.
Chips and salsa for dinn sounds amazing! I’m doing leftover meatballs, fresh pasta – and red wine. Now I want a marg!!! #Sandy
Monday morning, the son & I went disaster shopping. Amidst the batteries, distilled water, canned items, – was a month supply of cabernet sauvignon….
Ugh I hear you on the gas situation. My sister spent four hours trying to find a gas station that had gas yesterday (she has no tv, so didn’t know that Morris Cty got hit hard, and went there searching for gas). She ended up running out of gas and I had to go save her with a 2 gallon can from our generator stash, and then we had to find a station with gas and wait an hour. Then her car died, no joke. Thank God for dads, amiright? But we waited hours for him because of road closures and detours. We are seriously suffering from cabin fever ourselves but I’m afraid to take the kids anywhere because I don’t want to need gas, and we live in rural north jersey where everything is far. I feel bad complaining but we’re all snapping at each other big time. My husband is home from work, the kids are home from school…even the dogs are getting annoyed at the disruption lol. I think I might have to try the count-to-10 thing myself, good idea.