Overstimulated

It’s a tired Monday, and I’m sitting here feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and, honestly, just over it. I’ve lost count of how many times today I’ve whispered to myself, “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Terrible, I know.

My baby is crying. My toddler is screaming. There are wet clothes still in the washer, a sink full of dishes, and crumbs scattered all over the floor.

My infant hasn’t wanted out of my arms all day. And the nap I just laid him down for?

He woke up crying five minutes later.

Every task I try to complete is interrupted by little hands needing me.

My husband’s at work—can’t call him.

My mom? Busy.

My best friend? She’s got even more kids than I do. I don’t want to add to her plate.

“It’s okay. I got it. I’m fine.”

But let’s be honest—I’m not.

As I try to clean up, my toddler calls my name over and over and over again.

I snap.

I yell:

“Just hold on one second!!”

Yep, you heard me right—I let the hard moment get the best of me.

And then I crumble.

I look into her big, teary eyes and immediately regret it.

“I’m sorry, baby. Mama’s doing something. Just give me one second.”

She didn’t do anything wrong. But her mama—her whole world—just let her down.

I shouldn’t have exploded.

But it happens… right?

Then comes the spiral:

I’m a terrible mom.

My kids deserve better.

How do I keep going?

But I know, deep down, that’s what we do.

Us moms. We keep going.

No matter the day, the mess, or how we feel.

I know I’m a good mom. A tired one, but still a good one. I make mistakes—I’m human. And you know what? I apologize. When I say something too harsh or mess up, I say sorry to my two-year-old.

And I truly believe that matters.

Side note: I encourage you to do the same. We tell our children to say “sorry” when they mess up, right? It’s just as important that they see us do it, too. We’re modeling what we hope to see in them.

Anyway, back to my main point.

Today was really hard.

So hard that I packed my babies up and left the house—just to get away from the same messes, the same crumbs, and the dirty floor I couldn’t find time to clean. Again.

I hate the hard days. They wear me down. They make me question everything.

But somehow, they always end up okay.

Tonight, we had a win.

A little one—but a huge one in my heart.

We washed my daughter’s hair.

Yep, that’s it.

(Don’t worry—we wash her hair regularly. But it’s usually a nightmare.)

If you know, you know.

For the past six months, rinsing my daughter’s hair has meant full-on, blood-curdling screams—completely out of the blue.

We still don’t know what caused it.

Bath time became our most dreaded time of the day—which broke my heart, because it used to be one of the sweetest.

But tonight—thanks to her silly daddy keeping her calm—she let me rinse it out.

No screams. No tears.

She followed my instructions and let me help her, completely trusting me.

It was so unexpected—a total 180.

I made sure she knew how proud I was.

I’ve been praying for this.

It reminded me that sometimes, God sends us a little win when we need it most.

I had already written the day off as a failure.

But He reminded me that even the hardest days can still hold beautiful moments.

We ended the day cuddled up on the bed, slipping into PJs, and laughing.

It really is the little things that can pull you out of a dark pit.

So if you’re in the middle of one of those days—like the one I had today—just know:

Better days are coming.

You’ll have good ones, great ones, and yeah… some more hard ones.

That’s just motherhood.

That’s just life.

Balance, right?

Take a breath. Step outside. Change up your routine.

And if you weren’t the perfect mom today—guess what? You’re in good company.

I don’t think “perfect” even exists.

Those picture-perfect Instagram moms?

Surely they’ve got closets full of dirty laundry somewhere (whether that be literally or figuratively).

So even on the hardest days, I remind myself:

I am a good mom.

My babies love me. They believe I’m enough.

So why shouldn’t I believe it too?

And you, friend?

You should believe it about yourself as well.

You’re doing so good.

We all are.

“When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

-Psalm 61:2