Reasons to be crabby?

You know, it occurs to me that there is rarely a good reason for me to be crabby. I’ve got it pretty darn good, you know. My foul moods generally stem from some kind of physical discomfort (being hot & sticky in the summer, for instance) or an inability to complete a task due to outside interruptions.

Yeah, that second one is particularly tough for me. I know programming and summertime don’t always mix, especially when a 10-minute spur-of-the-moment project turns into a four-hour one, and you know there are other more pressing things that need to be done around the house, email to answer, and children who need to be fed and paid attention to, and you’re starting to get antsy because you really want to finish this project, but there’s a bit of a learning curve, some logic to overcome, and nothing is displaying the way you intend it to, and there are little people at your side inquiring about lunch and observing that life was a lot more fun when they were even littler people… Well, it’s all just a recipe for Crabby Mom.

Crabby Mom says “Just get yourself a granola bar from the snack bowl. I’m busy.” Half an hour later, Crabby Mom says “Don’t be ridiculous. You did not have more fun when you were younger. You have plenty of fun now. Go find something to do, I’m busy.”

Then Crabby Mom thinks, “You know, telling them to buzz off is not helping my productivity, nor is it making me feel any better. Nobody is winning here.”

That’s when it becomes apparent that a vacation is in order.

A backyard holiday, complete with pretzels, blueberries, and frivolous reading material.

And a kiddie pool, of course! I tell you, it does wonders for the crabby soul, sitting outside in a comfy chair, feeling the cool water on your legs, sipping lemonade, and reading a magazine for an hour. I wasted so much time this morning on a project I should never have started, and as such it was hard to convince myself that it was ok to put off the housework and order processing for yet another hour. Glad I did, though.

And you know, I seem to remember reading yesterday that it’s impossible not to be cheerful when your hair is in pigtails.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

That’s a good thing to remember when Crabby Mom rears her ugly head…