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By Meredith Ethington

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Kyle

Fun Friday

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So, my day started at about 12:30 am. You see, I have this horrible cold that hit me out of nowhere. Usually one of my germ infested children get it first and then I do, but this cold found it’s way to me all on its own.

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So, due to the fact that I couldn’t breathe, like at all, meant for a very very early start to my day. Not to mention the loads of anxiety I am experiencing right now about another issue which I may or may not blog about. Needless to say, my mind was racing. I finally popped in the ear plugs around 4 am when those damn birds started chirping outside my window, and I finally fell back asleep around 5:45 am. So, when my 4 year old came knocking on my door with his energy abounding at 7 am, and a huge smile on his face, I let his wiggly body climb into bed with me. He started talking a mile a minute (as usual), and we had a delightful conversation that did brighten my day a bit.

Kyle: Daddy doesn’t steal the covers from you.

Me: Who told you that?

Kyle: Daddy.

Me: Well, he doesn’t know he is stealing the covers because he is asleep when he does it.

Kyle: giggles

Me: You know, one day when you get married, someone will probably steal the covers from  you too.

Kyle: I don’t want to get married!

Me: Why?

Kyle: Because it’s too long.

Me: What’s too long?

Kyle: Marry. (I think he means the wedding, because his next response was…) Wait. Is there dessert there?

Me: Yes! You have wedding cake at a wedding.

Kyle: Can I bring my telescope?

Logical response don’t you think? That was fun.

So, then I ran down to take my husband to pick up his car after being in the shop for nearly two weeks, and without an ounce of make-up on, and my hair still wet, I get the boys out of the car because there is a german shepard on the lot playing fetch with a small tire ring. My youngest is illogically obsessed with dogs, so he immediately starts running over there. The owner of the dog was extremely nice, and I had a long conversation with him about his dog, and we got to see him roll over, shake, speak, play dead, etc. etc. Every dog trick in the book this cute 8 year old german shepard could do. The boys loved it. I like to really interact with every dog I see so that I don’t have to get one anytime soon. So far, my plan has worked.

Anyway, we move on, and I get back in the car and look in the mirror. My nose is TOTALLY crusty. Like red and blistery, and looks like I have crusty white crap all over my nostrils. I have been blowing my nose non-stop for 3 days now, so ya know, it looks horrible. And, yes, I at least moisturized before I left the house, but apparently it wasn’t good enough. I was super duper embarrased. I had been talking to this man for a good 15 minutes with a hideous crusty nose. So, that was fun.

Then, I decide a quick trip to a local kid to kid is in order where my youngest proceeds to melt down in an epic, very unlike him, sort of way. I’ll tell you what, these molars that he is cutting are the worst. The WORST! Mothers were diverting their eyes trying not to be judgmental of my snotty nosed kid who was melting down no matter what I did. And, probably noticing my coughing, sneezing fits at the same time. So, that was fun.

Then, I hop in the car to go pick up “my precious” as we lovingly call it (otherwise knows as my giant Diet Coke from McDonald’s…seriously, they have the BEST diet coke in the world), and I get behind a couple who is quibbling over some coupon they have in the drive-thru where they had to speak to 3 different employees about it. Meanwhile, the baby is still screaming in the backseat despite my attempts to play children’s music really loud and roll the window up and down over and over again to distract him. They pulled the parking break and turned their car off, which is NEVER a good sign in a drive-thru, and I seriously started to question my addiction to that precious beverage I love and why I was willing to sit in drive-thrus behind oblivious people who want to quibble over $1.5o coupon at McDonalds. Seriously? McDonalds takes coupons? But, she got her money back. Good thing. Wouldn’t want her to pay too much for that happy meal. So, that was fun.

Needless to say, I’m going to hide out in my house the rest of the day and blow my nose a few more times trying not to think about the enormous decision causing me major anxiety that is happening today. Hope you have a “fun friday” too.

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Comments

  1. donofalltrades says

    May 17, 2013 at 5:59 pm

    Awe, leaving us hanging. Weak!

    Reply
  2. AHMommy says

    May 17, 2013 at 7:36 pm

    Sorry you don’t feel well and had a bad day…. It’s true about the McDonalds diet Coke though. It’s the best stuff ever.

    Reply
  3. Amber Perea says

    May 17, 2013 at 9:06 pm

    I hope you feel better!!!

    Reply
  4. bensbitterblog says

    May 17, 2013 at 10:28 pm

    Sounds like my Super Saturday last week.

    Reply
  5. whinybaby says

    May 17, 2013 at 11:43 pm

    OMG, McDonald’s Diet Coke.

    Reply
  6. Michelle says

    May 18, 2013 at 4:32 am

    Eeesh, that sounds like a horrible start to a day. I hope you are feeling better.

    Reply
  7. K.C. Wise says

    May 19, 2013 at 4:27 am

    Hope you feel better! Thanks for making it humorous for us out in internet land to giggle a little bit. The wedding conversation was adorable….so, too, was the spam comment. I

    My addiction is cherry coke. That stuff is liquid gold!!!
    Those that blueberry pomegranate smoothie that they are making at McDonalds now is the BOMB!!!!! You should try it! New. obsession.

    Feel better!!!

    Reply

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Welcome! I’m Meredith.

Mom. Writer. Diet Coke connoisseur. Born and raised Texan. Lover of real talk and laughter with a hint of sarcasm mixed in.

The Mother Load

Perfection Pending on Instagram

perfectpending

Mom • Author • Mental Health Therapist In Training
Grab my new book, The Mother Load, available now. 👇👇

Night night! 😤 Night night! 😤
If you missed my last post about how raising teens If you missed my last post about how raising teens can wreck you mentally….wellll this is part of the reason why. So lonely! But we are in this together somehow. 😂 Make sure to check out my latest substack and grab a copy of my book —- The Mother Load!
NEW ---> "When there are problems in these big kid NEW ---> "When there are problems in these big kid years, it’s no longer really acceptable to call a friend and air the annoyances of the situation. At least not the specifics.

Sure, you can commiserate with a fellow parent about teenagers being the worst.

But, to be honest - they’re not the worst. They’re kind of amazing. But their problems make me tired to my core." 

Read the latest on my substack. I promise you'll relate. ❤️
So sweet. ❤️ Follow me @perfectpending and bet So sweet. ❤️
Follow me @perfectpending and better yet buy my book or subscribe to my substack to support me.
"I don’t know about you, but I don’t really wa "I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want same-ness anymore. I want messy. I want admissions that shit is hard and we don’t have it all together. I want to have a makeup free, messy bun in my sweats run in with a mom friend and not feel worried she’s checking out my un-groomed eyebrows.

I don’t want to try to give off this illusion that I’m control of my life any better than the next person. It’s a shitshow for all of us, and we continue to hide it for fear of what? Being human?"

Read the rest on my Substack. Link in profile.
WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I MISS IT? What if I miss the best time of my life. What if it’s right this second?
What if it’s right now while I’m in finals week of grad school, and have a kid that’s sick? 
I already miss so much. The gummy smiles of babes without any teeth. The squeaky voices of 2 year olds. The babbling of a baby that’s just trying so hard to say mama. The grammar mistakes my kids make when they’re talking that I don’t have the heart to correct because I love it too much. 

I miss a lot about those younger years that have already slipped away. My youngest is sick, much like in this picture, but he is too big to snuggle in my arms now when he’s running a fever. 

Today I had the thought, what if this is it? What if this IS the happiest I’ll ever be?
For a moment, I lingered in that thought as I stood over my sink and did the dishes. I started to cry.
Am I missing it? AM I? I felt a tug that maybe I was. Maybe I wasn’t relishing enough, and enjoying enough, and being present enough.
But, then I realized, it will never be ENOUGH. 

Read the rest in my substack ❤️
New year, same me. 😂 #mentalhealth #anxiety #de New year, same me. 😂
#mentalhealth #anxiety #depression
"I don't care" as I literally care about every sin "I don't care" as I literally care about every single thing.
I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of th I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of this. *sweeps arm generally at planet earth*

Look, I’ve never been a half glass full kind of gal. I can ALWAYS find the negative in every situation. 

But, right now it’s easy to say that I’m over it. It being.....

The state of our economy. Social media. People being unemployed. People being racist and homophobic. The debate over politics. People judging people. ALLLLLL of it. 

Everything is crap right now. We joke about it a lot. We have to in order to survive. 

It’s the one millionth day of January but Spring feels so far away. 

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Yeah, I know. Even as I’m typing this it all sounds like a bunch of ungrateful whiney BS. I hear it. I don’t need you to point it out, Karen. 

But, my guess is you’re reading this right now and realizing you’re over it too. Whatever “it” is in your life.

Some days the world feels like total crap. Everything is a mess. Everything costs too much. For E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y. 

Yes, even for you Karen. ➡️➡️ to keep reading.
Yes. Boundaries are healthy and good. And they mea Yes. Boundaries are healthy and good. And they mean someone loves you that much to communicate them! Love this wisdom from @wittyidiot
NEW POST ----> "This is not a post about loss of a NEW POST ----> "This is not a post about loss of a loved one. Or loss of a child. Those things are real, and they’re heart wrenching. And, this post is certainly not to compare that loss with the one I’m going to talk about.

But, the loss of yourself in motherhood is real. And It’s not talked about enough." 

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Psss - I am in grad school to become a therapist, and am not ashamed to ask that you subscribe to my paid substack. I just lowered the cost to $36/year! That's like $4/month and you'll have access to all my previous posts, and some new weekly short posts to give you ideas to help with balancing motherhood and your own mental health. I'm learning a lot in school, and will only continue to do so, so subscribe and we'll support each other. ❤️
This memory made me laugh this morning. 🤣 This memory made me laugh this morning. 🤣
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Found in my pediatricians office. 🤣 What’s th Found in my pediatricians office. 🤣 What’s the moral of the story friends? If you think your household is always sick - it’s because they probably are. Kids make everything more germ-y
Here’s what I do know 👇 No one knows what th Here’s what I do know 👇

No one knows what they’re doing. 
We all feel like imposters. 
Our kids love us anyway. 
We’re all going to be OK. 
You’ve got this (as much as any of us do) 😘

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"By trying to be perfect, we're actually trying to "By trying to be perfect, we're actually trying to avoid being human." 

Do you struggle with perfectionism? Parenthood has helped me quite a bit, but It's something I've battled my whole life. I still struggle occasionally, although it's gotten better. But, let's stop trying to avoid being human and instead embrace ourselves an in turn embrace the entire human race. ❤️ I'd love to hear how you embrace being imperfect. 

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Mood. Mood.
Some of you wanted sources on my last reel where I Some of you wanted sources on my last reel where I said we only need to be getting it right 30% of the time for our kids to have secure attachments. Well I wrote a bit more about the concept of being the “good enough mother” a term coined in the 50’s by a researcher and pediatrician. Check it all out in my newest post. Link in profile.
It’s true! Researchers have found that as long a It’s true! Researchers have found that as long as you’re doing the repair after mistakes the other times - then 30% is enough! Sometimes I worry I’m not doing it right but I definitely know I’m doing it right 30% of the time! 
Probably a whole lot more to be honest. I bet you are too. #momlife #encouragement #momspiration
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