Man, Am I an Idiot or What?

Are you at the age for perimonopause? This is how many people describe it. Especially the forgetfulness.

No its hard to get back into a schedule when your days have been unscheduled for a while. When my kids were younger the hardest part of the end of summer was getting dinner on the table at a reasonable time. As summer rolled on we tended to eat later and later so I always struggled with getting back on track.

Be kind to yourself. You aren't an idiot you are just working on a summer schedule.

Yep!
I know what you mean!
Get good with a planner/calendar - doesn't matter if it's digital or a book you carry with you - just USE IT and always refer to it when making appointments.
Set an alarm for getting up - but also set an alarm for going to bed.
Get in a habit of same time every day for getting up and sleeping - even on holidays and weekends.
Grazing in itself isn't bad - as long as you're grazing healthy things - carrots, veggies, an apple, etc - a string cheese stick is alright protein.
Make snacks healthy and count the calories so you know if you are over dong it.
Drink plenty of water.
Watch the caffeine intake - it's not a good substitute for sleep - and it can interferre with getting to sleep at night.
In my 20's I could drink coffee any time - now I can have one cup first thing in the morning, it irritates my bladder (It makes me have to pee an hour later) and if I have it too late in the day it'll keep me up all night long.
Cutting out (or back) on the caffeine might help you get some better sleep.

I have a similar problem. I'm a night owl and slept in all summer. I'm having difficulty with getting to bed early. I know that if I disciplined myself I could do it. I've decided to make myself go to bed at 10. It's hard to do.

Snacking isn't an issue for me unless I'm snacking to avoid bedtime. I think I may have solved that by having a late dinner. Then, I'm not hungry at bedtime. Much of my snacking is after 10. Going to bed at 10 will solve both issues.

I also graze during the day. Grazing is an ok way to eat as long as you're eating healthy food. My 16 yo granddaughter lives with me. Having dinner together is important. It will take a couple of weeks to get back into doing that.

I also have difficulty with appointments. What helps me is to use an online calendar where I can set reminders. I am finally able to look at my calendar before making an appointment.

I have difficulty with depression and anxiety and am taking an antidepressant/antianxiety meds. In earlier posts I see that anxiety might be contributing to late bedtime and snacks. I suggest you see a doctor or nurse practioner who can prescribe meds to discuss this possibility.

I'm having a hard time transitioning back to chaos myself.

Three kids in two different schools, three different activities, and a busy work schedule for myself and my husband. This week has been "off" because dance is starting a week later than usual...but come next week, my wheels will be spinning!

That actually reminds me, I need to get a real meal plan in place for our busy schedule coming up!

M.,

You are not in a routine. You need a routine. I keep my routine year round. Then I don't run into these problems.

I also work from home. I never really leave my job.

My youngest son is VERY much like his dad - night owls. We've been working on getting him to bed at a reasonable time to be able to get up for school for two weeks. He's getting there. I REALLY do NOT like letting them stay up all night during the summer. THIS is why!!

M.,

You are in excellent company. If I had a nickel for every time I walked into a room, stopped and asked myself "why am I in here?" I'd be a very wealthy woman.

Give yourself a break, take a calming, Namaste breath, and try to slow down. I keep a legal pad on the desk in my kitchen and everything gets written down under whichever category it falls, i.e. kid, husband, self, shopping, appointments..you get the idea.

you'll adjust soon enough. oh and if I had a nickel every time I found myself wearing crankypants? Girl??????? We could both retire and buy that swim up bar in Maui.

:-) S.

It's okay. You'll get back in sync as soon as you stop being distracted by stuff you can't control and focus on the basics. Make a list, clean out the junk snacks, go to the supermarket for raw veggies & hummus or something else healthy, promise yourself you'll go to bed an hour earlier, shut off the screens and read a real book for 45 minutes in bed, shut off the light, don't let your head spin at that point with what else you have to do, and start over tomorrow with less coffee and a better list.

Is that your question? Are you an idiot?

I guess since you know what your issues are then you can work to fix them. Good luck.

I think it's the going back to school summer is ending mode we all find ourselves in - takes an adjustment period :)

my vote is for 'or what.'
i mean, you might be an idiot, but i've never got that impression from reading your stuff.
i do the stay-up-too-late-and-snack thing too. i hope there are great answers down below for dealing with it. i've been doing it my whole life, though.
i mean, it could be mama brain, could be seasonal change, could be just because, could be something serious.
maybe commit to a week of good clean livin', eating simply, making yourself go to bed on time, saying no to extraneous stuff, keeping good lists. see if you've shaken it off by the end of the week. if not, make an appointment for a physical.
my guess is it's just a phase.
mercury IS in retrograde, after all.
khairete
S.

Well, I'm a night owl, always have been, from my toddler years (according to my mother). I have been a SAHM for 18 years and just went back to work outside the home. I feel like I can't remember ANYTHING. My brain needs more sleep, but I cannot fall asleep when I "need" to fall asleep. I was up until 1:38 a.m. last night. I felt sleepy earlier in the evening (around 9:00ish, when I had things to do before I could go to bed), but by the time I did all the "before bed" things I needed to do, I wasn't sleepy anymore.
I'm adjusting. Slowly. But I feel your pain.