Most days, life feels like a circus—and I’m stuck in the center ring. As a stay-at-home mom, managing a defiant preschooler, an aging dog, a teenage cat, co-parenting a preteen with a toxic ex, a pregnancy, and endless housework, I feel like I’m just barely keeping my head above water. And I know I’m not alone—any parent who’s been buried under “too much at once” will agree wholeheartedly. Tis the season of survival.

My Mini Menace

My almost 4-year-old son is in a stage I can only describe as nonstop chaos. He’s defiant, doesn’t listen, and fills the air with constant, unnecessary noises—screaming, yelling, and high-pitched sounds just for the hell of it. Tantrums and crying spells erupt throughout the day, often over the smallest things, making it nearly impossible to get anything done, including simple tasks like making phone calls.

Potty training? A nightmare. He takes off his pull-ups and smears poop on the walls, floors, and sheets during what’s supposed to be nap time (though let’s be real—he doesn’t nap at all). Sometimes he even pees in toy storage containers. He turns the bathroom into a waterpark—flushing the toilet endlessly and running the faucets in the sink and bathtub. I have to constantly stop what I'm doing, getting up every five seconds to see what he's doing now, making it difficult to get anything done. He hits me (just me, lucky me), throws things everywhere (including at me), and yanks hair from the dog, cat, or stuffed animals, leaving yet another mess for me to clean before it snowballs. Some nights, he wakes everyone up crying for no legitimate reason. Twice a week we add speech therapy into the mix—which is great for him, but just another responsibility on my already overflowing plate.

Before becoming pregnant, I used to manage taking him out several times a week—to the zoo, the aquarium, the natural history museum, and other outings—but lately I just haven’t had the energy. Even small trips feel exhausting, leaving me more worn down and trapped at home with his whirlwind ways.

The Aging Dog

Our senior dog is like Velcro with legs—glued to my side, always underfoot, and barking more than before. She needs to be let out more frequently, has accidents if she’s not crated at night or when we’re out of the house, and sometimes throws up from eating what my youngest drops—none of which were issues before. A new development is that if left alone and uncrated, she scratches holes in the wall. With arthritis, slobber, nails that click loudly on the wood floors despite trimming, and a strong lingering odor even when clean, she feels like one more demand I can’t escape.

The Teenage Cat

Our teenage cat is her own brand of crazy. Zoomies at all hours, rummaging in places she shouldn’t be, getting herself stuck in rooms and closets, late-night toy marathons, and middle-of-the-night meowing—you name it. If I close our bedroom door, she loudly digs and scratches to get in. There’s no winning.

The Preteen and Co-Parenting Stress

My 11-year-old son lives primarily with his narcissistic dad, which means I deal with a steady stream of drama from a distance. Privacy violations, controlling and manipulative emails, constant competition and copying—it’s exhausting. (For the full story, see my blogs Understanding the Overt Narcissist and Navigating Co-Parenting Challenges.)

Pregnancy on Top of It All

I’m 25 weeks pregnant with a baby girl, and I’m absolutely ecstatic! After having two sons, I’m thrilled to experience life with a daughter and finally go wild with pink. But with any pregnancy comes exhaustion, aches and pains, extra hormones, and heightened emotions. This one has been especially challenging given my age—36—and the many responsibilities on my plate. I often feel frustrated and guilty that I can’t be “perfect” in this pregnancy—adding even more stress. Rest feels impossible—my body is screaming for a break that never comes, and I’m running on fumes—but life doesn’t stop.

The Weight of Household Responsibilities

The house doesn’t run itself. I’m still handling vacuuming, mopping, bathrooms, the kitchen, endless toy cleanups, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, weeds, and daily messes. It never ends, and it never feels finished. And just when you think you’re done, life throws more random curveballs like clogged toilets, power outages, internet crashes, or a car tire suddenly going low or the battery needing replacement. It’s overwhelming.

My Husband’s Help (and Why It Still Feels Like Not Enough)

My husband has a demanding full-time career, yet still helps out—taking care of dishes, handling the trash, and often taking our youngest out for a couple of hours so I can get a much-needed break. I appreciate it deeply, but with so much happening all at once, it still never feels like enough to tip the balance. I’m drowning in everything else, and I can’t expect him to be my lifesaver when he’s at his limit too.

Closing Reflection

Each day feels like juggling flaming swords…while riding a unicycle…on a tightrope…with confetti being thrown in your face.

I try to stay calm and not let frustration consume me, but honestly, it feels damn near impossible most days. Between the poop, barking, meowing, tantrums, chores, pregnancy pains—it’s relentless. 

And even though life is hard right now, I remind myself how grateful I am for everything I have. It’s just a challenging season. Even in the chaos, there are small pockets of joy—my youngest laughing when he’s genuinely happy, the way the dog lovingly looks at me, the cat curling up on my lap, or an intimate moment with my husband. Those moments are fleeting, but they remind me that life isn’t only stress and mess. They give me just enough breathing room to exhale and keep going.

All I want is more moments of peace and quiet, but right now, that feels unattainable. And no, I don’t think I’ll look back and “miss” this stage. The truth is, I’ll be glad when it’s behind me.

For now, I’m just surviving—one mess, one meltdown, one midnight madness at a time—and reminding myself that even the hardest seasons don’t last forever.

One day, my almost 4-year-old terror will be older, better behaved, and attending elementary school. We may no longer have the responsibility of caring for a senior dog. The cat will be older, lazier, and quieter. My preteen will be an adult, and I won’t have to co-parent with a narcissist anymore. My baby girl will be in kindergarten. Life will feel slower, calmer, and quieter. But until then, I’ll have to take it one chaotic moment at a time.

If you’re in survival mode too, know you’re not alone. Sometimes, the only way through is to admit: this is too much right now, and that’s okay.