Yesterday, There Were Tears in the Spaghetti

Yesterday was one of those days. You know the kind. It had just gotten dark outside, the kids were just coming in from playing outside with friends and Dug—our family dog with impeccable timing—decided to bolt out the door. Cue total chaos. The kids were crying, which set me off crying too (not the best timing for that emotional rollercoaster, but you know, it had been a week). Tommy was at work, so it was just me in full meltdown mode, facing a runaway dog, three kids who were just as frazzled as I was, and a half-cooked dinner.

Normally, I’m the “we got this” type. I can handle messes, spills, tantrums, the whole mom thing, no sweat. But yesterday? Yesterday, I was not that mom. I was the mom with tears in her spaghetti, literally.

Here’s the thing: we all have days that just come out of nowhere, hit us hard, and leave us feeling like we’re barely holding it together. And as much as I wish I had some magic way to power through gracefully every time, I’ve realized that part of surviving these days is just… surrendering to them. Accepting that sometimes you’re going to cry into the pasta water, and that’s okay.

In moments like these, I remind myself that it’s okay to let the “perfect mom” ideal go. Some days, just getting through is an accomplishment. We hear so much about balance, about “keeping it together,” but honestly, there are going to be days when it feels like everything is falling apart, and you just need to sit with that for a second and let yourself feel it.

I didn’t finish everything I wanted to yesterday. The kids’ lunches didn’t get prepped, the blog post I wanted to write stayed unwritten, and, sure, there were tears all over dinner. But I also learned (again) that it’s okay to let go of the pressure to be everything all the time. Some days, surviving is enough. Some days, you cry into your spaghetti, you hug your kids a little tighter, and you let go of whatever didn’t get done.

So if you ever find yourself having one of these days, don’t feel like you have to brush it off or hide it. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is let yourself feel it, mess and all. And if that means a few tears in the spaghetti now and then, well, that’s just part of the recipe💛