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Total mom fail.

Or maybe not.

It’s the eve of the last day of Grade 7, and somehow time got the best of me.

For years, Christmas and the last day of school meant teacher gifts. Not just for teachers, but secretaries, principals, educational assistants and all of the people who poured into my kids. All lovingly thought out and carefully chosen.

Four kids. Three have already made it all the way through elementary school, and tomorrow is Christian’s last day of Grade 7 and his last year of elementary school.

And tonight, sitting in bed after a day that started at 5:30 a.m. and rolling in the door at 9:35 p.m., I realized I have nothing for tomorrow.

Last night was the soup kitchen. Tonight was a dinner meeting that ran longer than expected. There always seems to be one more errand, one more appointment, one more thing to squeeze in. And June just seems to be a lot. Between Father’s Day, birthdays, work, renovations, school trips, groceries, laundry, being Nonna, and just life in general, there just haven’t seemed to be enough hours in the day.

Certainly, I could have stopped at Shoppers Drug Mart or the local convenience store and slipped a Tim card in there. But unfortunately for me, I’m just not a “grab a gift card and run” kind of person. I like things to be meaningful and intentional.

Mom guilt is funny that way. It makes you feel like one missed thing erases all the things you’ve faithfully done for years.

But maybe this isn’t a failure.

Maybe this is just life.

So it’s not that I don’t think teachers are important. It’s not that I’m not grateful.

It’s just that this year, life got the best of me.

And one missed occasion doesn’t erase decades of appreciation.

Maybe teachers don’t measure appreciation by a gift bag.

Maybe being stretched thin doesn’t mean you’re falling short.

And maybe after all these years, it’s okay to admit that sometimes there simply aren’t enough hours in the day.

And tomorrow morning, Christian will head off for his last day of elementary school.

Without the carefully wrapped packages.

And I think I just have to accept that. ❤️

If I’m being honest… I can’t stand myself right now. 😂

It’s something I say all the time when I’m overtired, have worn myself too thin, and have packed too much into too few hours. It doesn’t mean I actually can’t stand myself. It’s just code for, “Janna needs to go to bed.”

June always feels like this, doesn’t it?

Between work, renovations, gardening, kids’ birthday parties, gifts to buy, end-of-school activities, and trying to get organized for summer, it feels like life is packed into every corner of the calendar.

There were definitely a few moments this weekend where I lost my cool, got impatient, and needed everyone around me to just lovingly stay out of my path. 😂

But all in all, it was a lovely and productive weekend.

Friday night I escaped work before 5:30 and made it to Warren Greenhouses for more flowers.

Saturday started with an 8 a.m. massage. Craig gave me a year of massages for my birthday last year, and apparently I’m slowly working my way through them. After that, we headed to Meadow Acres Garden Centre to order river rock for a backyard project and pick up some wall décor.

Back home, I started planting, realized I was short on supplies, and made another trip to RONA for flowers, a few extras, and a little swimming pool for River to enjoy with Poppy on Thursdays.

Of course, we stopped at Dairy Queen, where I stocked up on Dilly Bars — my favourite treat and one I don’t particularly enjoy sharing. 😂

By the end of the day, 27 pots and planters were finished.

Sunday was slower. We celebrated my mother-in-law Lorna’s 89th birthday, and before climbing into bed tonight, I tackled the laundry mountain.

Somewhere between eight and ten loads later, everything was washed, folded, and put away. Honestly, that may be one of my greatest accomplishments of the weekend. 😂

Now Craig and I are ending the evening quietly, watching church from home and calling it a night.

Because when I start saying, “I can’t stand myself,” what I really mean is…

“I’m tired, I’ve had enough, and I need to go to bed.”

And I have a feeling I’m not the only one feeling that way in June. 🤍