The Energizer Bunny: Meet Maria S.

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Hello there! I’m Maria – coffee-lover, teacher and the newest member of the Fairfield County Mom team, and I’m super excited to join this amazing team of Moms. Here’s a little about me…enjoy!

Remember when your most challenging morning situation was making sure both YOUR shoes matched (come on, I can’t be the only person who before having kids realized at 2 p.m. you had on two very similar but indeed DIFFERENT black shoes!)? Thankfully, my students from those days have finally graduated from my school so I don’t have to worry about them reminding me of the most awkward moments. Or remember when the most challenging choice you had to make was whether to get hot or iced coffee on the way to work? It’s incredible how those memories make me laugh, and sometimes cry, when I look at how far my life has come. P.S. The answer is always iced coffee, even in the middle of this ridiculously cold winter, with skim milk, please. Either Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks works. Thanks, Janie (my super awesome assistant!)  A cup of coffee is just the icing on the cake, not that I eat cake, ever…. well, when no one is looking it doesn’t count! Nowadays, a typical work day looks a little more like this:

  • Up by 6 a.m., unless my hubby who gets up at 5 a.m.’ accidentally’ puts on the lights and makes enough clatter to wake me up or wake up our son.
  • 6:35 a.m. – I get the first sips of coffee in me and think it will be all good. I check that my menu planner meal is ready to defrost or see if I need to prep it at all.
  • 6:45 a.m. – The child starts making noise, I tiptoe around and silently bribe him to let me take a shower before Nonna arrives (my mom or MIL).
  • By 7:45 a.m., I’ve manage to shower, dress myself in my (self-imposed) uniform of an Old Navy polo shirt, a cable knit sweater, and some form of khaki after sighing for 10 mins about the lack of clothing options, grab more coffee and hopefully a yogurt, and dash to work. (Luckily I only work about 4.5 miles from home.)
  • I get to work by 8 and usually realize that my prepared lunch is missing ½ of the planned food because I spent too much time snuggling with my son. At my desk, I log into all my social media and check numerous emails about child pick up/drop off and any emergency meetings we will have over the next 24 hours.
  • By noon, I’ve managed to eat lunch (what I ate, I have no idea, because it’s barely 15 mins- but hey, sometimes I don’t even get that at home) and check in about my son once or twice.
  • By 3 p.m., the kids are on the bus, and most days, this is when I can pretend to relax for an hour before I have to tutor or go to the gym.
  • At 6:30 p.m., we are finally sitting down for dinner… 3 different dinners…my son is allergic to dairy/eggs/nuts/shrimp and has no interest in eating, hubby doesn’t eat fruits/veggies/pasta/rice, and I am trying to lose another 15lbs, so… Yeah, that’s fun.
  • Somehow it’s 9 p.m. We have played, showered and pj’ed, read about 10 books, snuggled, called both Nonnas, and said our prayers before having a group hug. Then I rock- yes, I love this 10mins of alone time with my son- before saying good night and adding my special ‘Please sleep through the night’ prayer. At this point, if I haven’t had 10 mins to throw every dirty dish in the dishwasher, I do.

Finally, I sit on the sofa, think about what I need to prep for tomorrow, and actually talk to hubby for 10 mins before getting ready to maybe watch my one show of the day and write in my gratitude journal.

Most days I’m just grateful we made it to bed with no major meltdowns (adult or toddler) and that we have a warm bed and enough food to recharge ourselves before we have to start over.

I hope every mommy has a wonderful day and a little moment at some point today where you can cherish some peace while also appreciating how lucky we moms are to be blessed with the wonderful chaos that is a family.

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Maria Sette
Maria is a full-time mom, teacher, wife, daughter, and sister, who feels pulled in too many directions! Her older son Michael took over 24 hours to be born, and at six-months-old was diagnosed with allergies to dairy, eggs, nuts, soy, shrimp, and wheat…all after exclusively nursing because she was SO SURE that would help him be a healthy kid. Luckily at age 1, he began to outgrow some of his allergies. Fingers crossed the others will soon follow because that plus a husband who doesn’t eat any veggies and Maria always battling her weight makes for three meals to prepare every night. Luckily, Christopher, her younger son, is a cooperative eater! As someone who has always been committed to making positive change, Maria uses her privilege and position as an educator and mom to work toward a most anti-racisit, equitibile, and inclusive world. Recently, Maria has even started getting up at 5am to workout in her basement. (Thank you pandemic living!) She is addicted to reading chicklit on her Kindle app in the dark, most Trader Joe’s products, and watching TikToks.

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