How You Can Tell It's Busy Season

(This is from 2010, but is is very timely)

David hates the term "busy season" because he's busy all year. It's just that at certain times of the year he is busier than other times. And this is one of those times. He probably has about 3 or more busy seasons now in the course of a year, but the summer busy season is by far the longest, about 2-2 1/2 months. He works 7 day weeks & comes home very late every night. In case you didn't know, David is a tax consultant for a CPA firm. He deals with corporate taxes & tax planning & some other stuff.

If you can't seem to remember that the summer busy season is July through September 15, well, here are some signs:

1. Our house, from the outside, begins to look abandoned. At the moment, the sign with our address on it that hangs from our mailbox stand is dangling by one hook, our lawn has been completely overtaken by crabgrass (which is about a foot high now), and the shrubs are very overgrown.
2. The kids start going to bed earlier & earlier. If you stop by at 7pm and the kids are both in bed already, you know it's been a busy season kind of day.
3. You see me shopping with my kids at night. Who, in their right mind, would do it unless they have no choice?
4. I start to get that crazed "I'm barely holding it together here" look in my eyes.
5. You notice me gaining lots of weight. Yes, I eat when I'm stressed. I used to clean when I was stressed. I should still do that, but as it is now I'm too tired to clean, so I have to eat.
6. My kids start to look like orphans. Their hair gets too long & their fingernails start to look a little clawlike. They may get fewer baths, too.
7. If I come over to visit, you may have trouble getting rid of me. Hey, once I get out of here, I don't want to come back. Can you blame me?
8. My kids begin watching way too much TV. I'm pretty sure they watched about 5 hours of TV today. I know you're not supposed to let TV babysit your kids, but on some days I think Mickey, Thomas, Tom, & Jerry are actually better at taking care of my kids than I am.
9. You'll notice Michael spending too much time on the computer. I let him create a website one day just so I could get a nap. I also have let him open three email accounts for the same reason.
10. If you call me (or if I call you), you may have trouble getting me to stop talking. Hey, what's a girl gotta do for a little adult conversation around here?!