Today was been one of those weeks, y'all. It's the last day of school before Christmas break, which means the kids and I were scrambling to package boxes of Christmas cookies for all their teachers this morning (when we should have been eating breakfast). It was at that moment, at 8:07 AM, when I remembered that Connor was supposed to have cards and a small gift FOR EACH OF THE 17 STUDENTS in his kindergarten class for his party today, and oh yes, each card was supposed to be hand-addressed to his classmates. (It was actually homework, to encourage the kids to work on their writing skills.) And while
That would be a negative.
So we kick up the adrenaline and start cramming some not-quite-hardened Faux Thin Mints into goody bags with cards and homemade marshmallows. And Teyla has a stinky diaper, which makes her scream with pain, because she also has some diaper rash right now that looks like a third degree burn. (Too many Clementines. That girl is a fanatic.)
We finally get everything packaged and I rush everyone toward the door to get on their coats and backpacks and such, and I'm throwing some more cookies into the car along with some pans of Pioneer Woman's lasagna to deliver and we are now 10 MINUTES LATE, which means we WILL be late for school, which hasn't happened yet this year (which is a miracle in itself, but I don't have time to stop and point that out right now), and Natalie is starting to look very somber and sad about the fact that she will be walking into her class after the bell has rung.
We peal out of the driveway, and I'm halfway down the block already when Connor says, "I don't have my backpack."
Deep breath. Reverse. Inhale. Exhale. Open the garage door. Send the boy to get his backpack, since he'll need his snack after not eating breakfast and he'll surely have tons of stuff to bring home today, the last day before break. So we're loaded again, and now even later, and Natalie has tears in her eyes, and I'm so stressed you could pluck the tune to "Silent Night" on my neck tendons.
Then we get to school and we're scooping all our packages and backpacks and snow pants out of the car when Connor says, "I didn't bring my snowpants."
Deep breath.
"Or my boots."
DEEP. BREATH.
Then I notice: His bag of classroom treats is also missing from the van.
I don't remember anything after that. I'm pretty sure it's because my head exploded
But somehow, we made it to the afternoon. And now I'm sitting here, in my quiet house. Teyla is napping. I've eaten lunch, and it didn't consist of three kinds of Christmas cookies and the icing that had pooled on the wax paper.
And my tree is lit and the snow is glittering and the sun is shining and all is well.
And all will be well.
P.S. I was supposed to tell you TWO DAYS ago that I wrote about the all-important ultrasound over at 5 Minutes for Parenting this week. I'm a need-to-know girl when it comes to the gender, and I detailed why in my post. So far, most of the comments are siding with me. But surely there are some I-want-a-surprise people out there. So come over and join the conversation.
P.S.S. My ultrasound is on Tuesday. AHHHH! I can hardly stand it!
I'm laughing with you, not at you.
ReplyDeleteThat of course, assumes, you are at the point of being able to laugh about it.
Sorry about the head explosion thing. I know how that feels. Slow snowy weekends are just the thing for recovery. :-)
The year we were in France, we bought chocolates for their teachers, and ended up being REALLY late for school. They did not usually flow with lateness at that school, but we discovered that if you bring them chocolates, they don't care how late you are! They don't have the tradition of giving teacher gifts in France, so we were enormously popular.
ReplyDeleteAnd he had to bring a personalized gift for each child? What? Yikes!
Oh, dear, what a morning! I can't believe you've made it so far into the year without being late. That's really an accomplishment. From what I hear from other moms with school-age kids, it happens to them often.
ReplyDeleteI feel compelled to publicly correct myself: Connor didn't have to have 17 unique personalized gifts. He was just supposed to have a card and/or a small gift (a pencil, candy, stickers) for each child. They could all be the same -- except for the name on the front. (Of course, we never got to that part. I felt triumphant that we at least got him to sign the inside of the card.)
ReplyDeleteAnd Minnesota Mom, you have no idea what a miracle it is that my kids have been on time this year. It's proof of God's intervention in my life, because I have been late for everything my whole life. (I say it started when my Mom delivered me well past my due date.) Having kids in school -- and being the one responsible for getting them there -- has really helped me reform on that front. I didn't want to pass on my craziness to them.
Oh man, yesterday was my day like that, and I didn't even have snacks for Boo to bring to school, just me to work. It was awful.
ReplyDeleteI hope the rest of your day got better, and that your relaxing (hopefully) afternoon was wonderful.
Yes! How comforting to know I am not the alone one that has been stressed out of my mind with school stuff!! I'm going crazy.
ReplyDeleteBut, all that is over .... at least for a few weeks :)
What a whirlwind. I feel dizzy after reading about your morning.
ReplyDeleteClementines are the mortal enemy of toddler-bums. Beatrix had that same issue last year, but this year (still nuts for Clementines) is much better. She seems to have outgrown whatever sensitivity she had.
I have an obsessive compulsive need to be on time for EVERYTHING.
ReplyDeleteThis post made ME anxious. And I was just living vicariously.
What.A.Day.