Today.....

I am blogging about today - just today...not yesterday, not tomorrow, just today.  My day started at 5am when I woke up.  I do not know why I woke up then, I just did.  Boys come in at 6:50 and 7:00 and the day begins.  Grant decides he is going to work because he needs to to payroll, he believes that there is something on his desk that he needs to tend to and he will be back by 1:30.  He drops Mason off for DRUM (music) and I take Nolan to regular start.  I come back and think - alone, alone at last, I should sleep....but then I feel it, a swift kick in the butt and the words, "GO TO BIBLE STUDY."  I have not been in weeks.  Pretty sure that is God.  Then, I hear, "And put on some make up."  Pretty sure that is NOT God.  I listen to both voices in my head and go.  It was good.  Lunch canceled - the person I was having lunch with had to do a repeat mammogram and only could schedule it then, REALLY GOOD EXCUSE!!!!!  So, I have some time.  Go pick up some things from a partner PTA who has been in a bit of a pickle.  Get the stuff, organize a plan to help her during the one down time in my day (3-5 only because Grant will be home sick), and move on to Student Leadership at Neely.  Courtney (my awesome volunteer that saves me regularly) and I get an AMAZING amount of work done, but the kids are, how do you say, not unruly, but single minded.  The single minded part was, when it was time to go they got to leave.  That is fine, but all was not done and there was PLENTY of time to do it.  So, as I closed the door to the room and said, "I am done with cleaning up after you, look at the floor, pick up all the agendas, crayons, markers, etc and put them away."  They continued to stare at me like I had to let them go.  (Still five mins to the bell.)  I reply to the blank stares and open mouths with, "Looking at me will not clean the room, so look down, look BEHIND YOU, and clean it up.  We are Leadership."  Stares continue.  "Okay, let me put this another way, you are not leaving until you clean up the classroom.  I don't care in you miss your bus, track, etc. and I am not kidding."  Apparently, those are the magic words.  Really, fire me - it will so impact my income.  Oddly, more children were worried about being late to track than missing the bus.  That is "interesting"!  Poor Nolan.....kids were coming up to him and saying, "Does she always yell like that?"  He was good and said, "Listen, you know when my Mom is pissed, you also know when she is happy.  She was pissed."  (Would prefer he did  not use "pissed", but I am not perfect so who is to judge.")  Bravo Nolan.  A couple students said they would not come back.  Was that a threat?!?!?!?!  YIPPEE!  I said nothing, but thought, "This is Leadership - either you can hack it, or you can't."  They will be back and they will clean up - PROPERLY.  I then race Nolan home with him yammering on about this smoothie that they made in PE and how much he loved it and I had to buy all the ingredients and I had to make sure that the pineapple and the mango was frozen because it would be too watery, etc. etc..   Nolan has not touched Spinach in his life.  I LOVED SPINACH (until I puked it up in chemo, but I am working on that - it came out my nose....yuck).  So, I go to the store to shop for Kent Elementary PTA and, apparently, Nolan's smoothie.  Done and done.  I am late picking up Mason, but true to form, he was there waiting for me.  I knew that no one would bug him, knowing I would come, but at the same time, I knew all of them were watching so he was safe.  I love Neely.  I love Lori at Champions.  This is after Grant called me and said, "Have you picked up Mason?!?!??!  Do I need to get him?!?!?!?"  I was like, "Grant, I got it.  They stay put.  I tried to get to a parent but they already left.  This is MY life EVERYDAY.  We are fine."    Mason saw me at 300 yards.  I explained I did not forget him, it is just hard to juggle everything and ALWAYS be on time. He responded with, "I just got cold.  I did wonder if you were kidnapped, but thought that was unlikely."  Seriously?!?!?!?!   Who wants a cancer survivor with lots of issues???!?!?!?!  Got home, downed dinner, off to Nolan's soccer practice.  So, because I did a favor for Kent Elementary, the new PTA President said, "I found these and I know you are doing box tops.  Take them."  OMG.  They are due tomorrow.  Okay - THANK YOU!  Our drive is desperately low this year.....so I drop Nolan off at Soccer at Wilson fields which is UP THE HILL, I do my errands UP THE HILL and then I just need a table and warm air to count box tops.  I go to a restaurant that someone recommended and they were packed, so I to a place I go to with your Treasurer.  I walk in and say, I have one hour, need two beers and need a table to count.  Beer list?  No.  Red.  O-K-A-Y.  Then I see friends.....can't count with friends.  So, I count with my two beers, finish which includes cutting, and labeling, and garbage and sorting.  I have half of the last beer left, pay my tab - over tip, and go sit with my friends for 20 mins before I pick up my son from soccer.  Pause........I am a stay at home mom, that drops her kid off to soccer, to go to a pub and drink beer while counting box tops, and visit with her friends.....who by this dialogue are questionable...and then goes and gets her kids to come home and go to sleep. BTW - the pub is the highlight of her day.

That was today.

Things that make you go hhhmmmmmmm, Ang