Friday, October 31, 2008

Slacker Mom Goes all Scary

I honestly thought my day yesterday was going just fine and I was all uber-mom when I remembered that it was the day before Halloween and I dressed my Olivia in an orange tee shirt as we headed off to preschool. All the way there I was mentally calculating how much work I could accomplish in my 5 heavenly child free hours today.

We pull into the parking lot and the kid next to us getting out of his minivan is wearing a full Dalmatian dog outfit. Oh, how cute I thought, the 4's class must be letting their kids wear costumes. Then we enter the building and round the corner only to hear the teacher say..."Oh, Phoenix (no, I didn't make that up, the kid's name is Phoenix...and don't think I won't get to the bottom of that story before May) what a wonderful Buzz Lightyear you make." Oh shit, Livi is the only one of 10 kids not in full on Halloween garb. I'm trading in the stainless steel refrigerator for my old semi working white one that allows you to stick life's important memos to it with magnets...obviously I missed the preschool calendar notes this month.

Wait it gets worse. The teachers inform me that I can simply come back 15 minutes early before the Halloween show to dress her in a costume. Ah, what show I ask. They laugh acting like they are playing along with my dimwit game, "acting" like I don't know that there is some show today at 10:30am. I then proceed to ask what the kids will do after the show as far as the costumes go, since several of the kids, including my Olivia stay for extended day to play in their fabulous gymnasium. As luck would have it they have decided that there is no extended day during holidays. Halloween, a full holiday warranting early dismissal? What's next? No preschool on Secretary's Day. But remember to pay the full amount on the way out please.

Ok, so I'm to show up 4 hours early for preschool pumpkin songs, a cookie and early dismissal. Hmmm...making those seven handbags probably isn't going to happen, I think sullenly to myself on the way out.

I left seriously unnerved and wearing the scarlet letter S...for slacker mom. Then I came back to preschool in 1 hour after scurrying on home for Olivia's 1/2 finished costume. I was off balance all day until my girlfriend across the street who works a real full time job while raising 2 sons told me that she completely forgot to take her 11 year old to the first 2 whole days of school television crew practice. She just completely forgot for 2 whole days. When she asked the volunteers in charge they simply said they thought he might be sick since he was a no show. See, I'm not the only one in the neighborhood with a stainless steel refrigerator.

Here is Liv, on stage, checking out the people setting up the treat bags and cookie stand out in the audience, stage right.












And here is she auditioning for the NY Philharmonic. I mean shaking little bells to the tune of 5 little pumpkins sitting on a fence.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not the last time ~ I can assure you (from experience) of that. Damn stainless steel!

Traci

Anonymous said...

I hate my fridge for that very reason.

I "had" to have the stainless wrapped one no less so I don't even get a little bitty place to hang stuff.

I forget stuff all the time for that very reason. Welcome to the club.

Tracy said...

No stainless here, but I have a teeny tiny 90 year old house, so the fridge is in the original mud room. Double drat, no place for notes and no mud room... OH, the notes and mud room all end up on the kitchen floor.

She did look cute - if that is worth anything!

Anonymous said...

lol!! That's why I love my new Mac computer and my iCal... every day, I check in to see what's up with the family - we each have our own colour and it's easy to keep track... yeah, I know, I'm totally a dweeb but this is the first time I've been convinced to use anything other than a paper agenda and I'm loving it. Just think, not having to rewrite all birthdays and anniversaries into a new agenda every year, it just does it on its own!!lol Anyhow, all worked out and she was a cutie!!

Julie

Anonymous said...

Thanks for acknowledging the working moms. I try to pretend I can do everything. . . but I can't. It's been quite frustrating lately despite the old school refrigerator, the calendar on the refrigerator, and the eternal "to do" list on my desktop. There's just too much to keep up with! And to make you feel a little bit better, I'm a teacher and I don't feel we do the best job communicating because we expect parents to know so much about how things work in our schools. But every school is so different and as a parent I find it difficult to access the information sometimes. Plus, those forgetful-too busy moments happen to every single parent, so don't feel too bad :)

RamblingMother said...

she is cute and she survived as did you.

Anonymous said...

Phoenix, huh? I thought it was strange when Leah had two little boys in preschool named Ashby and Sterling. Bad taste knows no bounds!

Anonymous said...

I heart you! This made me laugh out loud. Three weeks ago I missed a doctors appointment(to the tune of $35,) cub scouts, and a very important church retreat all for the same child! This most assuredly takes away my mother of the year award. Hopefully they'll still let him make his 1st Communion even though he missed the retreat.

Liv looks just lovely up there on the stage.

Kristin said...

You're in good company here... that stainless refrigerator has been my downfall.

Nikki said...

All's well that ends well...and Livi looks absolutely angelic in that sweet costume.
(hope you got your handbags done, too!)