I love the curly hair do, keep using the new curling iron!

Anyway, yesterday I was dropping off my teen-ager at school. but she is the one that speaks her thoughts.

“Is that Ryan on the moped. Why is he driving to school on a moped?”

“Mom drop me off at the front door.”

“Is that Ashley’s mom? I wish she would hurry up. It doesn’t take all day to get out of a car!”

“I’ve got lunch money.”

“I’m riding home with Katie. We are going to play tennis after school.”

“I love you too mommy. See you tonight”

I must admit that I finally gave up the “yoga pants” look after I was “caught in the act” of dressing that way when my 20 yr/old Beretta broke down in the school drop off line. My car was pushed to the parking lot and would not start. Here I am, it’s -5 degrees F windchill in yoga pants , thin windbreaker and backless tennis shoes – no socks AND I had an 11 m/o baby that I was watching. I kept praying that my engine would start , because there was no way on God’s great earth that I was getting out of that car in front of the principal, PTA president , etc looking like that. Well , God was gracious, and my car ran long enough to let me coast down the the hill from the school to my auto repair shop – which is conveniently located at the bottom of the hill – praise God. I walked home 6 blocks in 7 inches of snow ( remember the backless shoes – no socks) carrying this baby that was thankfully toasty in snow pram , blanket and boots. ( Oh yeah ..and .. no makeup – scary!!)

1) “OK, have I got a meeting ANYTIME today? Let’s see – I had MTAC yesterday afternoon and I got minutes typed and sent in. Did we have the social committee meeting yet this month? Or was that the safety committee meeting I was at yesterday afternoon? Oh geez! I’ll bet that was the social committee meeting in the media center yesteray afternoon. No wonder they all looked at me funny as I walked through to check my mailbox. Oh well…hope Charmaine took the minutes.”

2) “Did I call Sam’s mom yet and tell her that he didn’t do his homework? Maybe I’ll just shoot her an e-mail when I get there. After all, she DID tell me to notify her if he failed to do his homework ONE more time. No that was Patti’s mom. I think…..have to check the parent contact log.”

3) “Is Kenny out of in-school suspension yet? Oh drat, he still has another day. That means I have got to send that aggravating Publisher assignment down to him. Hope Kade’Jha is there today so she can walk it down to him.”

and finally, the best thing that comes to mind…..

4) “How many more days before I actually get paid for those after-school/Saturday Academy activities that I worked?! I need the money so I can put gas in this car. (As I pass the gas station on the lefthand side of the road and glance at the prices…) Speaking of gas, IT’S GONE UP AGAIN! I’m going to be riding my horse to work if this keeps up! How much does a gallon of hay cost compared to a gallon of gas?”

Of course, driving home is a little different. Then I’m usually thinking:

1) “OK I only have this set of kids another 7 days. SEVEN – MORE – DAYS. I mean – I’ve only had them a total of 83 days so far. My sanity is already shot anyhow. Seven more days…but then – oh then – I get a new set. Wonder if Michael is in my new set? No I served my time last year teaching him. Surely I won’t have him again. They wouldn’t punish me in that way.”

2) “How many more days of school do we have left? Are we up to the 100th school day yet at least? No….not until mid February. Oh well…. only two more days this week.”

3) “I wonder what’s for dinner tonight. Maybe I’ll make something good like a roast pork loin or something. Nah….got that leftover spaghetti in the frig…better eat that first. Besides, my stomach isn’t feeling too good. Probably acid reflux from that pizza I ate from the lunchroom today ….Oh well, there goes my esophagus. Hey there’s that hawk sitting on the powerline again….” (BTW that hawk is there almost daily and is like an old friend. So I understand your thoughts about the buzzards.)

and naturally….

4) “I wonder if God will have mercy on me and let us have fog tomorrow morning so we’ll have a two-hour delay….”

So be thankful you don’t teach or trust me, you WILL end up talking to yourself.

I used to drive my kids to Christian school eons ago, and I always think of this incident when I remember those days. I was on my way home across town with the little darlings in the back seat, along with a gallon of milk I just bought at the store, when in my rear view mirror I saw a police car’s flashing lights. I thought he was just passing through on the way to a fire or something, so I stomped on the brakes and pulled off as far as I could, which participated the gallon of milk tipping over and spilling out into the back floorboard (the cap was obviously too loose!). When I turned to set the jug of milk up, I saw the police car had stopped——BEHIND ME!!! My mind was racing—–what did I do? I wonder if my proof of insurance and registration is in the glovebox? I could hear the “glub glub glub” of a gallon of milk was spilling out on the floor of our brand new Buick Riviera! (Hubby’s gonna flip!) But I had to search for my papers first. The policeman stepped up the window and asked for the papers, and luckily I had them (that’s a first!). He informed me I was speeding…….a lot. And he said he would take my papers and license back to his car for a minute to run it through the computer. When he was out of earshot, I turned to my kids, who were all upset and crying! I tried to put their little minds at ease and told them it was just a ticket and everything would be alright. (By that time the gallon jug was empty and the milk in a pool in that floor well thing.) But they didn’t buy it and my oldest said, “No Mom, you’re going to JAIL, I know it! Then turning to her sister, she said, “They’re taking Mommy to jail, Sissy, and we’re gonna miss cartoons! Mommy, call Daddy and tell him to come get us before 4 o’clock!

This is the gospel truth! It was that day I realized where I stood in their list of priorities!

BTW, the car stunk like sour milk for months, even though I rented a steam cleaner and worked on it until I thought I would wear the carpet out! And my hubby was UPSET! But he got over it. We’re still married.

Now, where were we?

Oh, and my best girlfriend tried to pick up her newspaper “polo” style while driving up her driveway , and she ran smack into the garage door before it opened all the way. (Her husband wasn’t happy either.) Be careful.

I’m with Phyllis S – it’s a great time to talk to God and listen to what he has to say. Just wish the other drivers on the road would listen to Him too. (sorry I think my inner snark was coming out there). Have a great day.

Hope Madi is feeling better and that you do not catch what she has.

Hey leave your Christmas stuff up, it’s okay, I still have mine up.

Now the afternoon commute is when I rely on the conservation I had with God earlier that morning, believe me I really need Him in the afternoon, and I have to say I am sorry for my actions by the time I get home, but He Forgives. (smiles)

Do you know how many women put on their makeup, how many people talk on the phone or even worse yet, how many people text message while they drive. So scary!

1) The traffic-director lady from the sheriff’s office leans in reeeeaaal close to your car window to inspect you. ( I think she thought she had a DUI at 8:00 am.)

2) You have to take your hands off the wheel to make a sweeping gesture to make your point. ( WHO, exactly, you are making the point to is up for debate.)

3) You realize that you have to interrupt yourself in mid-sentence to sing along with the radio.

4) Your child keeps turning up the volume on his Ipod.

Auburn, now you have me thinking–to tell the truth, I’m not exactly sure whether my stream-of-consciousness dialogue is actually spoken out loud or just in my head! Food for thought…

Mariajhmom–I don’t have a coffee-cup nightgown– which sounds DARLING, btw– but I did spill coffee down the front of my tank top, if that counts.

Oh my gosh–think I will read it again just so I can laugh more..My sides..my sides!! they are killing me!!

Great post Tori.

Tammy

Oh, and the Christmas decorations? Listen to “Redneck Woman” sometime! She leaves her lights up all year. But who am I to talk? I love NASCAR!