Silly Mommy!

Dragging herself out of bed, the groggy mommy reached for her purple robe and put it on as she shuffled her way to the bathroom.  After splashing cold water on her face and brushing her teeth, the somewhat revived mommy then headed for her daughters’ bedroom to wake them up.  “Time to get up, Angels!  Please get dressed and come up for breakfast.”  Their daddy had already kissed them "good-morning" before he left for work.  Pulling her robe tighter around her, she then made her way to the kitchen.   It had snowed the night before, and she could feel the morning chill seep through the bottom of the doors.  She put on her over-sized fuzzy slippers and got to work.  First breakfast then lunches.  As she busily got to it, she found herself thinking about her husband.  He was always happy in the morning.  Singing in the shower, smiling.  She, on the other hand, had to make an effort to shrug off the temptation to crawl back into bed and go back to sleep.  She was not a morning person.  A bowl of cereal, toast, juice and water made up their breakfasts.  “Come and get it!”  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, cheese crackers, fruit juice, cupcakes and a note completed their lunches.  The girls came running into the dining room, laughing and giggling.  The inspired mommy set off to get dressed when she realized what time it was.

”Hurry!" prodded the now panicked mommy.  "We're going to miss the school bus!"  Getting the girls to the school bus on time was essential.  After breakfast, it was rush rush rush with the teeth brushing and the tangled hair combing and the getting-the-shoes-on-at-the-last-minute.  “Damn!”  The frantic mommy had forgotten to heat up the car, and being that it was so cold out, the engine needed time to warm up.  She grabbed her keys and ran outside into the crunchy snow filling her slippers with each sinking step.  Cursing under her breath, the stressed out mommy attempted to open the car door when she realized it was frozen shut.  “Son of a bitch!”  After working it a little, she was able to open it causing an avalanche of snow to cover her shoulders as well as the front seat of the car.  Not wanting to waste any time, the irritated mommy sat on the front seat, soaking her behind as she started the engine.   After blasting the heat which was freezing cold, she reached for the ice scraper on the back seat which wasn't there.  Now, the angry mommy was cursing expletives under breath as she made her way to the windshield, using the sleeve of her robe to wipe off the snow.  Her happy husband, in his cheer, forgot to put the ice scraper back into her car.  Covered in snow and feeling the chill, she hurried back inside to get to her daughters.  "Let's go, Ladies!" yelled the shivering mommy.  The bus stop was less than a minute away.  She could do this.

  

With numbed fingers, the frazzled mommy buckled in her little ones.  She was not about to miss that bus.  Getting into her seat, she tried to shut the door when she realized it wouldn't.  That is, not until the car was warmed up.  About to blow, but being painfully aware of her happy little angels in the back seat, the controlled mommy held the door closed with one hand while clutching the steering wheel with the other.  As she made her way down the long driveway, she prayed for the ice to thaw on her windshield so she could see where she was going.  The morning sun wasn’t warm enough to melt it, and the car heater hadn’t yet reached the defrosting temperature.  As she entered the road, the blinding sun reflecting off the snow-covered road caused her to slow down to a snail’s pace.  A quiet hysteria started to mount as she leaned toward the window, peering through peephole of visibility that was beginning to form.  Finally nearing the bus stop, the adrenaline-rushed mommy felt victorious as she looked at the clock on the dashboard and noticed she was two minutes early!

Idling on the empty road, she wondered, ” Where is everybody?"  She could feel the panic rise in her again.  "What's going on?  Did we miss the bus?!  Did the bus driver come early?!  Nah, he’ll be a little late because of the snow.  He always is.  Where the heck is he?!  I don’t want to you to be late for school!  I'll have to walk you in!”  As she proceeded to lose her mind, the little ones in the back just waited for their mommy to return.  When she did, they were finally on their way to school with the door shut, heat blasting and full visibility.

Still buzzing a little, the perturbed mommy remembered that she was in her robe and slippers, and it was obvious that she hadn’t run a brush through her hair.  Imagining herself walking her kids into the school nearly put her over the edge.  “Crap!”  The agitated mommy drove a little faster than usual until she entered the school zone.  She wasn’t in the mood to get pulled over by the Sheriff again, embarrassing herself and her children.  

As they slowly approached the school, the frenzied mommy noticed it was deserted.  Huh?  No teachers.  No buses.  No morning hustle bustle of parents dropping off their children.  What the…?  And then it hit her – there was no school that day!  It was an in-service day, and if she had bothered to read the notices brought home in the girls' backpacks...

In that moment, the incredulous mommy did what she always did - she laughed...out loud.  The girls chimed in.  "Silly Mommy!"  You got that right.  Feeling relieved, the smiling mommy turned her car around and drove into their better, calmer day.

-LD