The sun was out, the weather was beautiful. I had a Skype date planned for around noon, so I had time to straighten up and then read for a bit first. The Skype thing actually worked well for the most part (our internet here is beyond slow. So slow that we cannot use our Vonage phone at all. We're working on the solution).
It was a great day!
When I was taking the kids to school, we had decided that after school we'd go to the library, then try the cupcake place downtown. I picked the kids up, we went to the library where I discovered that I could get my own account versus the Base policy of one account per family. I hadn't asked Robert for his library card because I didn't think I'd need to. Whoops. So the kids and I had to run home and get proof of address and then go back to the library to set up my account get the books we'd picked out.
Not really a big deal.
After that, we find a place to park, finally, and we walk to the cupcake shop. On our way, we discovered that the crossing lights apparently do not work downtown. Safety first, I guess? Alrighty then. As walk up to the cupcake shop, a young girl is locking the door and the sign says, "closed". Whaaaa? Sara was devastated. But hey, what else can you do when you sell out of cupcakes by 3:30 pm? Stay open so you can tell folks, "sorry, we're sold out?"
 |
| photo from www.tumblr/com |
We made it through the grocery store and the kids, after an extraordinary and amusing amount of bickering, decided on cupcakes. We had to get a pack of 6, since apparently the grocery store only sells enormous oversized cupcakes as singles. On the upside, we ended up with six for what we would have paid for three at the downtown bakery...so there's that.
As we are trying to leave the store parking lot and go home before the bag of ice I had to buy melted in the 80 degree weather we were having, we got behind an older gentleman in a huge boat of a car (Janet Evanovich/Stephanie Plum fans - it's like the car she borrows from her dad) who was going all of 5 mph through this huge parking lot and braking about every 6 feet. Siiiiiiiiiigh.
I should also mention it was HOT in my car and when I get hot for no good reason, I tend to get cranky. I was overdressed for the weather, but it's cooler in the house and also, I haven't shaved in...well..way too long.
ANYWAY, so I become unreasonably aggravated at this guy and have to sincerely fight the urge to get out of my car and run up and push his car faster. Because, good grief, he was driving in the middle of the row so there was no getting past him and he obviously had the rest of the week to make it to the stoplight. Sara, ever helpful and in a huge hurry to get home and eat a cupcake, shouts out, "Move your butt, slowpoke! We don't have all day!!!!" Which, okay, I know this is awful, but it made me laugh. Which made Tucker shout out, "Learn to drive, butt munch!"
Umm, butt munch? Where on earth did he learn THAT? Wait. I don't think I want to know.
::Momentary pause for my obviously lacking parenting skills because 1) my kids have road rage before they can drive and 2) I couldn't not laugh at their outbursts.:: Sorry America.
And, while today it all just seems amusing, I was tired, hot, thirsty, and frustrated. We get home, get the groceries upstairs and unpacked, the kids get a cupcake and all should be right with the world. And then we unpack back packs and start homework.
Sara was the most upset to leave her friend Rachel and her dance class behind. So she excitedly hands me a piece of paper that announces there will be dance lessons on Friday afternoon at her school. Well, that's awesome that she could take dance lessons at school! Only I'm looking at the form and the classes started LAST Friday. Umm......It's an 8 week session for $96. That's more expensive than her former ballet school. Plus we've already missed a class, plus they aren't meeting on May 17 because it's an early dismissal day. So I can pay the eight week price for six weeks? No thanks. Sara is dramatically grief stricken when I say no. Robert chooses this really awful moment to come home and show me a letter from one of our neighbors.
The letter is regarding her cat. The cat roams freely around the neighborhood because we've seen it a number of times. One of my other neighbors already warned me about this lady and her cat. It seems she doesn't want anyone else to touch it or feed or pay it any attention, and gets very vocal if you do. Which is understandable except for the fact that the cat is out and about in the neighborhood, sometimes approaching us. I've seen it right outside our patio door on more than one occasion, and one night last week it was on our window ledge at night, looking in and silently meowing (or at least meowing so softly that we couldn't hear it). The mailbox flier gives her phone number and instructions not to let it in our house or feed it, or try to pet or interact with it. Uh, ok?!? It seems like a sweet cat. But something about the way her letter was worded just hit me wrong. Don't want people messing with your cat? Keep your cat inside. It all just seems...well, stupid. But whatever. I try to explain to Robert why I find this whole situation completely ridiculous he takes it totally personally and then and he and I are sniping at each other. All over a cat we wouldn't have fed or let in anyway since we can't have pets here.
Tucker and Sara are still doing homework, and both of them want all of my and Robert's attention. So what was a slightly comical, slightly frustrating afternoon has now turned into a mini family war with lots of stomping, exasperated and exaggerated sighs, yelling, tears, and frustration.
Awesome.
Seriously.
All we wanted were some books and a cupcake.
No comments:
Post a Comment