Lotus and I go to the grocery store to mail a package and pick up parsley for walnut pesto (dinner tonight) and grab Starbucks on the way out. Not a big deal, easy stuff.
Stand in long line to mail package. With impatient toddler. Usually the post office has the long line, but now the grocery store postal counter has a long line, too. The others have figured out my secret mailing location. 'Tis the season to mail things. We reach the counter and I realize that my package is going to the UK and I had forgotten that the grocery store does not mail anything overseas. Argh.
Go to get parsley. And bananas. Lo is either trying to run away from me or holds my leg so tightly that I have to walk with her attached to it. Lady with 30 items steps in front of us in express checkout lane. But it's okay. Stand in line with impatient toddler.
Go to Starbucks inside the grocery store, order coffee and walk outside to car. Lo gets upset for unknown reason, refuses to be carried and throws my keys into the snow. I struggle to pick up the keys, grocery bag and Lotus while holding my coffee as an SUV stops two feet away from us (and the stop sign in the crosswalk where we were walking) and impatiently waits for us to get it together.
I balance coffee, grocery bag, keys + whatever toys/books child was carrying + child to the car and precariously set my coffee on the trunk of the car. As I get L strapped into the car seat, my coffee slides in slow-mo off the trunk, the lid pops off and my entire cup spills into the snow.
Which almost makes me cry.
We head off to the post office to mail package to the UK. Sigh. Lotus woke up with a cold this morning, so every time she sneezes, a huge glob of snot ends up under her nose. And every time she sneezes, she's in the car seat and I'm driving. I pull up to the post office, wipe little nose with Kleenex, and can already spot a very long line. I look in my bag and realize I had forgotten to fill out the customs form. Double grrr. The postal workers at this particular branch are always annoyed when you don't fill out the form ahead of time, and I decided I just didn't want to deal, so we leave post office.
And so I drive over to the drive-thru Starbucks. Where I order another coffee to try to get over the sadness of losing the first cup. Almost consider telling barista about what had just happened to see if I can get a free coffee but realize the world doesn't work that way. Pay for coffee #2. Rargh again.
Beg Bo to come home for lunch, fill out the customs form and run out the door (back to the post office) as soon as he's home. Mail package, drink coffee. All is okay again.
Lessons learned: 1. Think before you leave the house (and fill out the customs forms.) 2. Starbucks is the root of all evil. 3. And the post office needs a drive-thru.
Stand in long line to mail package. With impatient toddler. Usually the post office has the long line, but now the grocery store postal counter has a long line, too. The others have figured out my secret mailing location. 'Tis the season to mail things. We reach the counter and I realize that my package is going to the UK and I had forgotten that the grocery store does not mail anything overseas. Argh.
Go to get parsley. And bananas. Lo is either trying to run away from me or holds my leg so tightly that I have to walk with her attached to it. Lady with 30 items steps in front of us in express checkout lane. But it's okay. Stand in line with impatient toddler.
Go to Starbucks inside the grocery store, order coffee and walk outside to car. Lo gets upset for unknown reason, refuses to be carried and throws my keys into the snow. I struggle to pick up the keys, grocery bag and Lotus while holding my coffee as an SUV stops two feet away from us (and the stop sign in the crosswalk where we were walking) and impatiently waits for us to get it together.
I balance coffee, grocery bag, keys + whatever toys/books child was carrying + child to the car and precariously set my coffee on the trunk of the car. As I get L strapped into the car seat, my coffee slides in slow-mo off the trunk, the lid pops off and my entire cup spills into the snow.
Which almost makes me cry.
We head off to the post office to mail package to the UK. Sigh. Lotus woke up with a cold this morning, so every time she sneezes, a huge glob of snot ends up under her nose. And every time she sneezes, she's in the car seat and I'm driving. I pull up to the post office, wipe little nose with Kleenex, and can already spot a very long line. I look in my bag and realize I had forgotten to fill out the customs form. Double grrr. The postal workers at this particular branch are always annoyed when you don't fill out the form ahead of time, and I decided I just didn't want to deal, so we leave post office.
And so I drive over to the drive-thru Starbucks. Where I order another coffee to try to get over the sadness of losing the first cup. Almost consider telling barista about what had just happened to see if I can get a free coffee but realize the world doesn't work that way. Pay for coffee #2. Rargh again.
Beg Bo to come home for lunch, fill out the customs form and run out the door (back to the post office) as soon as he's home. Mail package, drink coffee. All is okay again.
Lessons learned: 1. Think before you leave the house (and fill out the customs forms.) 2. Starbucks is the root of all evil. 3. And the post office needs a drive-thru.