Mantra – What?

by Michelle Lasley

Michelle Lasley is a mother, wife in Pacific Northwest learning to balance green dreams with budget realities.

March 16, 2011

Levi Cooking

Levi Cooking

Breathe. No, don’t fume. Breathe. I had to give pause tonight as I tried to find parking near Papa Murphy’s. I’m a rule follower. I just am. And, I do get irritated when others don’t follow the rules. So, tonight, I found myself being tested by all the little tidbits I posted about yesterday. How’s that for Karma?

7:21 am – We made it out of the house! We have a choice: freeway or a different way. I asked Levi which way he wanted to go because, one I think it’s good to give him choices, and two, it is a lot easier than explaining sometimes why we’re going one way over another. Sometimes he gets confused if we don’t go over x bridge and y road, so – if we give him a choice, then it makes the explaining easier.

7:26 am – “Where’s Rabbit?” Not in the car, that’s where. I look about, and we’ve been cut off by the dude I was able to pass with the traffic stop lights. You know, the things that make traffic drip onto the freeway. We’re stopped. We haven’t even approached the next exit. “Let’s go get him. Where is he? Is Rabbit in your bed?” Yes. Get off freeway at next exit. Drive home.

7:30 am – Leaving the house for the second time. We are going to go the different way this time. Primed the small fry.

7:36 am – We approach the bridge. This is good timing.

7:50 am – We arrive at the pass.

7:59 am – We arrive at preschool.

8:02 am – Sign small fry into preschool. Go to room, drop off bag, remove coat, remove lunch from bag. Realize we forgot his picture which he was able to bring home yesterday as a nice thing since he’s been having a hard time leaving preschool now that we’ve gone full time. Walk out of preschool, into car, get picture. It’s bent. “Why’s it bent?” questioned in a whiny voice. Is this something I can console? “We can fix it.” Leave small fry with “collection classroom.” None of his classmates, namely his favorite classmate, have arrived. Small emotional frustration as we try to navigate this stream. Small fry finding something to do. Go back to classroom, leave picture.

8:10 am – Seated in car, car started, drive to work.

8:13 am – Log into computer at work.

— WORK —

4:02 pm – Time check. Should I wait about 20 minutes so small fry is able to do whatever the next afternoon task is that he will enjoy in order to ease the trauma of leaving preschool?

–WORK CIRCUMVENTS —

4:16 pm – Watch goes wonky. My wrist, bent, must have reset it. What the… ? Reset watch.

4:28 pm – Call preschool, inform them I am about 10 minutes out, so they can give adequate warning to small fry that mommy is coming.

4:37 pm – Sign out small fry. Slowly approach classroom. Notice the room is rearranged. Children seated in circle on letter rug being read too. Scan room, fill-in teacher, regular teacher, small fry next to wall. Small fry looks up, immediate melt down commences. Regular teacher picks him up to console. Small fry kicks feet. Feet are near miss to female classmate. Small fry is scolded by teacher (rightfully so) reminding him to be aware of himself (in words he should be able to understand) and a reminder of where his feet were in relation to female classmate’s face. Small fry and I go to moved “library.” Small fry wants to stay at school (again). He is sad and frustrated. No further information revealed. Possible fact finding, picking up immediately after snack could be beneficial. Possible realization, whatever activity they are beginning he wants to continue. As we read our own picked library book (Mike Mulligan‘s Steam Shovel, Levi, this is one of Elliott’s favorites), I notice his neck is red. He is breaking out in hives. Realization: shirt is changed but pants are not. More fact finding. Shirt was soiled. This was the only replacement.

4:58 pm – Make doctor appointment, change from hive-creating shirt to Grandma knitted bicycle sweater. Relief this was the easy task. Able to leave, get small fry in coat, finish packing up belongings. Play with trains. Re-convey late morning arrival to front office. Pack into car, check in with husband, take “different way” back home.

5:40 pm – “Different way” traffic jam commences. Check in with husband. Desire to cook black eyed peas has gone. Order pizza for dinner.

6:13 pm – Arrive home, convey day to husband.

6:22 pm – Pick up pizza. Arrive at another traffic jam (in pizza parking lot). Park one block away since people cannot follow the rules (parking in no parking, entering lot the wrong way, and my favorite, parking in a bus spot after entering the lot the wrong way). Wait patiently in line. Get pizza. Leave. Go back to car. Breathe. Remember that “Mantra” post you posted yesterday? What were those things you coached yourself?

Life has a sense of humor.

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