The Day No One Wanted

Today we had the Day From Hell. It started out innocent enough, the kids and I had a really good morning. My son laid happily in his crib as I took a shower and then even went back to sleep. My daughter woke right up when I went to get her up at 8:30. It was bright and sunny outside also. Roger had a doctor's appointment this morning at 9:10, so we left the house at 8:45 to get there. At the doctor's office, the receptionist informs me his appointment isn't until next Friday at 9:10. O.K., I thought, no big deal, so I messed up the date. We leave, and outside is starting to get cloudy. Not really a big surprise there, given where we live. Next, since I didn't need to be to work until 11, we went ahead and went to my mom's, where I drop the kids off with my sister who watches them for me. It was still early, so I sat there for a little while, and then at 10 I left so I could change my clothes since the weather totally clouded over and it looked like rain. On my way to my house, I discover I have a voicemail. It is my boss, telling me not to come in today, there is not enough to do and she herself was leaving in just a few hours. So I turned around and went and picked up the kids. Back home, Roger took his first 20 minute nap of the day, and then we went to Walmart. Now, at this point, the day doesn't seem that bad, does it? Well, I have only just begun. At Walmart, I bought Raeann shoes that were badly needed for her Flinstone feet (flat and wide). Roger started to fuss, so we checked out and went to the car. We decided to go to Burger King for lunch, so I called my sisters to see if they wanted to have lunch with us. We waited in the parking lot at Burger King for about 20 minutes for them and when they arrived, we went in directly to the kids' play area to set down Roger and my neice while one sister and I went and ordered. It was there that I discovered my purse was not slung over my shoulder along with the diaper bag. I immediately retraced my steps all the way back out to the van, thinking maybe it fell off my arm (yeah, right). I found it on the floor in the back seat of the van. Of course, where else would it be? I went back in to tell my sisters what happened. The back window of the van was ajar, so I thought maybe I could get out far enough to where we could push my daughter through. That did not work. Then I thought about having a car dealership making me a new key, which is only like ten bucks, compared to what it would be if I had to call a lock smith or a tow truck to unlock it. Burger King just happens to be across the street from a car dealership, so my sister and I walk over there where the guy in the service department tells us he can't make me a key without proof of ownership, which is locked in the damn car. He tells us to go to the parts department and talk to this guy, and that guy said he would send a guy over with a slim jim, but the worker had to give a customer a ride across town first. So I said O.K., because who can argue with free. Well, the guy never came. We did end up eating lunch, and sitting where we could see my van and no one came. So towards the end of our wonderful lunch together, my sisters and I were discussing guys we knew who could maybe get it unlocked for us. Finally, I just called my mom. I mean, what else do you do when you are in trouble, right? The place my mom works for is my landlord, so she brought me an extra key to my house and she was going to let me use her car. I then realized that I couldn't go anywhere because the car seats were in my damn van. When my mom showed up with my key, she actually happened to have a copy of the much needed registration to my car, and since she was a co-signer when I bought it, her name was on it, so she could use her id to get a key. Thank god. We walked back over to the dealership and guy made me a key and then walked back with us to make sure it worked. So you are probably thinking that this has to be the end of the Day From Hell, but no, this part of the ordeal ended at 2:30 in the afternoon. After I got into my van and hugged my purse, we went to Safeway and my daughter had a totally bad attitude the whole time. Telling me I stepped on her hair on purpose (she was riding on the bottom of the cart, and I did not realize she was dragging her hair on the floor as we walked around the store), she was yelling at me, telling me no, and just all-around being a butt. We get out to the parking lot and I was unloading the groceries and an elderly lady came and was waiting to get into her car, which I was blocking. So I was trying to hurry, and Rae wouldn't move and was telling me no, and yelling at me. I was embarrassed and mad, so I told Rae to just get in the car, to which she replied, "No!" I had enough. I spanked her, right there in front of the elderly lady and anyone else who chose to watch this crazy woman with a horrible child. Then the lady got to get into her car, and as she was passing me, she tapped me on the arm and said, "Good job, honey. We need to see more parents disciplining their children." And I thought she was going to berate me for spanking, because most people nowadays don't spank because they think it is "abusing" their children. It is not, and I believe that it is an effective form of punishment. But that is another time, another place. So in conclusion, the elderly lady's comment turned out to be the highlight of my day.