Do you ever get Distracted?

There are days that I feel like Billy in The Family Circus who sets out to do something only to be distracted by everything else going on that he never quite accomplishes that thing he set out to do in the first place.

Take for instance yesterday.

As I woke up and looked at the dog sprawled out snoring at my feet, it dawned on me that I hadn’t called to get Molly a boarding reservation for an upcoming trip.  I knew my chances of getting her in this late were slim, and I needed to call ASAP.

I drug myself out of bed and into the family room to look up the phone number.  There I was greeted by my 4 year-old who was in dire need of his morning cup of hot chocolate.  All thoughts of calling the boarder vanished as I got caught up in making sack lunches, signing homework assignments, finding shoes, socks, hats, coats, and playing the part of toothbrushing nazi.  As I ushered the troops out the door and waved to the big yellow bus as it passed by my house, Molly sauntered over, wanting to go out.  Oh,  that’s right, I’ve gotta call the boarder.

I made the mistake of sitting down at the computer to google the boarder’s number and got sucked into emails, Facebook status updates, and blog reading and writing.  Before I realized it, an hour had gone by and I was still sitting around in my pajamas while Will sat planted in front of Sesame Street.  Before I even thought of a shower, I felt Jillian Michael’s chastisement boring a hole into my out-of-shape soul from the DVD player. Guilt got the best of me and the next thing I knew Will and I were enveloped in plank twists and jumping jacks attempting to “earn our way to a great body”.   As I glanced out the window between alternating lunges, I spotted Molly in the pasture.  Darn, I’ve gotta call the boarder!

After showering and dressing, Will wanted to know “what we doing today, Mom?”  I told him we had a lot of things we needed to do, like calling the boarder! and  going to the grocery store. To which he responded in a full blown 4 year-old whine fest.  He informed me that he really doesn’t enjoy the grocery store.  It takes SO LONG to get there.  We already have lots of food in the house.  He’s too tired to go.  Why do we have  to go there EVERY DAY?  To which I foolishly  responded that he doesn’t have to enjoy going, but he does have to go.  It only takes 25 minutes to get there.  (Which I whole-heartedly agree is FAR too long).  We don’t have enough bread or milk left in the house.  If he’s too tired to go, then maybe he’d like to go lie down in bed for a nap.  And we don’t go everyday.  We didn’t go yesterday or the day before that, or the day before that, or the day before that.  Whew!  Why do I always get suckered into arguing with my 4 year-old?  Of course in all the exhausting arguing, I failed to call the boarder.

We did make it to the store, bought the milk, bread, and 50 other items on the list and made it home successfully. As I was putting the food away, Molly came sniffing around hoping for a box of Milkbones or something.  Ugh!  I’ve gotta call the boarder!

Reaching for the phone, it was of course, not on its cradle.

“Have you seen the phone Will?”  As if my toddler who hardly even knows his numbers was the last one using it.

“Mom, can I have some Oreos?”

“Only if you have a carrot first.”  Where is that phone?

Suddenly I hear it ringing.  Rescuing it from near suffocation between the couch cushions I answer it. It’s the orthodontist reminding me about Maddy’s appointment tomorrow morning.  What?!  Already?! I wasn’t expecting it this week so I check my calendar in the kitchen to see if I had written it down.  Yep, there it is.  That’s what I get for not checking my calendar.

“I can’t open the “frigrator” Mom!”  says Will tugging away on the handle.

I help him open the fridge, get out the bag of baby carrots, and as he’s about to reach into the bag, I notice that  his fingernails are disturbingly caked with dirt.

“Hold it Buddy.  You’ve got to wash your hands first.”

“Why, Mom?”

“Because they’re kind of dirty and full of germs.”

“What germs are, Mom?”

“Oh…well, they’re little tiny organisms that can make you sick if you eat them.”

“What germs look like?”

“They’re microscopic, which means you can only see them with a microscope, Honey.”

“Can I see the germs in our microscope?”

I’m a sucker for any and all possible educational opportunities with my kids.  It must be leftover from our homeschooling days.  I soon unearth our trusty little microscope from the pantry along with the slides and bottle of iodine.  The next hour is spent examining cheek cells, dry skin flakes from my improperly moisturized legs, salt crystals, sugar crystals, and hair strands.  As we’re looking for any other possible specimens to smoosh between the slides, I notice Molly lounging in the sun.  Holy Toledo, I’ve GOT to call the boarder!

No sooner could I locate the phone again when the front door burst open with hungry and exhausted kids home from school.  Homework had to be monitored, shoes and socks and coats had to be cajoled to lockers, snacks had to be doled out, chores had to be nagged about and the piano had to be practiced.  Pinewood derby cars needed finishing touches and Maddy had to be picked up from track practice.  Dinner had to be started, the lesson had to be thrown together for Family Home Evening, and the dog had to be fed.  The boarder!  I’ll call them after dinner.

Of course, after dinner was filled with Family Home Evening, dessert, baths, stories,  hair straightening,  a bedside pep talk about middle school, and finally winding down with Hubby watching 24.  As I was nodding off to sleep last night, I heard the dog settle into her spot on the chair.  Oh, man, I never called the boarder!

Does that ever happen to you?

So now I’m off to call the boarder.

Right after I rotate the laundry… and file the bills … and vacuum the kitchen … and make my bed … and take out the trash… and pick up the dry cleaning …