That Woman Is a Disaster

And by that woman I mean me.

I’ve found that being a working mom is often times just like living in a movie. Because the minute you think you have it all together is right when the rug is about to be pulled out from under you – just like the misguided star of any formulaic Hollywood movie. Like the woman who goes to check on that scary noise in the basement and ends up the next victim of the psychopathic killer I started my week blissfully unaware how scary-movie my life was about to become.

Compounding my lunacy was the fact that this was back to school week for my two boys. Any working mother who thinks back to school week is going to be stress free is either drinking or heavily medicated. Both of which I now wish I had been.

Did I mention I was also traveling for work that week and wouldn’t actually be in town for the first day of school? And scene.

The first indication that my week was going to come flying off the tracks was when I texted my friend early Tuesday morning (you know, the friend who always seems to have her act together) wanting to check to see if we would be able to bring the kids with us for back to school night. She texted back not only should we bring the kids but we should also bring the school supplies as well. I looked at her text and thought, “what is this list she is speaking of? Clearly she is f’ing with me..”

But no, she was dead serious. Because if I had been a good mom who had it all together I would have done more than just read the first sentence of the email sent to me a week earlier. You know, the one letting me know who my sons’ new teachers were and in the next paragraph what the school supplies were. Yeah, that email.

And so I had exactly six hours until I had to show up with two kids and a small moving van full of school supplies.

I texted my husband in an absolute panic. Calling wasn’t an option as I was hyperventilating which made speech impossible. And this is why our marriage works, My husband texted me back telling me to breathe (he knew I was not), that he would take care of it, and have all the school supplies bagged and ready for me to bring to school with me that afternoon. Totally medal worthy.

Shaken but not completely melting down, I took my kids to back to school night where their new teachers asked me such difficult questions as, “which bus do your boys take home (met by a blank stare from me and saved by my nine-year-old who gives her the correct bus route) and what will the boys be doing after school next week (this woman thinks my husband and I had thought through to next week? We didn’t even have tonight under control until a few hour ago).

After barely surviving back to school night, I am once again reminded that nothing is ever in our control. And the next time I forget that and get all cocky I’m certain the universe will be waiting for me with a Mona Lisa smile ready to remind me.

If you like my blog you’ll love my book. Buy The Working Mommy’s Manual on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Working-Mommys-Manual-Nicole-Corning/dp/0615637418/ref=cm_sw_em_r_dp_6ZRcqb0QFT7P8_tt