This is Why I Can’t Work

I got a job. It’s just a part time job. So I work a couple of days a week… what could go wrong?

Turns out, a lot can go wrong. Not, “Oh God, Oh God, we’re all gonna die!” wrong; more of a, “Crap. What happened there?!?” type of wrong.

School Obligations

My budding trombone player, Number 4, had a concert last night. It was a great opportunity for a little Only Child Time. We left the other kids to warm up leftovers for dinner, and to help each other with their homework.  We were confident they could fend for themselves a bit.

All we had to do was drop off Number 4 at the band hall for early concert preparations, pick up Number 2 from her new job, drop No.2 off at home, then drive back to the school to watch the middle school concert.

Slight problem, and this is why I can’t work…

I forgot to buy No.4 his white concert dress shirt. His dad put him in a cream-colored shirt while I was still at work.

Ok, we can fix this… First, we drop off No.4 at practice (with my cell phone so we could contact him when we got back [I know school is a “no phone zone”, but this is important!]), then we drove to the store for the shirt, and then back to the school for him to change in time for the concert to start! My sister rescued us by picking up Number 2 and taking her home.

By the time we made it back to the school, my heels were bleeding (because apparently I bought devil shoes for my new job). We texted No.4 that we had his shirt… we called… we went inside and waved. We parked directly between the band hall and the cafeteria (where the concert would take place).

That boy walked past us in his cream-colored shirt, on his way to the cafeteria. He walked right past us and the brand new, white dress shirt we just paid good money for. He walked past us – all muy fresco- talking to his friends, like he didn’t even see us.  I almost went psycho mom and undressed him in the middle of the cafeteria, but my husband pulled me back.

Meanwhile, the cafeteria seats filled up with responsible parents (you know, parents who bought their child’s shirt before concert day). So I had to stand for the entire concert in my devil shoes. About a minute before the concert started, I *dinged* my phone with my Apple Watch’s Find my Phone feature.  It was totally satisfying to see my son jump and stare wildly at his pants while his fellow trombones laughed at him.

After the concert, we enjoyed a meal together, just the three of us.

Homework Obligations

When we finally got home, my husband and I inspected the poster-board project our 5th grader did, with the help of his 10th grade sister while we were out.  It was a poster displaying the import role George Washington played in American history.  And it looked like this:

Why yes, that is George Washington on a flying shark… and the Avengers making the historic crossing of the Delaware.

That was just one day.

I’ve always been grateful to have the ability to be a stay-at-home mom, though sometimes I resented not having a “real” job to go to.  Now, I remember how difficult it was to work and raise the kids at the same time.  This is going to get interesting.

How do you cope with “losing” a big chunk of time out of your days?