Always have an Ace in your purse

So, it rained today. I mean it raaaaaained today. All day long. I had a 3:15 appointment at a prospect's office and left in the rain. At this point I looked...sprinkled on.

I got in my car and realized "OH CRAP! It's 5:21! I have 39 minutes to pick up Jackson and Graham before I have to pay $5 per minute! GOTTA GO!" So I fly through the pouring rain to Jackson's day care. Toss him in the car, buckle him up, and look at the clock...21 minutes to get to Graham's day care. At this point I look...rained on.

Red lights red lights, traffic, rain, red lights, cars, a bike (what? really?) more rain, more red lights and I get there! 5 minutes before the cutoff! Excellent! I unbuckle Jackson, unload Jackson, get Graham, load Jackson, buckle Jackson, buckle Graham and load Graham. This took a lot of running around to the various doors in my car. So at this point, I look...damp.

I'm thinking about dinner all the way home since I know Justin isn't home tonight and it's getting close to bathtime since my appointment ran so late this afternoon. I pull into the driveway at 19 minutes until bathtime (otherwise known as 6:11) and I reach to the back and unbuckle Jackson. (This was my grand plan to save myself from getting a little more wet.) Then it hits me. I don't have a key to the house and Justin won't be home until 9:30 tonight from CPR class. I go to the side door, locked. I go through the gate to the back door, locked. I climb on the air conditioner and check a window, locked. I pass my car and see Jackson in the front seat testing the blinkers and hazard lights...Shrug that off...and I go to the front door, locked. CRAP. I get Jackson loaded back into the back seat and buckle him up. I plop myself into the car still unsure of what to do. At THIS point, I look...wet.


I have no cell phone because I left the house without it this morning. Why? Because I have two small children, keep up! I have three options:
1 - sit in my car and feel sorry for myself while my two children starve to death.
2 - drive to Jeff State and sell my body on the street corner for use of a cell phone to call Justin 47 times in a row in the hopes that he answers during class and brings me out some keys.
3 - Go get some food for Jackson while I keep thinking.

...STACY! She has a key!

We have a plan.

Jackson ate a McChicken while I drove to Stacy's house. I arrived at Stacy's at 9 minutes past bathtime. I left Jackson and Graham in the car while Jackson yelled "Drew House!" I jogged up her front steps and knocked on the door. Through the front door window I saw her look at me with a very concerned and worried look on her face. She opened the door. At this point, I look like a DROWNED RAT!!

With the attitude of someone who hadn't slept in a week, I said, "Can I have my house key?" All the worry and concern left her brows and she made that sound that you make if your mouth is full of water and someone makes you laugh...that helped. She gave me a key, offered me dinner (as all good Southern women do), and said "I'm OBVIOUSLY going to need this key back." I said "Yes, maam. I'm also going to make one for my neighbor" and took my drowned rat butt back to my car.

Jackson was SOOOO upset about not going into see Drew and I needed an Ace.

Explanation: I call it an Ace. It's that thing you have to remedy all unpredictable situations. (No, it's not a spare key.) It's a kid thing. It could be a hot wheels car in your purse at a restaurant when your child's patience has run out. "SURPRISE! Mommy has a HOT WHEELS car in her purse and she has officially bought the 5 minutes that she needs until the food gets here!" OR, it could be the one I use EVERY night. The chewable gummy vitamin. I use that Ace at some point to get Jackson to do what I want him to do. Climb into his high chair for dinner, go upstairs for a bath, quit going potty and put on his pjs, brush his teeth....at any point that I need it..."Here's your vitamin! You can have it when you finish your green beans!" Most nights we don't need it, but the true test is if you don't need your Ace and you can give him the vitamin at the END of the evening with no strings attached.

So, back to Jackson being upset. "Drew House! Down! Pees Down! Drew House!" There is a complete come apart well on it's way. I need an Ace. OOHH! I've got one in my purse! I have cleaned out my purse several times over the last couple of months...yes, months... and every time, I find this individually wrapped twizzler. I don't EVEN remember where I got it. But every time I clean out my purse and start to throw it away, I think...oh no, that's an Ace! And I put it back in my purse. So, I presented the Ace to Jackson and life as we know it was all of a sudden no longer about to end. NO, I'm not going to be Mommy of the Year anytime soon for giving my kid a McChicken and a twizzler for dinner, but we were in a state of emergency.

I pull into the driveway at 27 minutes past bath time and unload the car. Upon car exit Jackson saw the McDonalds cup of water and had another come apart...something about straws...God only knows. I was barely able to walk because I had Graham, diaper bags, coats, purses, dirty bags of clothes, and God only knows what else in my arms. I said "Jackson! Come inside! It's RAINING!" I went on in and started making Graham's bottle. Jackson finally entered still crying about the cup and I said, "Stop Crying. Now go shut the front door."

Still crying.

"Jackson, shut the door and stop crying and I'll give you your vitamin."

Damn! We JUST got home and I already played my Ace!