Day 296

I have discovered the price of forgetfulness.  It’s about $35.

My youngest child  participates in an after school club on Thursdays.  It was our turn to supply drinks for 15 kiddos last week.  I put a note in my calendar, saw the reminder pop up on Thursday morning and then got busy at work and promptly forgot. Until I picked my oldest child up at the bus stop and headed to Starbucks, as is our usual Thursday routine, a little pick-me-up before we pick up  Kelsey.  Suddenly,  with that bad mommy clench of the stomach, I remembered– THE DRINKS!

On No, she’s going to be kicked out of library club, a laughing stock.  She will be disillusioned, start skipping phonics, fall in with a bad crowd, and not make it into Ivy League– all for the want of a few juice boxes. (who said parenting was a rational pursuit?)

So, I panicked and started flinging $2 chocolate milk boxes on the counter much to the entertainment of the man behind me who clearly had kids because even though he was chuckling, he was nodding in sympathy.  They even had to go to “the back” to get more.

Those milk boxes are consumables which makes them OK under my Simple Year rules.  Not necessarily cost effective, environmentally sound nor particularly healthy but they do say organic on the label so they are probably better than sending in Red Bull.   Although, I bet if I sent in Red Bull, even once, I wouldn’t be asked to supply drinks anymore.

That’s a thought…

I think I’ve mentioned before, that in many ways, The Simple Year really requires careful planning because I often can’t buy my way out of tight spots like I have been able to do in the past.  No more running by the florist ten minutes before the class Valentine’s party to purchase 24 heart shaped balloons with “Hot Stuff” printed on them (that’s all they had left) because I forgot the kindergarten classroom decorations.

In spite of my best efforts, I suppose there are still going to be times when things slip through the crack.  But I do think, overall, The Simple Year has caused me to plan ahead and as a result there has been less stress- most of the time.