Crazy Bus

This is just an example of how juggling multiple projects from multiple people can make you crazy. Read all the way through, please.

Nick's school lunch program has an online system. This easily happens when schools turn to third party catering companies, those that specialize in schools and nursing homes, for their food needs. We get a printed calendar with the months food choices, so we can decide if we are buying or bringing lunch. And Nick can purchase a milk each day, which he does, for 40 cents.

I can easily go online and put money into an account instead of sending cash with Nick. This is good because neither Nick nor his teacher need be bothered with dealing with the money. But it does have a drawback. First of all, I get charged 30 cents for every ten dollars we put into the account, and then get charged interest by the credit card company because I need to use a credit card.

But there are more drawbacks. This morning I got around to looking through the papers Nick brought home from school yesterday and found a letter saying he owed 50 cents for his school lunches, and then adding a paragraph stating that there is an online system this year, oh negligent parent, and you can actually go online and keep an eye on what he's eating and how much is still in the account!

Only I can't. Because to actually get THIS privilege I would need to pay $10 a year, and I refuse, especially when I'm paying processing fees. I would leave an angry comment about this somewhere, but I can't, because there is no one to leave this to. The website is feedback free.

Anyway, today is waffle day, and Nick was looking forward to it, so I rushed to my laptop to quickly put some money into the account so he could eat lunch. My laptop was charging on the floor in my bedroom, not an ideal location, but I need my humidifier when the heat is on, so the usual outlet is taken.

So while I'm on the floor, trying to type in my credit card number, Nate and Andy come running in, half dressed, to bother me about toys for show and tell (Nate's letter of the week is K, why can't he bring his Krocodile Kite?). Also, Andy's eyes are red for no good reason, and he does not want to go to school. But they see a big cardboard box which used to hold something from Santa, but the contents of which has already been assembled and hidden away. It's empty but for a small load of styrofoam peanuts, which I was saving so that Nick could build the snowman he has to make for homework, but is late turning in to school.

The boys see this box of white stuff, and immediately start shaking it. I am not looking at them, I'm looking at my laptop and my credit card, crouched on the floor. And suddenly the cardboard box with the styrofoam peanuts knocks into my huge oversized coffee mug and coffee flies onto the rug, my running shoes, and my laptop.

I start screaming, thinking about how my laptop is ruined (it's fine), how I need to clean up the spill, how I need to start all over entering the information for Nick's school lunch, and how we should already be putting coats on because Nick is going to miss the bus.

The boys are terrified. Nate still needs a show and tell item that begins with K and is not a kite. Andy still has no shoes on, and steam is coming out of my ears. My morning coffee is seeping into my rug.

That's how MY day is going. Yours?