Mom Taxi

Way back a hundred years or so ago when I was in high school, my closest friends and I poked fun of a male friend who drove a car with the license plate, "Mom Taxi." We laughed and laughed. I mean, poor guy, motoring around town with that advertisement?

They say what comes around goes around.

Yep. Here I am...the mom taxi.

Between catechism classes, the array of sports for two kids, and the endless social pick-ups/drop-offs, I'm in my mom-mobile a lot. Yesterday I enjoyed five tween boys who were singing it up--or screaming it up--on the way home from baseball practice. Yeah, we've already started baseball practice. Indoors, thank goodness!

I don't mind being the mom-taxi most days. When there's a wait, I get to read. Or journal. Or stare out of a coffee shop while sipping coffee. Who doesn't like that?

The days I do mind are when I have a headache, when the roads are bad, when I'm missing a good football game on TV, or when we have three things to get to in a row.

A few things I do to keep my sanity intact:

- Pack a bag to take with me. I always include my journal, a book, a magazine, and a bottle of water.

- Do an Internet search of the route first if I'm not familiar with the area.

- Figure out how long between drop-off and pick-up and decide if I'll find a coffee shop to wait it out or go back home.

- Make sure my cell phone is charged.

- Never think about what I could be doing. That kind of thinking leads to resentment. My kids are growing so fast, I'm glad to be able to be the mom taxi!

So what has come around that went around when you were younger?

Have a terrific day!!

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What Are You Putting Off?

"Delay is the deadliest form of denial." ~ C. NORTHCOTE PARKINSON

I came across the above quote recently and it jabbed me. Turning it over, I admitted its truth--not in all circumstances--but in many. Delay really does equal denial.

Delaying something, for me, means one of two things. Either:
a. I am uncertain if it's the right path to take or
b. I'm procrastinating.

All week I've been on a mission to catch up with life. The endless school forms have been signed and turned in. Meals are planned. Closets organized. Bills paid. Volunteer tasks up-to-date. Yes, I still have a huge pile of clothes ready to be folded and dropped at Goodwill. My writing progress has been slow. Steady, but slow.

I'm working hard not to delay. To get in motion. To make progress, even a little, each day.

If I don't, my brain hurts and my gaze skims over the things needing to be done. I slip into denial. The task doesn't disappear. It looms in the back of my mind until I dread it.

It's much easier to do it now than to wait until later.

What are you putting off? Can you take one step forward today?

Have a lovely weekend!

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Consignment Shop: Fail!

Yesterday, I lugged a few bags of outgrown clothes to two consignment shops. Both are in a plaza about twenty minutes from my house, so instead of going home, I decided to wait out the hour and a half, browsing the other stores.



The first shop accepted none of the clothes. Surprising, since at least two items had been worn between zero and one time. Demoralized, I popped into Little Caesars to grab a $5 pizza (hello, lunch!), and texted my woes to a friend until the other store was ready for me. This time I earned $16.50 for around seven items. One of these was a brand new shirt for which I paid $14.95 pre-tax.

Yes, this was neglect on my part. Let's just say a certain child of mine clipped the tags, decided the sleeves were too short (he has long arms), and rather than promptly return the item, I let the tag-less shirt and receipt languish in my closet until the grace period ended.

As organized as I am, I've had many, many clothing fails for my family. Sometimes I buy the wrong size or style. Instead of taking an hour and returning the item, I get lazy and pretend it will magically skip back on its own. Hasn't happened yet, but I'm still hoping. Recovering some of the money back through consignment seemed like a good idea. It wasn't.

Between the lost time, the cost of the pizza, and the miniscule cash back, I consider the venture a failure.

From now on, I'm donating everything to charity. :)

Have you ever tried to consign items? Do you cringe at the "fails" you part ways with?

Have a terrific Wednesday!

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