Taxi Mom

Someone told me the next phase of parenting was the "Taxi Mom."  I believe I have entered this phase.  Or rather, I have come screeching into it with 17 bags of random crap (none of which is the right crap needed at that moment), an uncharged telephone, low fuel light blazing, and a vacant and trashed house behind with a lonely dog.

My Week -
Sunday - Go to grocery store, gather supplies for week.  Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Dance) and make and freeze a cake (Conrad's teachers.) Locate shot record for Carly and place it in purse.

Monday - School - we are on an altered schedule for finals.  Since Carly needs an immunization, I take her to school with me for the morning.  7th period is first, goes well.  8th period is next (which is my conference) and it is time for Carly's doctor's appointment.  We grab everything and rush to the car.  On the way, I am frantically looking in my bags for the shot record I placed in there this morning....I cannot find the shot record anywhere.  Surely it is in the car.  Nope.  I run back to my classroom (in heels) and find the shot record under a stack of final exams.  Now we are going to be late to the doctor.  We arrive, (Carly is now in charge of the shot record) only to find out that we do NOT need a shot (the school nurse was mistaken.)  I rush Carly back to school (I am now late to 1st period, a sweet colleague is covering for me.)  After a couple of classes, I have lunch with a friend, afternoon classes go well, final group of students leave at 3:35, which is when I realize that on Mondays I usually pick the kids up at school because Carly has dance.  On a regular day, I would have 8th period conference, so that I could leave in time to pick them up at 3:00.  Since today was not a regular day, I have forgotten.  I frantically check my phone...missed calls from teachers (pictures of crying children on street corners in my head.)  I do some crazy texting and find that they have put my kids on the bus to the high school.  SAVED!  I wait a few minutes and the bus arrives with both children in tow.  We rush home (we are already late to dance.)  We load up the chocolate covered strawberries and whipped cream Carly has signed us up to bring to her class, she changes quickly, we roll into dance 15 minutes late, disheveled, but bearing fruit.  I have to rush back to school to run more copies for the exams I am giving the next morning since I had rushed out the door so quickly after school.  I run my copies, leaving copies for students at DAEP, ISS, and homebound.  When I finish, it is time to go get Carly.  When I pick her up (we are already late to basketball since I have not collected her basketball shoes and ball since I elected to go back to school and finish my schoolwork instead of going home) I realize that the girls were doing a little Christmas presentation at the end of dance for parents, which I have already missed.  I am sad not only that Carly didn't have a parent there, but because I really enjoy watching her dance and I have missed out.  We rush out the door, run home to collect basketball stuff, run to basketball practice (which coincidentally is right by dance, but completely across town from our home.)  I drop Carly off.  Conrad is starving so we stop for some chicken.  We run home, cram the vat-o-grease down, and begin the process of readying him for basketball.   We cannot find his ball anywhere.  I text Marc, I look in the car, I look behind all the doors, FINALLY I FIND it somewhere (I don't even remember where at this point.)  We hop back in the car, across town, where I drop him off and pick Carly up.  I text Marc (he has been at Jr. High basketball) and ask him to pick Conrad up.  He agrees.  My taxi duties for the day end.  I go to bed feeling like Mother-of-the-Year having missed Carly's performance and forgetting to pick both kids up at school.  WTG me.

Tuesday - today.  Get up at the break of dawn to make sausage balls for school (it is Treat Week, foreign language staff's day to bring food.)  Rush around, get to work (altered schedule - no 8th period today = no break for Señora Morris.)  Kids ALL day.  Luckily for Treat Week, I got some free lunch.  First office referral of the semester because a kid went off and said the 'f' word about 10 times and threatened another student.  Carly and Conrad get off the bus, I stay and tutor a student.  Carly goes to someone's house to play (they pick her up at the high school.)  Conrad and I run home to change clothes for the freshman basketball game.  Marc pops in and needs a button sewed on his pants before the game and then the pants need ironed.  He leaves.  I quickly change and go to the freshmen game.  By the time I arrive, it is the 3rd quarter.  Carly's friend's mom brings her home (only to find that I am not home) then calls to locate me (where am I again?) and brings Carly up to the school.  The kids grab a pizza at the game.  When it is over, we run home, get Carly changed for gymnastics, and drop her off just in time.  Conrad and I run to Wal-mart (Rex is starving) and I pick up more supplies for the week (Cake Plate for Conrad's teacher's cake, etc.)  We run home, drop off our crap, get him changed for basketball performance (still takes awhile to find the damn ball.)  We run and pick Carly up from gymnastics and head back to the school just in time for Conrad's pre-performance practice.  Conrad performs, all goes well (except we lose) and we come home.  When Marc gets home, he informs me that he has invited the team over for a party tomorrow.  The whole varsity basketball team.
To be continued.....