2.17.2011

How the Sugar Snap Peas Ended up in the Broccoli Cheese Soup

Today I flunked motherhood.  I am sure every mom has one of those days where they feel like the worst mom on the planet.  Today was that day for me.  At least, deep down, I know I am in good company.  And it least it was a laugh/cry kind of feeling and not a cry/cry kind of feeling.   

Tonight dh and I were going to watch my friends' children.  They are the same ages as ours and they had watched ours on Saturday for our date night.  Tonight was our turn.  I worked from home and everything was going smoothly.  I had done everything on my work list, plus showered and had the beginnings of soup on.  I called my sitter to tell her I was on the way, but could only stay a second as we were expecting company.  I left the soup on as the sitter lives less than a mile from me and the noodles needed to soften for another 15 plus minutes. 

I went and got the kids.  I was in and out.  I pulled into our driveway, but my garage door wouldn't open with my transmitter.  It had done this before, but not since I replaced the battery.  I thought that problem was fixed!  I turned off the car in the driveway, grateful it wasn't cold like last week, and got out to unbuckle Charlie first.  As I was unbuckling him I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was the neighbor's dog.  Not on a leash.  I left Charlie unbuckled and turned to pick him up.  He came to me, thankfully.  I looked back at the car and decided the easiest thing to do was to leave the kids in it and run the dog next door.  Charlie had picked up my keys and was happily playing and I knew he'd be fine.  I could see the car from the driveway and that way I could go really fast.  Plus I didn't have to worry Charlie wouldn't be safe since I didn't have enough hands. 

I ran the dog over to the grateful neighbor.  We chatted for a second on the porch (where I could see the car) about how her kids had Valentine's for mine and how her oldest had croupe.  And how frustrated she was her dogs kept getting out.

I went back to the car to get Charlie out and saw he was in the driver's seat.  Duh, I left him unbuckled.  He loves the steering wheel.  Not smart of me.  The first of many times I would say that tonight.  I reached for the door handle.  Locked.  You're kidding me?!  How could I be so stupid?!  I recall Charlie was pushing buttons on my keys, which are now nowhere to be found.  I have a second set in the house.  By now Anthony is screaming his head off.  Today, of all days, he was up 4 hrs without a nap at the sitters.  He was beyond tired. 

The second set of keys are not accessible.  Every other time I couldn't get the garage door open as I pulled up, I also couldn't get the keypad to work. Its like it sends the wrong signal and shuts down.  The battery on the key pad is new too, and it works every other time, just not when it won't open from the car.   I tried just in case, but no luck.  During these times I would go in the front door.  But reality is sinking in fast.  I can't.  Because I am locked out of my house.  The house with the soup on the stove (I can hear my mother's voice in the back of my head telling me not to do these things!).  And I am also locked out of my car.  Where my babies are.  Crying.  Okay, that isn't exactly true.  Anthony is crying.  Charlie is laughing and turning the stearing wheel. Did I mention that are friends are supposed to arrive any minute so we can watch their kids?!  Oh so humbling.  I see the irony as I am clearly not fit to watch my own!

I try, to no avail, to get Charlie to unlock the car.  First of all, he has no idea which button is unlock because there are many and it doesn't stand out.  He only half tries before going back to the stearing wheel.  Secondly, he is keenly aware that he is sort of doing something wrong, and he is loving it and trying to get the most out of every minute because he knows it is short lived.  He is pushing every lever and button and ignoring my pleas and bribes to push this button right there.  I am trying not to sound desperate, but I was telling him everything from I have a sucker inside the house to poor brother needs him to push the button and so on.  I am getting nowhere.  I confess to a neighbor walking their dog.  I have her sympathy, but no ideas. 

I tell myself, at least it isn't cold out.  At least the kids are safe and where I can see them (I hadn't thought yet that Charlie could put the car in neutral and roll into the street).  The chances of the house catching on fire from the stove are minimal.  This is more about my own embarrassment and being humbled by the situation.  I think, what are the odds?!  Definitely one of those laugh/cry kind of moments.

Since my cell is also in the car, I have to humble myself more and admit to the neighbor and borrow her phone.  My husband is only ten minutes away at work and he can get us out of this mess.  But that involves admitting to him too, which I quickly do, grateful that that is the worst it will come to.

I go back to the car and find that Charlie has the keys in his hands (I thought they were under a seat or something).  He is pushing buttons again and the car unlocks.  I am quick to open the door before he can lock it again.  I get both kids into the house, let the dog out, turn down the soup (no fire, it didn't even burn!)  That is when my huge water cup from the hospital literally out of nowhere falls of the edge of an end table and spills all over the wood floor.  I had just filled it before I left.  I clean that up, then put poor Anthony to bed (so tired he was!), and then go back to the soup.  The broccoli cheese soup.  But by this point I am so flustered, I put sugar snap peas in instead of broccoli. 

My husband comes home and brings me chocolates.  He knows I have had a bad day and doesn't judge me for all the mistakes I made.  My Valentine.  Our friends come and drop their kids off.  I am grateful they weren't earlier. I must say, all in all, it was definitely a learning experience and a Valentine's day that will not soon be forgotten!

10 comments:

Julie said...

oh my goodness...poor you!
I am terrified of locking the keys (or kids) in the car and have a paranoid habit of hooking my keys to my belt loop as soon as I take then out of the ignition. So far so good, but I fear that I will be in your shoes someday!

Oh, how did you soup turn out?

Karen said...

Oh my! What a day! I'm really bad with keys and already fear locking Mary-Grace in the car. The food thing is that you have to lock my car with the key thing so until she is Charlie's age it just isn't possible. I may glue my keys to me at that point.

Honestly though, I would have been freakif out about the stove! I have this major irrational fear of burnin down my house. I don't know how you held it together.

PTL for wonderful, understanding husbands!!!!

Second Chances said...

Wowser! That sounds awful! I admire you for getting through it. A valentines day you'll never forget!

WheelbarrowRider said...

Sounds like I need a little MORE fear in me. I think this did the trick, lol. Let's see, the soup was edible. I pulled out as many as I saw, added the broccoli, and discovered an occasional sugar snap pea isn't half bad in soup :)

Nicole C said...

Ha! One of those days! Cute story...I can say that since it ended up ok, right?!? :)

Unknown said...

I've done that too. I was cleaning my car with a 3 year old while the other sibling was asleep in his car seat. My daughter was playing with the automatic locks and in one horrible second locked herself and me outside the car, and my sleeping son and my car keys inside the car. I couldn't find the spare set of keys in the house, so we had to call the apartment maintenance guy to unlock our car. Thankfully, my son slept through the whole incident, but I gained ALOT of gray hairs.

Little JoAnn said...

Is it okay that this story made me laugh while at the same time my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest?

I like your conclusion that it is good to add a little more fear and caution into the equation.

PHEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

Thank God for Charlie! He knew just how to help you!

A perfectly described story of Motherhood.

You are better than me...I would have never helped that doggie!

Little JoAnn said...

Is it okay if I call that neighbor stupid for letting his/her dog out?

WheelbarrowRider said...

Nicole C and Little JoAnn-you can definitely laugh-I am. Like I said, a total laugh/cry situation. I was even about to see the ridiculousness of it all in the moment. Mostly I just kept thinking, seriously?! What are the odds? The whole thing was ridiculous. And Joann, nope you can't say that about my neighbor :) She is a godsend, literally. Those little stinkers have taken to getting out of the fence, but had stopped when it got cold. We had a fluke warm day and she was out of habit of them getting out and had just realized something was up when I rang the bell with her dogs :)

Katie @ Persevere in Prayer said...

Wow! I was totally holding my breath through most of that post, praying that everything would turn out alright :) Glad that it did!