Taken for Granted

Today was just one of those days that I am happy to say is over so I can start afresh tomorrow. I have my Wednesdays planned out by the MINUTE (not really exaggerating) & I'm stating it as follows (mainly because I hope to print this out and show my sons someday. I'm specifically remembering a time Liam said I probably sit around and watch TV all day while they're in school):

7:45 am Take Loren & Liam to School
8:15 am Change litter boxes & empty trashes for trash day, start laundry
8:45 am Take Landon to prechool
9:15 am Take Grandma to Hair Appt. & errands
10:45 am Pick up Grandma from Hair Appt & take home
11:45 am Pick up Landon from preschool
12:30 pm Pick up Loren, Liam & Logan from school
1:00 pm Take mom to the doctor

Well, that's how every Wednesday is planned (with the exception of the doctors appointment) & if one thing goes wrong it throws the whole day out of whack. After making breakfast and packing lunches & backpacks, making sure they were deodorized, combed & the youngest two separated from each other due to fighting, pulling one out from under the kitchen table who didn't want to go to school...

I get in my van at 7:45 and click, click, click....the van won't start! Click, click, click....it still won't start! What to do, what to do? My van's in the garage & this is when I realized that my poor van is TAKEN FOR GRANTED. Poor thing, I don't treat her near as well as I should....and I sure don't realize how much I need her until she's sick. :D

My grandmother raised 3 boys without having driven a day in her life! How was that possible? My husband who works out of town had advised me to push my car out of the garage myself & try to find a neighbor to help jumpstart it. Me, knowing nothing about cars, knew it would end up flying down the driveway and through the neighbors front door across the street. Waking a neighbor didn't quite feel like my best option at that point. It also didn't help that I had prior back surgery...so injury was imminent. I was also reminded that it was probably not a good idea to leave the inside lights on all night. Yeah, not such a great idea. Well, luckily my dad saved the day...ran over from work and pushed my van into the drizzling rain with his terribly bad and painful knees and jump started my car. Thank you Dad!!!

The older two were 45 min. late to school...but my preschooler was on time and my grandma even got prettied up at the salon. I was advised to keep my car running for a while, so I was in fear of turning it off. I had to pawn my youngest onto another dad to sign him in at preschool in fear that if I turned my van off, it wouldn't start. I felt pretty ridiculous not knowing how long before I could turn my van off. I think I need to take some "Mechanics for Dummies" course one of these days!

Needless to say....I won't take my precious van for granted again (and if guys refer to their cars as a 'she', does a girl refer to her car as a 'he'?). Hmmm...I feel better now that I've vented....this photo journaling thing is therapy.