...Mother of the Year? Yes, please...

One of the good things about my new job is that my start and end time can be somewhat flexible, if there is a need. And yesterday, there was a need.

The day started out OK. Not great, but fairly typical. Taya had been semi whiny since she got up, and had refused to put on a stitch of clothing before she got to PreSchool. (This is a reoccurring phase, and an oh, so pleasant one at that!)  So, wrapped in her favorite blanket, Taya walked in to school and immediately we went in to crisis mode.  Apparently, it was Cardinal gear day...and we had not been aware.  No big deal, right?  Taya is a four year old GIRL who shouldn't really care anyway.  But Taya is not your typical four year old girl.  She is obsessed with the Cardinals.  Not crazy, crazy obsessed, but obsessed to the point where it was NOT acceptable to be at school and NOT have on Cardinals gear.  She knows how to read the scores, knows about as much about the game as I do, and can spot Cardinal paraphernalia anywhere.  (As a comparison, we wouldn't have thought twice about Mizzou day...) And many of her friends had on their Cardinals gear...thus, we had a meltdown.

Through tear-filled eyes, Taya asked me if I could go home and get one of her Cardinal's shirts. So, I did what any Mom would do, right??? Got her quickly dressed in the cute outfit i had brought and explained that Mommy did not have enough time to run home and get her shirt, (the trip is 20 minutes each way, add a couple of minutes to go in and find the shirt, and you have a round trip of 45 minutes) but I would run to Target and grab her a new shirt.

Except, no, it's NOT what any other mom would do because at the same time I was telling my girl that it would be OK and Mommy would take care of it, another Mommy was pointing out all of the kids in the class that were not wearing Cardinals shirts and her child would just have to get over it.

So, I proceeded to tell T I would be back in no more than 30 minutes.  And off I went to Target.  I knew exactly where to get the Cardinals gear and this was going to be a quick in and out.  Except, when I started perusing the shirts, there were NONE to be found in kids size.  Ugh.  (I did, however, score some pretty fantastic Mizzou shirts for the girls to wear to a Mizzou party on Saturday!!!)  And I headed to Wal-Mart.  Same story.  Then I headed to Kohls.  They were closed.  Then I headed to Mobile on the Run, because they are big Cardinal's supporters.  Nothin'.  By this point I am sweating profusely even though it is like 35 degrees out and I am wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and I am COMPLETELY stressed because I have now passed the 30 minute mark.  Dierbergs just happened to be in the same lot as the gas station, and remembering that they also have Cardinal's stuff, I decided to run in, just in case.  But, nope.  Only adult sized shirts that were less than cute.  It was now 5 til 9 and I had already called Goddard to let them know I was still coming back, and texted my 9:20 conference call to tell them I needed 10 more minutes.  I put on my thinking cap and headed back to Target.  I grabbed the supplies I would need, headed to the check-out where the lady felt sorry for me that I was back (after I had given her my sob story once already that they didn't have kids shirts) and sent me to a speedy customer service check-out where the girl said, "ummm, weren't you already here once today?"  (Why yes, I was, glad I am so memorable!!!)  And back I went to my girl.

After a few minutes of giggling in the bathroom, she came out looking like this:

A shirt + wrapping ribbon = emergency shirt dress and a happy, happy girl!

This smile made that crazy hour of my life completely worth it.  And I already have plans to make this shirt in to a real dress that will surely be super cute as well!!!

So, my could have been 45 minute round trip that cost me only gas money, turned in to a greater than one hour crazy search for a Cardinals shirt that resulted in a $35 purchase for 2 new Mizzou shirts and a $25 purchase for necessary supplies to make an emergency shirt dress.  (not to mention being an hour late to work).

But then I wouldn't have had the giggling experience in the bathroom that resulted in that beautiful smile, and I wouldn't have had these awesome Mizzou shirts:

Does that make me Mother of the Year?  nah.  But it's fun to dream, right???