Monday Rush

Juggling a toddler and a puppy can strain one's resources on the calmest of days. Add in a dash of rain, some howling wind, several errands that require entering and exiting a car seat and a dog with a case of the runs and you've got the Monday rush of the stay at home parent.

Simone experienced such a morning today. As if the handling of the small fry did not require sufficient nerves of steel, she also had to deal with being told at the first stop that she could not pay her bill there at all because, although the bill bore their name, they did not accept payments for this particular bill in their offices. Simone would have to go and pay this bill elsewhere.

Okay, reload the baby into the car seat. Remove the crayon he stole from the office they were just in from his fist and run back in to exchange it for the sippy cup he left behind. Run back out and pry the dog from the horn on the steering wheel.

Stop number 2: They do not accept cash as payment. Debit or cheque, please.

Grumble, grumble, grumble!

Stop number 3: Please get out! We aren't opened yet! (Their front door was unlocked. Who opens at 11 am anyhow???)

Stop number 4: Bank machine to put back the money for bill at stop number 2.

Stop number 5: Pay bill inside mall. Baby likes this one and crawls out of his stroller and runs away to the DQ counter nearby. Simone is thinking that a nice, stiff drink might be in order.

Stop number 6: (Same mall but far enough that travelling with baby on foot would have used up both Simone's resources and baby's patience). This one goes well - it's in a bank and they know how to handle bill payments. They even have a great little table set up for the small guys and gals who like to play while Mom and Dad do their banking.

Ten minutes later, the baby boss decides it's okay to leave.

Stop number 7: The grocery store! No day would be complete without a visit to the grocery store. Of course, Simone gets to the checkout, buys what was in her cart and realizes that she forgot two items.

Grumble, grumble, grumble...

Stop number 8: Home at last! Time to walk the dog and hope he's over his bout of diarreah...

And look! It's only 12:30 pm - lots of time to do other things :)