The day before the day before

Well now, I thought I'd get a "head start" on my blog for today. Don't know just how long I'll last since the kids have been complaining that they're hungry for a while now and my tummy is beginning to grumble a bit, too.
A day that was supposed to start with dropping off Aaron at weight training, then submitting Alisa's paperwork for ACA all went awry when I couldn't find original social security cards. Don't you just hate it when you think you've been really good about filing stuff appropriately, and then you find out that the one thing you cannot find is one of the things you need the most? I cannot check on the status of my amended return with the IRS because the online help needs a specific dollar amount. I cannot find the copies of the paperwork I sent in to verify the date I sent it or the exact dollar amount the IRS owes us. Now, it's the social security cards. I have a feeling that when I finally get around to clearing off my office desk I will find an envelope with the original copies of both kids' social security cards. You know this speaks volumes about the state of my desk if it was easier to go online, download and fill out the application for the replacement cards, call the social security administration to verify what all constitutes "proof of identity" for minors with no driver's license or passport, make a trip across town to the SSA, take a number and wait to be helped than search for the cards on my desk. Don't get me wrong, folks. These aren't bragging rights by any stretch of the imagination! It’s downright embarrassing to say the least. I am determined to get the desk cleared off before classes resume next month.
So, after our visit to the Social Security Administration, I decided to stop by Fiesta grocery store. They always have an awesome variety of produce at reasonable prices. Barrett gave me his ad yesterday after church, and they had watermelon, pineapple, apples, oranges and more on sale. We haven’t had fresh fruit in the house for a little while, now, and it was on the way home, so we stopped. I left Mike & the kids in the car while I went straight to the produce section, chose the fruits listed above and returned to the car. Well, guess what? My van wouldn’t start. Remember the blog from a few weeks ago when I went to have my oil changed and the attendant told me my battery was low? I guess he was telling the truth. Do you think I have jumper cables in my van? No. Do you think the battery jump box thing was charged and in my trunk? No. It was in the back of Mike’s car. Lucky for me I had my cell phone and it’s battery was charged enough to call Mom. She fussed about me sneaking off to Fiesta without her but sent my dad and nephew to give us a jump start nonetheless. This was one time the kiddoes were sorry I got right in and out of the store and didn’t grab a few extra things that weren’t on my list. I had eaten just before we left the house so I wasn’t on the brink of starvation, but they had eaten somewhat earlier and were hungry and hot.
Dad & Trey arrived after passing up the store at first, and it looked as if the jump start wasn’t going to work. PaPa looked like a mad scientist when he hooked up two sets of jumper cables (I had a mental image of a blue arc of electricity jumping from one car to the other and PaPa, Trey and Mike lighting up like skeletons in the cartoons), but that seemed to do the trick. The engine turned over and Trey & PaPa followed us home. Of course, Mike in all of his infinite wisdom killed the engine “to see if it would start again” before the kids got out of the car. Naturally, the car did not start again so the kids had to climb to the front to exit the vehicle. My list of things to do for tomorrow seems to be growing by leaps and bounds: make copies of Alisa’s paperwork, deliver paperwork to ACA, new battery for car (this may be #1 on the list before the other errands), gas up my car, gas up Mike’s car, pick up Alex (cousin who is spending the night with Alisa to join us for Pump It Up on Wednesday morning), return Laura Schulte’s call (friend & mother of one of Alisa’s invitees), call Jamie (make arrangements for Aaron to get to and from weight training Wednesday morning while I’m taking girls to Pump It Up), touch base with Steph regarding daughter Avery’s ear infection. A trip to the grocery store or something will be in order now that we have an overnight guest and Mike is heading back to work on Wednesday. I’ll have to cook more than burgers and sandwiches or Mike will be heading to Wendy’s & Manchu Wok at the airport to eat (major ching ching!).
It’s almost 11:30 p.m. & I’ve just finished washing up dishes. Mike delegated the emptying of the drain board and dishwasher to the kids earlier but didn’t bother washing up the dishes in the sink. It’s the day before the day before he must return to work so he is reverting back to his pre-vacation state of “resting up” all day in anticipation of being tired from work. Around 9:30 p.m. I agreed to help Alisa with her room for one hour tonight. That was before I realized I needed to put away food from dinner, wash up the lunch and dinner dishes, clean some “stuff” out of the fridge for trash pick-up tomorrow, backwash the swimming pool, etc…Now, I am tired (notice there was no “naptime” factored into today’s events), but I must help Alisa because it looks like tomorrow will be pretty full. Mike generally likes to relax on the day before he returns to work, so he may help with the battery tomorrow, but that will be about it. I’ll take whatever I can get. Good night. Until next time…