A lesson in being prepared...
I don't claim to be the perfect mother by any means, and my organization certainly leaves something to be desired. I'm trying though- its hard to try to maintain a house (notice I said try), be a mother to three young children, do all the extra appointments & paperwork for my son, be a wife, run my own business from home (when I have a spare moment). I get so busy with everything, that there are many things I forget. Like feeding the cats. But luckily, when their food runs out, they get really anxious and let me know.
I definitely need to be more organized around here. One thing I am really good with though is being organized and prepared when leaving the house. And I give my mother all the credit for this- she always taught me to be prepared for the unexpected. My husband is a little "get up and go", but I'd rather make sure I have all the stuff I need, so I don't have to worry about getting back to the house for more clothing, medications, or whatever we might need. And, my mother appreciates my preparation when I send a child (or more) to her house, because she knows that most likely she will have everything she needs for them.
(A pat on the back for me).
So, I've been trying to teach these good habits to my 5 year old. It was really cute because Daddy was taking her out recently and it was a fairly nice day. They were on their way out in the van. Of course, he was saying to her that she probably didn't need her hat and mitts, and she responded by saying that she should have them anyway, in case the van were to break down or something, and that Mommy taught that to her, and Nana taught that to her. (That's my girl!). Off she went with her hat and mitts, all prepared just in case.
Of course, nothing happened that day. But, wasn't it only a few days later that I was taking my son to the hospital for an appointment- the same appointment we had already rescheduled a few times due to snow storms- when the van broke down. I had him and the baby in the van. Motor fried. Motor no more. Kaput. And, were we prepared and warm when we got stranded on the highway? You betcha! It was actually ridiculously sunny out that day, so we could have been in shorts in the van and been warm, but even if not or we had to walk, we had plenty of clothes to keep our heads and fingers warm.
Thanks Nana for keeping me from getting frostbite. Thanks for my sister-in-law for saving our stranded selves!
