Finding Balance: Wellness for the Everyday Struggle: Another Car Key Saga

You would have thought I would have learned the first time. But no. The perfect storm happened again. At least this was a cheap issue - it only cost time, muscles, and dignity.

My mom had been staying with us for a few weeks, and she flew in. So, I had her keep my spare car key in her purse so coming and going was easier on all parties. No big deal at all - it just meant that it wasn't hanging up on my wall.

Then, because my mom is awesome and hasn't had a real break to herself without her mom, or my kids and dogs being all in her space and ears (serious noise and privacy pollution over at this house), I got together with her siblings and my sister and a friend and we rented her an RV and got her money to park it for a almost a week. She got to get out of here and relax alone by herself. Hooray.

So...while she was out doing that, I was working on taking care of some of my own crap. Like, I'm the Maid of Honor in a wedding soon. And, my dress lets my bra hang out. Because the straps are too long. My cheap sewing machine and my mediocre skills are not enough to solve this, so through a series of efforts I managed to call and schedule an appointment with a local (IN TOWN EVEN!) seamstress. She got me on the books right away because it's prom season and she's busy so she wanted dress in and out ASAP. Totally fair. So I get up the next morning, get Jade into a nap schedule that will probably make it OK, get everything together, stuff to amuse the kids for the 10 minutes we'll be there, and put on my spanx under my sweats just to make everything go smoothly while we're there. I pack up the bag with dress and baby things and a water cup (because toddler) and go to start the car, while I put coats and shoes on and plan to grab Jade from her nap and drop her into the car, because we'll only be gone 20 minutes.

Did I mention it was the coldest day in two weeks? Yeah, it was like 26 degrees. And REALLY windy. And overcast. Just icky out.

But I can't find my keys. There's not hanging up. They're not on my desk or in my pocket of my jacket or my pants or my sweatshirt from the other day. Haven't had them since I got home from the RV drop off....with two overtired sleeping kiddos. Shit. Check the car, check the basement. Text my husband in case he picked them up and they're in his coat pocket. Check car again. Check house again. Do this 4 more times. Give up. Shit. Call the lovely seamstress. Explain. Ask her if I can come in this evening (don't offer for tomorrow morning, because I might not have keys until my mom gets back into town.....just in case). Nope, she's got all evenings and weekends booked because of proms. Ok...can she wait thirty minutes? Sure.

So now I'm packing up the kids into the double stroller. Loaded backpack and more water. Did I mention I had spanx on already? Yeah. And it's super cold. I put on a thick sweatshirt, but no coat. Kids going into their stroller bags (they're so warm and nice) and the canopies go up to protect from wind. Also, the location is .1.5 miles away. And my pelvis is not 100%. Either way, I don't want to inconvenience her anymore. Stroller, plus kiddos, plus bag is literally 100 lbs. Wow. And I am doing short jogs between. I'm sweaty. In spanx. And in the cold.

We get there, I apologize, and it takes more time to get kids out, inside, undressed and then redressed and back into stroller than it does for my entire fitting. But she was gracious and patient. I apologized some more.

Legan is now cranky because we passed by a park on the way. So I tell him we can can stop for 10 minutes on the way home. We get to the playground and it starts sleeting. I can't make this up. He is dressed warm, but not warm enough for that and he doesn't like sleet either. Back into the stroller, and canopies shift. I'm back to trying to get them back ASAP and not caring that I can't breath and my everything hurts. I'm shuffling with some hint of speed (on the not-uphill parts at least). Get back home. Now we were gone about 90 minutes total. And we're late for lunch and I have to change all my clothes and get stroller into garage because the bags are wet. Now Jade is starving, I'm exhausted and in pain...just etc etc etc etc. Kids at least go down for nap at the same time and I get a short break. Where I have extra comfort food and extra warm socks and the TV with no laundry or blogging. Just dog cuddling. I had wine that night and everything because I figured I needed the calories.

I must have. By the end of the week - I had lost my usual half pound (almost down to pre-baby weight!), so I most not have overdone it.

Kiddos all cozy in their stroller right as it started sleeting

Between bags and canopies they were dry once we got home...I was not

Eric gets home and we have a movie on - it's still sleeting and it's still cold and Legan is bored and I hurt everywhere. My arms and shoulders and back from pushing, and my legs and lungs and pelvic girdle from running/instability. He asks if I've found my keys yet. Lol, I was so pissed off and frustrated, I didn't even look after I got home. I knew the keys were somewhere at home. He found them, in a place I had already checked several times. So, I could have avoided the chaos. But...I had been up since 5 am and wasn't able to use enough brains to find them. I managed. We lived. But sigh.

And so...Easter photos!