Scene one........

Everybody is always in need of something.  Always.

Monday night I served my sentence in the concession stand for softball, one of three I might add.  I had to have my mom watch ally and sam, drive like a maniac to get emi to girlscouts and then to the ball park.  Half an hour later that huge storm rolled in and I was free to leave my duty early and go back to miss emi's meeting.

I got home and started getting everyone ready for beddie bye and remembered I was supposed to bake cookies for the art sale the next day.  Poop.  Lucky for me, I had everything to make a big batch of no bakes. And I didn't manage to burn them.  Yee Ha!

Then a quick check of the email before bed and...........WHAM!  An email from the Kindergarten teacher that basically can be summed up as "Hello looser parents.  I asked for help today in creating the kindergarten backdrop for the upcoming play- only one parent loves their child enough to show up.  Again, I am reaching out to you- produce yourselves in the cafeteria, 9:30 am tomorrow morning, and prove your support for your child.  Otherwise I am striking them from the play and the kids will have to perform in front of a big giant piece of plywood with nails and staples sticking out all over it".

Technically I had no reason I couldn't go.  Usually so many moms show up for those things that I kind of let myself off the hook for going.  It's not that I don't love that kind of thing, it's just that I would have to take emily and sam along.  Emily- no problem, Sam- uhg, more of a problem (that kid is kind of, well, you know, trouble).  And on Monday I had to work.  But Tuesday?  Alright- I decided to go and do this thing.

I managed to get up and showered, dressed, everyone fed, and we were at the school right on time.  Dropped off cookies for the bake sale and ran to the cafeteria. Another mother was busily drawing up an idea and within a few minutes we were in a fancy room with rolls of paper, markers and glue sticks.  Rock on kindergarten backdrop!

In this room- I kid you not- were the fanciest things I have EVER seen.  I forget the name, but they were racks and racks of fancy die cut shape things that you put paper on and roll through a big masher and VOILA instant cut out little shapes of whatever.you.want (I kid you not).  Heaven.  I'm totally coming back into this room- if I have to bust in through the window.  Complete and total coolness.

I was to make flowers, fall leaves, and a giant bunny.  I cut, I glued, I crafted the best bunny to my ability.

By 11:30 Sam wouldn't stop playing with the (live) microphone and climbing up the wooden walls that support our backdrop- and since he had already gotten himself stuck under a stack of chairs which required rescuing- I politely excused us and said I would come back in a bit to finish up.  Sans sam.

Ran home- poked down lunch- back to the school with just Emily.

One of the gals was so excited- they had found a real bunny stuffed animal thing we could staple to the wall.  Fabulous, that way we won't have to put up the scary one I made.  Then they noticed I had already made one.  They said they would just use it instead, so as not to hurt my feelings.  We had the whole 'feelings' conversation and I told them to use the stuffed one- after all it was much better.

I have a group of women in ally's grade that I know and enjoy the company of.  We chat, talk, send emails and such and I look forward to seeing them at events.  Emily's grade- not so much.  We're still in the 'getting to know you' stage and there are some apparent preschool clicks that I am just not a part of.  So as most of these women knew each other and talked all day in hushed whispers, I just kind of stuck to my bunny.

Maybe it was the way I suggested a backdrop filled with mixed drinks as they evolve through the seasons?  You know- martinis to welcome back the school year, spiked hot cider in the Fall, wine at Thanksgiving...............just blank stares.  But I eventually did say that their idea of snowflakes, school busses and fall leaves would work too- since we were in a pinch.  Jeesh.  Who doesn't love a good stiff drink every now and then? (not these ladies I suppose)

By 2pm we had various seasonal items stapled in order on a light blue paper backdrop and I was on my merry little way to work for a couple of hours.  I called Dan to tell him I was off to work and I'd come flying up the driveway just as he was to depart for his place of employement.

I may have shared a tiny bit of the overwhelmingness feeling that I was experiencing.  He said, 'you just can't say no- that's your problem'.

That comment may have ticked me off a little.  Because, being that I am the wife and I do all of our duties for us homies, no I don't say no usually.  Because I want there to be a kindergarten play, and I want to have the PTA raise money during bake sales and not have to actually serve on the PTA board, and we agreed to one concession stand duty- per kid- when we signed up, and I am ALWAYS the one who makes sure these things get done for our family.  ALWAYS.  So maybe he should have expressed some kind of appreciation for making his life a little easier for him- instead of making me feel like a jerk.  Maybe.

So after a day of feeling like an outcast with all the other mommies, a slacker because my 4 year old can't behave himself, an olympian because I actually remembered and baked the cookies, a grumpy wife because I kind of dumped my overwhelmedness on my husband, and a pushover who can't say no- I wrapped up the day with a trip to the artfair and choir concert for Allyson (and a super giant big headache). 

And as I crawled into bed- feeling defeated and worn- only one thought was going through my head..............

It was a kick ass bunny.