Today started out a little rough for the Rife girls. I had a Board of Education meeting at 9:30 am (we're on the Founding Committee of Main Street Academy, a charter school we're trying to start in our area). I woke up at 6 to have Holly and myself fed, dressed, and out the door by 8:15. As you can imagine in Atlanta, it took us almost the full hour and 15 minutes to get to our destination, Sandy Springs Middle School. As soon as I got Holly out of her car seat, I smelled her. Dirty diaper = strike 1.
I decided it best to ignore the diaper (where do you change diapers in a middle school? In one of the short little stalls with no locks?). We finally found our meeting location, the Media Center in the back of the building. As soon as we walked in the room, the fire alarm sounded. Fire drill = strike 2.
So, the President of the Board of Education and the few parents that had already arrived filed outside with hundreds of middle school students. I knew this was going to be bad. You can only hold a 16 month old for so long before she wriggles out of your arms, desperate for freedom. Thirty minutes after walking outside, I put Holly down, hoping she would be mesmerized by the fire trucks. Instead she took off running. And then tripped and fell face first. Busted lip = strike 3.
With nothing more than her beloved pink blanket to stop the bleeding, I politely asked the school principal where I could find some ice. Her response - "If you turn right at the light and then right again, you'll see a QT." Not exactly what I had in mind.
Needless to say, we didn't stick around for the meeting. Holly's getting used to her swollen lip, and she likes the fact that she gets to drink out of a straw (sipping from her cup hurts). As for me, I'm a little bummed that my attempt to fulfill my civic duty didn't turn out as I expected. I think tomorrow I'll stick to grocery shopping and walking the neighbor's dog.
Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!
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