Stella's softball team manager, Yolanda, is the complete opposite of me. She manages to provide detailed, easy to understand information to all the players and their parents, and she gets it to us on time, every time. She always sends reminder emails out for the practices and games and she assists with the coaching too. She additionally volunteers for the whole league outside of just our team, and takes the girls on extra outings for batting practice at the cages. She's simply amazing - and zen-cool all the time.
Now, because of Yolanda, I had everything I needed to get Stella and her signed medical releases and other important paperwork to the first practice on time at 6:00 on Thursday. On top of that, I actually stopped by Yolanda's house on Wednesday evening to pay for Stella's softball sweatshirt (I was so proud that I remembered that Wednesday was the deadline!), and while I was there we talked about the next day's practice and the parents meeting we'd also have at that time. Unbelievably when the time came for the actual practice, I'd completely forgotten about it, and when I should have been at Stella's softball practice, I was taking pictures at a retirement party of one my work colleagues. I didn't even think about practice until about 6:50. UGH.
In my defense, it really was a busy and frustrating day Thursday. Besides having to go in unexpectedly to talk with Annie's teacher because of a behavioral incident at school that morning, I also took some extra time off work to follow through on taking Annie's belongings to our storage unit where they'll stay until she can behave civilly to the rest of us in the family and stop throwing tantrums for at least 2 weeks. By the time I finished packing up her stuff and bringing it to the storage unit, it was time for the retirement party, and I had completely forgotten about Stella's softball practice. I forget even to ask Shar to get her there; I simply asked her if I could pick the kids up later, because of the retirement party. Shar agreed and took them all to Chuck E Cheese. Even Stella didn't remember her practice, which is surprising since she LOVES sports and hates missing any practices or games, but I guess she comes by her lapses honestly. heh.
So, Stella missed the first softball practice of the season. Not the end of the world. I apologized to Yolanda and Stella and breathed a sigh of relief that there was nothing else scheduled until Saturday...at least at that moment...
On Friday, my friend Dan called to see if he could pick Stella up after school to spend the night with his daughter, Shannon. I wanted to say yes, but I had the niggling feeling that I was forgetting something. I thought about a long while. I looked at my calendar. I just couldn't think of anything I was missing, so I chalked the nagging feeling up to the fact that Stella had (has) both a soccer game and a softball practice this weekend. I called Dan and told him to go ahead and pick Stella up - she could go, but had to be back for a soccer game on Saturday, and I'd have to let him know what time her soccer game was, so he could get her back on time. OK so far - and I even remembered to call Shar and let her know Dan would be picking up Stella at daycare. Woot! Again, I felt proud, and mentally patted myself on the back.
My good feelings about myself were swept away when I got a call from Yolanda, saying that she was at the school to get Stella for batting practice at the cages with a few of the other girls, but Shar, my daycare provider, was unaware of that plan and wouldn't let her go. ARGH!! I had completely forgotten that Yolanda had called me Thursday evening, after I'd been at her house, and asked if Stella could join her and a few other girls at the batting cages on Friday afternoon, and that I had said, "Sure!" So when Yolanda tried to pick up Stella for batting practice, Shar said, "I can't let her go - I don't have anything in writing from her mom." They called me and we worked it out, but now Shar was annoyed that I've not given her instructions in writing about who can pick up Stella - yet AGAIN. Meanwhile, Dan and Shannon were on their way to Shar's house to pick Stella up to spend the night. So I was apologizing profusely to both Yolanda and Shar, while agonizing about letting Shannon down by telling her that Stella already has plans that I'd forgotten about. I had to call him as soon as I got off the phone with Yolanda and Shar.
My saving grace was that Shannon is also on the softball team, and Dan's very laid back. He simply took Shannon to the batting cages, too, and then took Stella to his house afterward. But still, this is not the end of the craziness.
I might never have let Stella go to Dan and Shannon's house in the first place, if I had remembered that Stella's Soccer game was at 8:30 this morning. Guess who rolled out of bed at 7:45, checked her email for the time of the game and then madly showered and rushed her two younger children out of bed and into the car at 8:00 this morning to drive partly across town to grab Stella this morning!?
This will not be the last time, either....
Quickly now, sing it with me! "Doodle doodle doo. Doodle doodle doo. Doodle doodle doo doo DOOO doo!"
