Mom's "Free" Time

I love it.  When people find out all four kids are in school at some point during the week, they inevitably say, "Oh, so are you enjoying your free time?"

I don't know about you, but when I hear the words "free time" I envision feet up with book in hand, or perhaps time for crafting, or even watching a movie.

Today after all 4 were dropped off at their respective places of schooling, I hit the freeway.  I had some errands to do.  I drove a half hour and then ran into Michael's craft store because they were having a 40% off sale of their baskets, and I needed one.  While there, Ryan called and said he forgot something at the school, so could I possibly pick up two outside mercury thermometers and take them to him at the fairgrounds before going home?  It was 10 am, and I had to be back to pick up the twins at noon.

Sure.  No problem.

I drove to Costco and picked up several things there, and then went to Target.  Surely Target would have thermometers, and I was going there anyway.

No mercury thermometers.  Only digital ones.

Think, Danae.  I don't want to have to drive all the way out to Lowes; who else might have thermometers?

Walmart.

Ugh.  I drove all this way so as to NOT go to Walmart.  I strongly dislike Walmart.  At least our local store.

So I got back into the car and drove to Walmart.  I didn't have time to be wandering around the store forever, so I asked the greeter where thermometers might be.  He pointed me in the direction of the garden center, and I flagged down the first employee I saw in the general vicinity.  That guy pointed out another employee, who actually walked me to the thermometers.  Hallelujah!

 It was now 11:20.  I had a good half hour + of driving ahead of me, and I still needed to drop off the thermometers with Ryan.  (Hey, I thought the craft store, Costco, Target, and Walmart in about an hour and twenty minutes was pretty awesome.)

I was fast.  I made it back to pick up the kids being only 10 minutes late.  I felt like I deserved a pat on the back.  Of course, it wasn't quite the quiet shopping trip I had planned out in my head this morning.  But all for a good cause, right?

When Ryan got home at dinner time from setting up at the fair, he told me the fate of the thermometers.  After carefully removing them from the plastic cases (the fair theme this year is "Fair Fever") and gently putting them up on the FFA display board, one of Ryan's students lost her balance and took them both out on her way down.

All that effort, and they were only up for 5 minutes.