Snoodlings

Ever have one of those days that’s just one errand after another? A few months ago, I had one of those days. My youngest two kids don’t have school on Tuesdays or Thursdays so I try to get all of my personal business taken care of on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday….because I don’t enjoy grocery shopping with “assistance.” On the day of this story  I made returns, dropped things off, picked things up, had things refilled, and worked on my list right up to time to pick up the Snoodles at school.

This particular Friday was my youngest son’s day to be the leader in his class. (Which just reminded me that today is my daughter’s day to be leader and I don’t have a snack to bring. That changes my morning quite a bit. Okay, everyone, read faster.) When you’re the leader you get to bring a favorite picture to display, a favorite book to read, a special item to show (and tell, I guess), and a snack to share (!!! I can’t believe I forgot!!!). Fridays are also Treasure Box Day for the kindergarten set. If you’re in kindergarten and you haven’t had any major behavior infractions all week, you get to pick a treasure (aka cheap Happy Meal toy just like the one your mom finally was able to sneak from your room and throw away while you weren’t looking) from the special box of plastic Made-In-Chinas. Every Friday afternoon, the youngest Snoodles pile into the car with a little more speed and enthusiasm, anxious to show me the loot they’ve liberated from their teachers’ stashes.

As B was preparing for his moment in the spotlight as leader, I packed his snack and procured his picture and book, but I allowed him to select his show-and-tell item. The morning was crazy, as they always seem to be around here, so I never got around to asking him what he’d chosen to take to class. I remembered that I hadn’t seen his show-and-tell item when, as he entered the car that afternoon, he handed me a small silver package across the seat and with all the nonchalance I’ve ever heard in a statement said, “Here, Mom.”

This is what he handed me:

What did I do? Well, I did what every seasoned, veteran mom would do. I panicked.

Is THAT what he brought for Show-and-Tell?!?! I could see him passing the packet around giving all his friends a chance to try to pop the little “candies” out of the back of the dispenser. No, he knows that’s special medicine “for moms only” and I keep it on a high shelf in my bathroom. Plus his teacher is one of my best friends. Surely she would have called me the second that special item came into her view. Then where did he get that?!

Wait! Treasure Box Day! In my panic, and for maybe half a second, I actually wondered if he’d somehow found those somewhere and claimed them as his treasure for the day! Was this a sick joke? Or a message from his teacher? Where did he get those pills?!?!

In a moment of clarity I remembered that one of my errands for the day had been to get  a refill of “Mom’s special medicine.”  I had placed several of my shopping bags in the backseat and my newly acquired 3-month-supply of medicine must have fallen out as  B was getting in the car. Of course, then my panic escalated once again when I realized the rest of my refill could be fluttering across the pickup line of school.  With none of the nonchalance of my son, I unbuckled and almost broke my neck trying to run to the other side of the car to make sure all of my packages were secure. Thankfully, they were.

That night we went to dinner with Ralph and his wife and I was retelling the story. I don’t know why, but I was. I’m sure it had relevance at the moment. Ralph decided that he liked the idea that B had been given the pills for his Treasure Box selection and that they were our school’s subtle way of making sure that they didn’t have to deal with any more little Snoodles down the road. Ralph finds the very thought of that simply hilarious. He thinks you’d find this funny, too. If you don’t, I’m sure he’ll just say it’s because I didn’t tell the story correctly. But for what it’s worth, I told another one of your favorite stories, Ralph. Now you only have to think of two more to make Ralph’s Story Week complete.

By the way, I wonder if Ramen noodles would be considered an appropriate snack for the leader to bring. No? Instant oatmeal? Sigh. I think I just added another errand to my morning list.

P.S. And more important than anything else I’ve written today, my friend God’s Will is at St. Jude’s today for a checkup. He’s having a scan today and will get the results some time this afternoon.  Also, our friend Mike visited with my mom for a little while yesterday afternoon. The new medicine is making him sick but he was full of encouragement and wisdom and positivity, as usual. And finally, a new friend who is on the Daniel Safari Bible study with me was just diagnosed with cancer. She’ll be finding out more details in the days to come. I’d appreciate your prayers for all of these precious people.