PICNIC

This evening we attended a picnic at the home of the principal of our school. All teachers and staff were invited and we had a great time visiting with old friends, making new friends, watching kids play, eating great food, and being outside on this gorgeous night. We arrived right on time at 6:00 and stayed until 9:00. Arriving home my kids all had showers and were tucked into bed with bedtime stories and prayers. What a great night.

NOT Ok, so that was the plan. If you have ever read my blog you know that my life doesn't go according to plan and something as simple as attending a staff picnic could not be simple for me.
Here's what really happened.

3:00 pm - My husband calls and is feeling really sick and headed home to take a nap.

4:00 pm- My youngest daughter falls asleep.

6:00 pm (The start time of the picnic) My hubby and daughter wake up. Hubby still sick so we'll have to go it alone.

6:45 pm - I FINALLY get everyone into the car with socks and shoes They are hungry. Mapquest says it will take 27 minutes. No problem. I forget my dessert.

7:15 pm - GPS saying it will be another 30 minutes. We are on back roads I've never seen.

7:20 pm - We get on a "main" back road and the kids comment that there are other cars on the road! We're not lost. They are even hungrier. (Of course my emergency car food bag was left in the house.)

7:45 pm - My GPS lady says 1 more minute to go. "Turn left Woods Road. Destination on the left." On the left is a corn field. A BIG corn field.

8:15 pm - After 30 minutes of attempting to find 5 Woods Road, we abort mission. I use GPS to help me find a nearby restaurant to feed the kids. I have $17.00.

8:35 pm - We pull into a McDonald's that is part of a complex called the Big ELK Shopping center. I'm hoping the meat is still cow.

8:50 pm - After a LONG wait in line we are seated with nuggets, burgers, fries, ketchup, mustard and waters.

9:00 pm - One by one they all have to use the restroom. Why do kids seem drawn to public restrooms. Yuck. Since this McD was not very clean at all, I prayed over the kids safety and off we went. I prayed more and even let them play in the play place.

9:15 pm - With just enough left for ice cream cones we headed to the car with dripping cones.

9:25 pm - I tell the kids to try to stay awake as they need showers.

9:26 pm - Rhia tells me she needs a snooze first and she was gone.

10:05 pm - Arriving at home the only child awake was the late napper. So much for showers.

10:15 pm - Everyone is placed into bed. They are dirty. They are disappointed. They are tired. They are really dirty. There are no stories and only silent prayers whispered by me as I leave their rooms.

Lessons learned:
* Map Quest and my GPS are not friends.
* ALWAYS make sure you have the snack bag IN the car.
* Take the phone number with you even if you have GPS.
* Taking 4 kids into a McD in the Big Elk shopping center at 9:00 at night can be a daunting task.


Tomorrow morning the kids AND the sheets are both getting showers!
Maybe next year we'll find 5 Woods Road then again maybe next year we'll just go to the local McD!

Wishing I had been at the picnic, but trusting there was a good reason,
momofkrit and woj,
KT