This Wouldn't Have Happened When I Was Organized

When Jacob was still a wee baby, we began having a bit of money moved from the husband's paycheck and into a vacation fund. Since our families deprived us both of quality family fun, we wanted to be sure our own kids didn't suffer the same fate and decided we'd take a cool vacation every year to far off places teaching our kids the cultural diversities of our world while hopefully basking in the sun and sand on a tropical isle at some point.

So far we've been to Pensacola. You know, where my sister lives. They have an awesome Krispy Kreme. And Chuck E. Cheese. Oh, and their white sand beaches are beautiful. At least they were that split second we got to see them before three year old Jacob ran screaming into the street.

Although my husband earns six weeks of vacation time a year, he never uses it because they never let him. There's always some meeting, some disaster, somebody quit and he has to cover for them, and he's got to be there. Fourteen hours a day, almost every day. When the year changed and he saw another three weeks of time slip from his hands, he decided THIS was the year for our big family vacation. So on New Year's Day we went googling for our vacation. Disney? Hawaii? Colorado? The Champs Elysee in Paris? NO. I mean, why would we go to those places when we are so. close. to Arkansas. Seriously. We're going to Arkansas for our vacation. And it was my idea. I figured we'd start small since we've never tried to take all three of them any farther than the zoo and that required some alcohol upon our return home. Plus, there's a diamond mine so what better place to take three dirt diggers? And maybe we'll get lucky and find our fortune. Or we can just hang out with my uncle and cousins for a few days.

It took some rearranging but we finally found a time we could go where the kid wouldn't miss too many days of school, the weather wouldn't be oppressingly hot, and someone would be around to watch our animals. And then the husband put in his dates. April 8, 9, and 10. My family even planned a mini little reunion for us. What fun!

Imagine my surprise when I checked my kids backpack Friday evening and found a note from the principal reminding everyone about the achievement tests on April 7, 8, and 9. Everyone was required to be there and would only be excused with a doctor's note. In other words, your kid better be dying if he doesn't show up to school.

WTF?

I checked the kid's school calendar. Twice. There were no squares or brackets on any of those dates indicating something. Only a circle on Good Friday because it's a holiday meaning to me, great time for a vacation! I did not check the fine print at the bottom of the page that said when the achievement tests would be. In fact, I pretty much forgot there were achievement tests.

So today, the first day of our vacation, I'm watching Dora and Diego like every other day of my life. No IHOP on the drive over. No tasty BBQ for lunch. No dirty kids digging for treasure. No Easter Egg hunt with cousins I haven't seen since our own Easter egg hunts. But Dora found Boots' trusty old shoes. So Yay!

And if that didn't assure you I am a complete idiot....

I decided to go see Dave Matthews with a couple of friends on May 1. We've already reserved our fancy hotel room and purchased our tickets. Everyone's really excited about it. And I was too, until a note came home reminding us about the second grade musical. On May 1. Really? But there was NO. SQUARE! Because, yes, it was in the fine print at the bottom of the calendar. Just like the testing. Then I got to thinking about the last two musicals and how my kid just kinda stood there. Oh, sometimes he'd sing, but way in the back with some tall kid standing in front of him. And then I remembered how my husband missed one and the kid survived, so surely he would again. Game on!

And then a couple of weeks ago I got another note that let me know my kid has a solo in the musical. And then a couple days after that, another note stating he now has TWO solos. Of course, he does. My kid who hates music class just suddenly auditions for a part. A huge part. What happened to hiding in the back? Man.

So far, I'm still going to the concert. I paid a lot of money for the tickets and my friends don't know each other so that would be awkward to just let them go by themselves. My kid swears he doesn't care if I'm not there, but I do. Will I even be able to have a good time at my own concert knowing my kid is at his without me? What mother misses her kid's musical???

The one time I try to get away by myself. Maybe it's a sign.

Sure could use a vacation about now.