This is one of many questions I ask myself as I head off to work every morning. I thought it was tough when it was just my daughter and my dog to get ready, then I went and added another baby to the mix and that was a game changer.
First of all, I have learned that it is possible to get yourself, the kids and the dog ready and still arrive (wherever) on time… unfortunately that typically involves starting the process two hours before you have to leave the house. Yeah, that does NOT happen in the morning when I have a 40 minute commute on top of dropping the kids and dog off at their respective grandparents du jour. So we just deal with being a frantic three ring circus every day.
After I pull out of the driveway I go through my mental checklist. First and foremost we do roll call and make sure everyone is in the car. I have extreme fears of leaving one of the kids in the house, or the dog roaming around in the front yard. It hasn’t happened yet, but maybe one day I’ll tell you what I did forget to do when my little girl was only a couple months old.
Once that’s established then I move on to the really important things. I make sure I have pants on and not pajama bottoms, then I check for shoes and not slippers, deodorant is next, which then brings me to a bra. The bra would perhaps be the most embarrassing for me to walk into work without. Up until recently I was nursing, so for sure I would have arrived with two wet spots right over the nipples. That’s something you don’t ever live down from your co-workers.
You may think these things would be impossible to walk out of the house without, but let me tell you with a baby, preschooler, dog, and all the baggage that goes along… it’s ALL likely.
Finally, after I’ve successfully made the drop off and it’s just me and my thoughts for the rest of the commute (until I call my Mom which I do most days), I go through a few more less important accessories. Did I remember earings? My wedding ring? Mascara? My phone? Work laptop?
At long last I arrive at work, park, then have one last freak out that maybe I forgot to take my dog out of the car and he’s going to have to spend the day at work with me. Alas, 8:00am rolls around (okay maybe 8:15 most days), I turn on my computer, sit at my desk, and feel like I’ve conquered the world. CRAP, then I realize I still have 9 hours of work ahead of me.
So far only earrings, phone, laptop and deodorant have been the worst things I’ve forgotten. What’s the worst thing you’ve left at home?
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