My Favorite Ram

Gideon has wanted to take his lunch (I don't know if this is because he doesn't like school food or because he wants a new lunch box or just wants to make his mom crazy!!!). This morning, I told him that we would get a lunch box today. He said...not rudely or out of defiance, but simply stating a fact based on his opinion...he said, "No you won't. You will forget, because you always forget." OUCH!!!

So my mission today was to buy a lunch box! My mission began at trusty old Wal-Mart. However, I did not realize the difficulty in purchasing a lunch box in OCTOBER!!! I found loads of costumes, Christmas decoration and even paper sacks! But, my mother's intuition told me that paper sacks or a generic lunch box would not win me Mother of the Year!!! I asked every employee of Wal-Mart and was sent to every department in the store. After an hour of searching...and doing a little, much needed shopping :-)...I finally found the few lunch boxes that had survived Back to School sales and last weeks lunch box clearance...since who buys lunch boxes in October!!! I picked out a blue army camouflage lunch bag and was thrilled to have only had to pay $2!!!

It was now 2:30 and getting close to pick-up time, but Target was only a block away and remember...I am hoping for Mother of the Year! I ran...literally...into Target, asked the first person I saw wearing a red-shirt, "Where are your lunch boxes?" I am sweating, looking at my watch and beginning to panic as it gets closer and closer to 3:00. The employee was obviously clueless, so I began my frantic search jogging...literally...down the isles in search of the best lunch box ever! Tucked away in Sporting Goods, I found an entire isle of lunch boxes...it was like lunch box heaven! There were sooo many great choices, my heart was pounding and minutes ticking away...do I pick Spiderman, Hulk, a cool race car shaped lunch box. What would Mother of the Year choose? A Star Wars Storm Troopers lunch box was the winner (and of course I had to buy ME a Princess lunch box...because the Mother of the Year is always fair!!!).

Now it is a race against the clock! I ran...yes, literally... to the check-out, jumped in front of an innocent man...of course flashing the biggest and most innocent smile...only to have to wait...and wait for the checker-in-training to process the payment of the person in front of me. Only after she called for assistance for the third time, did I humbly step out of the line and behind the guy I originally cut in front of! I purchased my two totally awesome lunch boxes and cringed as I had to pay $21.93!!! I reminded myself I was not trying to win the prize for most frugal!!!

I now had 11 minutes before pick-up. I ran...yes, literally...to the car, drove down Penn...of course obeying each and every traffic law, found the first parking spot and sprinted to the school...just as Gideon's class was coming down the hall!!! I smiled, gave him a huge hug and said, "I got you a lunch box!!!" He loved it...and I think for sure I will win Mother of the Year...at least in one little boy's opinion!!!