Mommy Brain?

It’s 12pm, Blythe has just finished her gymnastics class and both girls seem to be in a great mood. I have been denying my family groceries for more days than I should admit so I decide to grab a few essentials before turning home for lunch and a nap. We scored a car grocery cart (well the girls scored and I lost because those carts NEVER steer well) which is a very rare occasion because I usually do my best to shade their eyes when we go by them, but since I was already pushing my luck going to the grocery store so close to lunch and nap I decided it was in my best interest to give into this little delight. We had a great shopping trip, had a few samples, got stuck in a check-out line behind someone writing a check (ugh, is it just me that always happens to?), get two Buddy Bucks and end up with 1 point (lame), but follow it up with a 20 pointer and head out to the car. I pop the trunk, sling the diaper bag off my shoulder (anther down side to the car carts, only enough room for babies and groceries, no extra room for diaper bag), put the groceries into the trunk, close the trunk, OH SHIT, I just closed the trunk with the diaper bag that has the CAR KEYS, my cell phone, and my wallet…Great. I check the car to confirm it is locked knowing good and well that it is and I think to myself I NEVER put car keys in the trunk, and while technically I didn’t lay the car keys in the trunk I did absentmindedly pop the trunk with the keys and then toss them back into the diaper bag instead of my pocket.

My first thought is that I have to get to a phone and dial the only 2 numbers that I know by heart 1) Jason’s cell phone which he rarely answers and 2) my mom’s home number which she NEVER answers

The girls and I (still in the crummy not easy to push car cart) walk back into the HEB to the customer service department. I asked if I could use the telephone and asked if it allowed long distance. Of course the public HEB phone doesn’t let you make a long distance call and when I asked one of the girls if I could borrow their cell phone they both looked at each other with unwilling eyes and I really thought they were going to tell me no, but I lucked out and one of them half-willingly handed me her phone. I try the first number, Jason’s cell phone, no answer. I try the second number, mom’s house phone, and leave a message because I know if she hears my voice while I am leaving the message she will pick up, but no luck. I leave the message “Hi mom, it’s Monica, I have locked my keys in my car at HEB, please try to call Jason.” Then I stand there knowing good and well those are the only numbers I know by heart and thinking IF only I knew Crissy or Robyn’s cell phone they are just down the street and they could come get us, but I don’t. At this point I try to see the glass as half full telling myself that hey at least we only live about a mile and a half away and we will just have to walk home with the HEB car cart and get the spare key. I try each number one more time, no answer from Jason, but my mom picks up. She has tried to call Jason and tried to send him a text message, but hasn’t gotten a response. My mom does know Lauren’s number so I try to call her in hopes of her either being able to rescue us or call Robyn or Crissy who are together and would both have a vehicle with 2 car seats to get my kids home. Lauren doesn’t answer so I leave her a message, “Hi Lauren, this is Monica, I have locked myself out of my car at HEB, I am going to start walking home on X road, if you get this and can either call Robyn or Crissy or maybe you can meet us at some point on our walk home.” I decide I should call my mom back one more time to tell her that we are going to start walking in case she gets a hold of Jason or anyone else via Facebook when suddenly my mom is able to think outside of the small box my brain is currently flustered in. She says wait go to Carters, BRILLIANT. My awesome neighbors own Carters and it just happens to be in the SAME shopping center as HEB and there will be at least one person that I know working there who would most likely have my neighbors phone number and then my neighbor can go into my house, get the spare key, and I will be spared the 1.5 mile walk of shame as I look like some homeless person with 2 small children stealing an empty grocery cart and surely both children would be crying most of the way home because the cart is empty so there is nothing for me to feed them and it’s a long, hot walk.

I walk in and sure enough Landon is working, she is able to call Melissa, who is able to get into my house, get the spare key, bring it to us and just like that (45min) we are back into our car, with groceries, and on our way home. THANK GOD FOR AWESOME NEIGHBORS…. Now you are beginning to see why it is going to be so hard for us to leave this place.