A Day In The Life Of SuperMom

In years past I've tried my best, but many a school year was spent in either a pregnancy fog, or a having-a-newborn fog. Very similar fogs actually. It basically translates into knowing full well that teachers think you are a space cadet, but being too tired to care.
Going into this school year with a little less of the haze, I felt empowered and did the one thing Anderson women love to do when feeling pumped up. I bought office supplies.
File folders, a cool standing folder rack, post its, sharpies, file boxes...yeah, it was great.

All notes, permission slips, future projects, book reports, competitions, clubs, library book due dates, and so forth would get filed according to importance. Daily I would check my filing system and send my child forth with all things required for that day. I would be the new golden standard in parenting. Teachers would make me the model of what other parents should be, and would discuss my system in meetings. I would of course make all attempts to be humble at first, but in the end, I would help other parents achieve my level of awesomeness.

AHEM.

Reality:

Last week I was packing the kid's lunches. We were at the end of a grocery cycle and I was trying to rationalize if chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag could be passed off as a "treat." Something starts to jar loose in my mind, and I kind of remember putting a project of Jackson's in the filing system the week before.

I check my fail proof system to discover that it is in fact, "due soon." If soon means it was due the day before. They had sent home construction paper, and wanted each child, (READ: PARENT) cut out a flower, decorate it and put a baby picture in the middle. I have about 7 minutes before the bus, so I hurriedly cut out a flower, color it, and race to the office to scrounge up a baby picture of Jackson. Ten years ago, that would have been successful. Unfortunately it's 2009, and all of my pictures live on the computer.
Still wasn't going to panic, even though I knew my printer was on the fritz. I have a couple of picture boxes in the cabinet.
I'm searching, I'm searching...Surely there are at least a couple of him somewhere. Surely...come on...any minute now....

It's now 2 minutes till the bus and I come across a baby picture that I'm sure is Jackson. A mother can always tell. I squint a bit at the hospital bracelet and see: Drew Taylor.

I know what you're thinking okay? You're thinking: Surely she didn't. Tell me she didn't!

Believe it. A few careful crops with my handy dandy scissors, a bit of tape and WHA-LA. Drew is now Jackson. Admittedly...it's an all new low. I realize now that I may be talked about in Teacher Meetings, but it may not be in the same way I had first envisioned...

To my small credit, we do seem to keep producing the same child...