First Day of School. Mom Fail

Friday Facebook Funny #3

Careful. I’m Showing My Age.

Okay, seriously. Taking “first day of school” photos these days is just one example that makes me feel like an older mom. Okay…yes, I am an older mom. I see all these totes adorbs (see there? Trying to keep up with you all) photos with chalkboard signs saying “Last Day of First Day” or a child sitting beside a chalk-painted, shabby-chic looking  wood plank that says your child’s name  and grade in school written with the most adorable hand-painted, free-flowing, hand-scripted font.  (Now see? I don’t even know the right words to describe what I beheld.)

Why, just yesterday I said to my youngest child while sitting next to her at her sister’s volleyball game, “How does it feel to have a mom ten years older than your oldest sibling had at this stage of your life?” She laughed. I cried. Okay, I didn’t really cry, but there are just moments that I think about this. And when thin, yoga-pant-wearing, cute pony-tailed mamas are sitting around me, it’s one of those moments. (For crying out loud, would someone please show me how to do those cute pony tails- you know, the ones not appropriate for a ball-cap). After she smiled, she was actually quite comforting to me…when she said, “eleven…not ten.”  Thanks, Heather.

Have mercy on those of us who missed the Pinterest Generation.  (While you were in elementary school or high school, we were making padded-covered photo albums. Yes, indeed. We were creative…but it just looked different back then.) I’m inviting you to share your creative “First Day” photos with all of us on my Facebook page.  I think this will also help out the younger moms who are simply not creative by nature and enjoy seeing the results of your hard work and Pinterest Research.

Mom Fail. Here’s the Story behind the Facebook Post.

Back to the first day of school Mom Fail moment.

Although we do homeschool  (and have for over 20 years – which means I can’t remember how to compute exactly how long), the remaining two children at home go to a homeschool-type co-op two days a week. The night before our first day of school, all bags were packed, ready to go.  I even had arranged to pick up some kids to help their moms out with car-pooling.

We went to put all belongings in the van before taking the fabulous traditional first day of school photos. The doors wouldn’t even unlock. Completely dead.. No sign of any engine life at all.

My husband happened to still be home. He hooked up a battery charger to my van, then into his car went the kids, all of the backpacks, lunches, and bags for after-school volleyball practice.

They left.

I thanked my husband, waved bye…and looked down at the camera in my hands. What? I completely forgot to take their photos!

So, to commemorate this first day of school, I grabbed two photos…

One of me.

and one of the van.

I texted my husband to ask if he’d take one of them when they arrived at school.

And…two weeks later, here are the photos of the kids.

That’s right. Got nothing.

LIOM.

This is why I’m asking for your help.  I still have time to take some staged first day photos. (and so do you…or REtakes now that you’ve seen or will be seeing others’ creative pieces of work).

There’s a new thing I’ve started TODAY on my  Facebook page, It’s called “LIOM.”  It’s where you have an opportunity to be a community with your fellow like-minded friends from CultivatingaHome. It means “Lay It On Me.” That’s a text code that some friends and I share when we want to hear more about something on their heart or more about what’s going on in their lives.

So, I’ll be asking you, my readers, to LIOM…to share your input with us.

Rhonda let’sgetthiscommunityofbrainstormersandfunstarted ellis