Be prepared. That's the Boy Scout motto. Anticipate what you might encounter for the day and make sure you have the tools and skills you will need to rise to the challenge.
This morning it became glaringly clear to me that if - in fact - I WERE a Boy Scout, I would fail miserably. No fancy badges and medals for this trooper. For you see, my friends, I was ill prepared to face what I awoke to this morning. What was this obstacle I faced which caused such an epiphany? Snow.
Yup. The first snowfall of the season. Don't get me wrong - it was beautiful. Picturesque even. If it was a SATURDAY morning, I would have put on my fuzzy slippers, made some hot chocolate and settled in front of a window for some soul searching.
But today is not Saturday. It's Friday. Which means school. Which means hats. Which means gloves. Which means boots, snow pants, and scarves. Which means, I'm in big trouble. If I was a model boy scout, I would have watched the news, saw that the forecast indeed was calling for snow, and spent last night making preparations for the blessed event that I would awake to this morning.
Instead, 5 minutes before the kids needed to leave, I was rummaging through bins, tearing through drawers, and ransacking closets desperately searching for appropriate outerwear. As my kids watched on, I ran from room to room, upstairs to downstairs, looking for anything to put on their sweet little bodies to keep them warm and dry.
I found a couple gloves... one Spiderman and one Dora - of course, no pairs of anything. I found boots that were two sizes too small (duh Kristie! They have all grown two inches since last year!) Snow pants that have broken zippers and snow pants that barely reach the kneecaps. Coats that need liners zipped in and coats that need liners zipped out. I seriously considered sending my son to school in hot pink snow boots.
Finally, I threw my hands up in defeat and said, "Sorry kids. Just keep your hands in your pockets and don't jump in any snow banks." I had been defeated. Minnesota snow storm - 1; Kristie Kerr - 0.
But tomorrow is another day. I'm going to pick myself up, dust myself off, and try again. I will face my obstacle head on with perseverance and determination. How will I do this, you ask? I'm going to Target. That's how we Girls Scouts do it.
