First Day of School Blues

Everything was ready for an awesome family activity after the first day of school. The Conversation Snacks were packed.

The First Day Fizzy Pop was loaded.

I had printed off the QR Codes that I had written to get my kids talking. (See my blog post about this First Day of School Activity here.)

I even had a picnic dinner all ready to eat up the canyon. Some of us jumped into the Ford while the other half hoped into my daughter's new jeep and we headed out. We were enjoying the awesome summer weather as we stopped to fill up at a gas station.

It wasn't until my husband went to start the jeep after filling up that we had a problem. The jeep wouldn't start. This is the same jeep that has been in and out of the shop almost every day since my daughter bought it in June. Yikes! Some adult lessons are so painful and hard to learn when you are just 19 years old and still so innocent and full of hope that things like red jeeps are a dream come true.

While Dad popped the hood and tried to diagnose the problem, I took the kids over to the grassy strip of lawn on the side of the gas station. We did our First Day of School Activities right there. I am sure we must have been quite a sight.

All of us scanning QR codes and laughing as we loaded up snack bags and drank soda pop. Luckily, I had thrown in fake lips and mustaches which added to the fun! You never know when you will need a good mustache to save the day!

One hour and $200 later, the jeep was fixed. It was too late to head up the canyon but we headed home happy. It wasn't exactly what I had planned but still a memory was made. I am so glad that my extra preparation made a potentially bad situation bearable and helped my daughter and my other kids to face a  disappointing circumstance with a smile. Isn't that what Moms are for!