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| Burlap Place mats I sell on Etsy |
Today I had two packages to mail, one already in an envelope and the other 3 sets of burlap place mats that I needed to package, but the person who bought them didn't want them to be creased so I had to package them at the store once I found a box that would work. Some people, errr. My Etsy store is doing annoyingly well. I had determined to close it after I finished this order on Saturday and then got three more orders before I could do anything. I'm not complaining, but I guess I am. Anyways. So, I went in with two small people fighting because Kaylen didn't want to hold Jacob's hand, and he being the conscientious first born that he is, was trying to insist that she do so. Marlee was in her carrier which I had in the crook of my arm and my other hand was holding a dozen burlap place mats, car keys, the envelope and my wallet. I was sweating before we even got inside.
I forgot to mention that as soon as I pulled in the parking lot at the post office, so did everyone in the Loganville area. That always happens.
So, inside the line was way backed up. I went to the packaging area and eventually found a box that was far larger than I needed, but whatever, and proceeded to pack up the place mats and tape up the box with priority shipping tape because that's all I could find. In the mean time, Jacob lost the other envelope and Kaylen made Marlee scream and cry in pain by stabbing her in the eye with a toy. The way Marlee was crying, I was afraid we were going to lose the eye. I did the whisper shout to Kaylen to SIT AND DON'T TOUCH MARLEE AGAIN and also gave her "the look". We all know what that is. Jacob and I found the missing envelope, I slammed my box shut and we got in line.
Jacob and Kaylen fought the whole way through the line over who would get to push the box. They stood on opposite ends and each tried to push it. Obviously, that didn't work. There was fussing and fuming from all. Except Marlee who was still whimpering. I was grateful to see that her eyeball was intact. Silver lining, silver lining.
By the time it was our turn to go to the counter, I was fed up. It was absolute bedlam. I put my box on the counter and my envelope. Kaylen by this time with no boxes to push was doing squats on Marlee who was in her carrier which was sitting on the floor. Kaylen would stand up, sit down, stand up sit down right on poor Marlee. When she wasn't doing that, she was wildly rocking her in the carrier. Jacob was crying because he hit his head on the corner of the counter. And the post office man was telling me that it was going to be $40 to ship my box. WHAT?!?
Finally I picked up Kaylen and she struggled to get down and when she couldn't she cried at the top of her lungs. I felt like crying myself. The kindly postal worker was peeling off my priority tape and re-taping my box so we could ship it for $10 rather than $35. As he worked, he was telling me that his son had just had his first baby and she was about three months old now. "Tell him to stop with one!" I joked. Dark humor was all I could muster at this time. It was that or cry.
Then the lady who'd been staring me down the eternity we were in there said, "No! I had five kids and the time just goes so fast. One day, soon, you'll be the one watching the young mom with the cute kids and you'll wish it was you." And then I did cry.
The kids had been just so awful and somehow, I knew she was right. I don't yet, but one day I will miss the commotion of shopping with three little kids. Soon, too soon, I'll be walking in all alone. Lonely. Seeing only in my mind the precious, bad little kids as they frustrated me to death in the post office. And I'll miss them.
As bad as it was today, I'd do it again every single day if it would buy me a little more time with my sweet babies. If I could get 13 months in a year or 40 days in a month, anything to prolong this special time of having my dear ones home with me, close to me, part of me for just a little longer.
Time, we get so little. Make it last as long as possible.
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