My Keys are Where?

This morning was a great morning. The kids and I were buzzing right along with an unheard of amount of efficiency! They were dressed and downstairs in record time! Well...the boys were...the girl...she is slower...much slower...They ate breakfast, shoes on...everything in a timely manner. I was even ready to go (if wearing sweatpants, no make up and running a comb through my hair constitutes being "ready"...)

Boys were in the car, I hustled the little one out...after two trips to the bathroom and a forgotten Dr. Seuss book...I grabbed my cup of coffee, spilled it all over the driver's seat, cleaned up the coffee, and got in the car. OH...forgot to grab my keys...went back in, reached for my keys on the hook...no keys. Where are my keys? Must be in my purse. Back to the car, rifle through my purse...huh...no keys. That's odd...OK...back in the house...tear apart laundryroom...no keys. Back to the car...look under the seats...no keys. The kids are getting antsy..."Mom...can't you find your keys? Maybe Dad has them!"  Good thought! I text husband...he calls...says he doesn't have them. After 10  more minutes of my freaking out and rummaging through the house, I give up. Tell the kids go get out of the car and come inside. We are obviously not making it to school in a timely manner. We are late. We are stranded!

The youngest is crying. She really wants to go to school. She is Star of the Week...it's a big deal. She is "line leader"...and they have chapel this morning...she loves chapel. All the singing...it's right up her alley. I feel terrible and I am frustrated beyond belief. What the heck? Today isn't MONDAY! This is a Monday-thing! I am NOT this disorganized! We were going to be EARLY to school! ARGH!!

The kids come in and join me in our "treasure" hunt. "Run your hands under the cushions on the couch," I tell the oldest. "I will look in your room!" announces the middle son. "I am looking in your purse!" says the youngest, as she dumps the contents out on the floor. (no use telling her I already did that...) I look under the couch, under the chair....up to my room...look in the pockets of the pants I wore yesterday. Hmm...I guess they could be in the hamper...I know they are not, but I dig through it anyway. (Wow! I really need to do my laundry...)

I am convinced my husband has the keys. I just know it. They are probably in his car, just sitting there! He may say he doesn't have them, but that is the only logical explanation. I mean..really...like I would misplace them? I scoff at such a thought! He has them and doesn't know it!

We exhaust every possible location and finally give up. Now what? I need to get these kids to school...who can I call? I call my friend and workout buddy, Anne. "I have a huge favor to ask you," I say. "Okaaay..." I can hear the trepidation in her voice. "It's HUGE!" I say. "Alright..." I can feel her fear through the phone. "I can't find the keys to my car and I need to get the kids to school. Can you come get us and take us to school?" "Sure!" she says in laughter. "I'm on my way!" I call the school. "We are having car trouble," I tell the secretary, "we will be there!" "On no! Car trouble?" she inquires. "Yes...you see...if you cannot find your car keys, the car will not start...therefore we are having car trouble!" I explain. "Oh...I understand," she says with a laugh. I assure her that I have called for a ride and we will be there in a half hour.

I take the car seats out of the car and put them on the driveway. I stack up the backpacks and lunch boxes...and we wait for our ride. I continue to look for the keys...frustrated beyond belief! I can't believe that I can't find the keys!! This hasn't happened before! Oh sure....I misplace my keys, my cellphone, my wallet, my jacket...but I always find them. Well...except the time I lost my phone at Legoland...but that was an unfortunate byproduct of an emergency bathroom-run with one of the kids!

Our rescuer, Anne, soon arrives. Big smile on her face, she unlocks the doors so I can load the car seats. She is trying to refrain from laughing hysterically. It's written all over her face. She's a good friend...she holds it in. We load up the kids and away we go! We get to school, the kids unload, we go to the office for our quite-familiar tardy slips. The secretary is kind, as the oldest exclaims..."My mom couldn't find her car keys! We had to call for a ride!" (nice one) She suppresses a giggle and quickly hands out the notes. I deliver the kids to where they need to be and my friend takes me home.

We retrace the last time I had my keys. "I got home, grabbed the discarded uniform (youngest had a play-date and changed clothes in the car) from the car and threw it in the laundry room, put away my purse, hung up the jackets," I explained. "Maybe the keys are on the floor of the laundry room," she offers. "No...I would have heard them fall....WAIT! There is a rug in there...maybe I wouldn't hear them." We go into the laundry room and I pick up each article of clothes, one by one. Nothing under the first one...or the second...or the third...as I lift up the last piece, there are my keys!!

NOOOOO! They were there the whole time?! My husband DIDN'T take them to work? The dog didn't bury them in the yard? I misplaced them? If I had just picked up those clothes, I would have found them and the kids wouldn't have been late to school? DANG! I hate it when it is my fault! Oh well...at least I won't be stranded for the rest of the day, begging friends and family to pick the kids up from school...I have my keys and I know EXACTLY where they are...now, where did I put my phone...?