Holiday Ding-a-lings - Parenting Plights & Delights

Whew! I don't know about you, but I'm battling holiday fatigue. I do some pretty ditsy things when I'm overtired, like putting eye liner on my lips, pouring coffee into my cereal bowl, and paying the cashier for gas, then driving halfway down the street before remembering I didn't put the fuel in my car.

I know I'm not alone. While the hustle and bustle takes a toll on mothers, many fathers also feel wiped out after all the holiday cheer (especially after celebrating New Year's). I remember one Christmas years ago when my brother-in-law Jim worked long hours as a corporate executive. Each night he came home to a list of chores my sister Cindy needed his help with to get everything ready by the 25th.

One night Jim flipped through the JC Penney catalog and found the special pull-away sweat pants he'd searched the stores for as a gift for his son. He asked Cindy to phone the order in. Cindy told him to do it himself since she was putting the three kids to bed.

"I don't know what to say," Jim told her. "I've never placed a catalog order."

Cindy knew her executive spouse could handle the task. "I'm putting the kids to bed. Call it in."

So, Jim dialed the number, but it was busy. A few moments later, in another room on another phone, Jim hit 'redial.' He didn't realize he'd called the pizza joint they'd ordered dinner from.

A male voice answered and mumbled something Jim didn't understand. "Will this be pick up or delivery?" the man asked.

"Delivery," Jim answered. The man asked for an address, so Jim recited his address, including the state and zip code.

Next, the guy asked, "What would you like to order?"

"R424-0529D," Jim said.

"Excuse me?" the guy asked. Jim repeated the number.

"Sir, just exactly what kind of pizza do you want?"

Jim was so embarrassed, he hung up the phone. He told Cindy what happened and they had a good laugh. Cindy ended up placing the catalog order, then called me to tell me about it, knowing I'd get a big kick out of someone else acting as dingy as I do. A good belly laugh sure helps relieve holiday stress!

Jim, Cindy, and kids

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you enjoyed the holidays and are off to a happy and healthy start for 2012.

So, do you have a parenting or grandparenting incident? 

If you're not a parent, memories from your own childhood count, too! 

Warning: I might feature your story in a future post. 

(Names can be changed to protect the guilty!)

I'd like to thank those who shared a parenting story with me last week. 

I'm saving them and will publish some in future posts.

If you don't want to leave a comment but would rather contact me by email, 

here's my address: lynkelwoohoo at yahoo dot com.