Lost and Found, But Mostly Lost

I'm worried if I don't write about today I will forget about the little crazinesses that are part of parenting my children and living my life.

Let's start my day off with this morning... very early this morning. I was awoken at 2:30am by my oldest child because she had a bad dream. I let her into my bed, squishing my arm and keeping me awake for a little while longer than I would have liked, before convincing her that she would actually sleep better in her own bed.

Several hours later, the normal morning routine was easy and uneventful until it was time to walk out of the house and I noticed how underdressed that same child was for the Winter weather. We had a verbal battle of what jacket to wear (more on that in a moment) for frosty morning walks to school, and even though it was "uncomfortable" I managed to convince the kid to bundle up. We made it to school just before the bell. I had a few minutes left before I had to get to work, so I decided to investigate the Lost and Found. 

Two and a half weeks ago the kids had their last day of school before Winter Break. Oldest child was wearing her cozy, comfortable jacket (which is the inner layer of the "uncomfortable" one mentioned above) and fuzzy pajamas for a nice day of reading, snacking, and anticipating two entire weeks of no school. She remembers removing her jacket and setting it on the back of her chair, because those pajama pants were hot! When school ended for the day, excitement rushed her out of the classroom and the cozy jacket was left behind. We didn't realize it for several hours, and by that time I told her not to worry. No one would be attending class, no one would take her jacket, and her name and my phone number are written inside, so we'll just get it when school starts again.

Well... Foot, meet mouth. 

Yesterday, their first day back after break, the kid looked and the jacket was nowhere to be found. Not in the classrooms, not in the Lost and Found. Gone. Vanished. Like magic. 

I decided to take matters into my own hands, because I'm Super Mom and the jacket was kind of expensive, AND it is the comfortable inner part of a two-in-one winter freaking coat, and it's the middle of Winter. As I mentioned earlier, I checked Lost and Found. It was pretty much empty. Freakishly empty for a K-8 school full of children who lose items regularly. So I walked to the office, because the office people are nice and know everything. 

Office Lady #1 was super kind. She told me that the custodians were working a few days a week over break and they may have grabbed the coat from the classroom, so she checked another spot in the office where lost items are dropped off. She found zero items. She then told me that the custodians DONATE THE "LOST & FOUND" ITEMS AT THE END OF EACH MONTH. I made a face like I smelled a fart and then asked if they really would have done that DURING Winter Break when kids had no chances to look for their lost items!!!!!!  THEN I shook it off, swallowed my bitterness, remembered it was only a coat, thanked the nice lady and left.

A little bit later I had a genius idea. I called the office and spoke to Nice Office Lady #2 to gather more information. She called me back to let me know that yes, the custodian took a big donation recently. She also confirmed the name of the charity where the items were donated. SCORE! I planned to go there later in the day to find the jacket, buy it back, and save my kid's day!

Work was pleasantly busy and delightfully not understaffed for the first time in nine hundred years. I worked my shift, I went home and did laundry and swept the kitchen. Then I picked up a bunch of kids, dropped off the extras at their house, took my older child to her new art class, deposited some checks at the bank, then went with my younger child on a Quest to the thrift store. 

The jacket wasn't there.

Nice Thrift Store Lady #1 asked Thrift Store Lady #2 if she could help me, but Lady #2 was like, " I don't know anything about where donations come from or what we have back here." as she is sorting through items and tagging them for sale. I decided to butt into their conversation and see if I could peer at their clothing piles or something sensible like that, but I was denied. Apparently the donation center has been slammed with items over the holidays (Good job, residents of my town!!! Way to donate and not throw away!!!) so they really couldn't do much for me. Nice Thrift Store Lady #3 asked for a description of the jacket and encouraged me to come by every few days, or call the store, to see if it turns up. I thanked her and left. 

I felt deflated and irritated. It's only a coat, I can replace it - though not exactly - but what about all of the kids who's families can't afford to get them a new coat every time their well-meaning but thoughtless school custodian donates perfectly good outerwear over a long school holiday!!!???!?!
*sigh*

When I got home again with just enough time for the younger child to unpack his school stuff and change into his martial arts clothes he realized that he didn't have his lunchbox. WE WENT BACK TO SCHOOL TO CHECK THE LOST AND FOUND. AGAIN. Because my entire life revolves around that little rack in the school's multipurpose room like it has the gravitational pull of a black hole, because IT IS ONE. I am officially changing its name to "Lost and Not Found" because we never find anything there. 

By some rare stroke of luck, the lunch room staff or another student actually must have looked at the lunchbox, read the name and classroom number written on it (written there because I AM RESPONSIBLE) and returned it to my kid's class. In addition to being responsible, I am also sensible, so we checked the classroom and were able to retrieve the lunchbox. Huzzah! 

Next, we rushed to karate. Kid got out of the car, I drove away to the grocery store because why not?! I'm clearly some kind of human ping-pong ball/taxi service. I got a few items for dinner from the store, picked up the daughter from art class, picked up the son from karate, then went home.

I am exhausted.
I guess I'll follow up with the thrift store later this week. I'll probably also buy my daughter a replacement jacket, because I am nice and I doubt we'll find the one she lost.

Moral of the story: If you work at a school, don't donate lost items during a freaking holiday. 

Also, MAYBE LOOK INSIDE JACKETS FOR NAMES next time. 

Also, (If you aren't the custodian of my freaking nightmares) If you need someone to follow through and get stuff done, I'm clearly your girl.