There Can be Humor Even in a Bad Day

The day started with a deluge, a runaway dog, and a broken-down car; in that order. The convergence of the three catastrophes found me sheltering under the overhang of a Supercuts roof across the street from my car that refused to start, holding an unhappy dog (she was getting wet) on a leash and trying to maneuver behind a nearby tree to avoid the wind-blown rain. Why do I always wind up on an errand of mercy for some member of my family (last time J, this time Allie) whenever hurricane remainders arrive.

The day did not improve from there. Almost nothing we had planned to do got done, and we wound up on a very late shopping trip to Wal-mart this evening. It was also a very long trip to Wal-mart. The kids were all tired, hungry, and cranky, and we still had to come home and give them baths. This in addition to the washing machine drain that overflowed on Wednesday, prohibiting laundry until the plumber can come. I suppose all of these crazy things contributed to the humor of the evening.

I took A with me to the dressing room to try on a new outfit for work:
Wal-mart Intercom: Attention all associates!
A: (yelling up at the ceiling) YEAH?
WI: Please come to customer service...
A: UH-HUH...
WI: ...to pick up returns.
A: OK!

I'm not going to blog the really embarrassing question A asked me loudly in the bathroom stall. Fortunately, there was no one else in the bathroom (at least none I could see when I came out, and I didn't hear anyone laughing).

Car conversation on our way home at 9:30:
J: Mommy, what happens when it gets dark?
Me: We take baths and go to bed.
J: No, that's not what I'm talking about. I mean, what happens in the sky after it gets dark?
Me: Well, the stars come out and the moon shines. But we can't see them tonight because it's too cloudy.
J: That's just because you have to pay more money and then the clouds will go away so we can see the stars and the moon.
Needless to say, the occupants of the front seat dissolved in laughter.

We finally arrived home and dumped all three kids in the bathtub at the same time. I quickly scoured A2, fished him out and was drying him off on the bathroom counter while the girls waited for their turn to be washed.
J: We need some toys.
A: Yeah, Mommy, we really need some toys.
Me: (absently, while hurrying through dressing A2) No, it's too late to play in the bathtub tonight. We're just going to wash and get out.
At this point, I tuned out of their conversation to concentrate on what I was doing. When I tuned back in, this is what I heard.
A & J: (on their stomachs in the tub) Dear God, please give us some toys and let us not be washed. Amen.
Joe later informed them that sometimes God's answer is "no."