Where has my day gone?

It's a classic refrain, isn't it? What happened to my day? Only 5 minutes ago I was greeting the sunrise and now I'm preparing for the onslaught of homework, snack, channel-flipping, and miscellaneous outrageous requests. Where did the time go? I now have a little more insight into that age-old question:

I rolled out of bed a bit early this morning feeling chipper and ready to seize the day. I got all dressed for a chilly walk in the park and then due to a bit of poor planning on Madison's part, she missed the bus, setting into motion this entire chain of events...

First I have to yell and scream at Madison, then begrudgingly drive her late derriere to school. On the way out of the school parking lot, I remember that the dog is out of diapers and swing by the pet store, but they don’t open for another ½ hour. I decide to go home and grab some breakfast while checking my email. I get a sale flyer from Victoria’s Secret which reminds me that I have about $300 worth of merchandise that I bought online that doesn’t fit my fat ass and needs to be returned, so I pack it all up and spend 18 minutes looking for my tape gun (never find it – use duct tape instead). Run back down to my office to grab my phone where I see an email from a client who I printed brochures for back in February and haven't yet billed ($960). So, I create an invoice and get that out.

While attending to my little accounting matter, I receive a Facebook notification from my sister in law asking an urgent question, so I log on to answer her and see that a friend from high school whom I haven’t seen in 25 years finally posted family pictures that I have to pore over immediately, then see what everyone else is up to today, and take a quiz or two or nine.

Then I realize that the pet store has been open for over an hour and Missy is still wearing her diaper from last night and I need to get to the store pronto before she begins attracting woodland creatures from surrounding zip codes. I scoop her up to bring with me so I can show off her beautiful coat to the groomer (who owns the pet store) and notice that she desperately needs to be brushed after chasing Rascal around the dewey yard. I brush her out, re-do her top knot and head out the door where I see a check from CafePress that’s been sitting on the front table for a week and needs to be cashed.

I put the dog down, endorse the check, put the check between my teeth, grab the dog, the package that needs to be returned, my purse and keys and juggle it all out to the car. I get to the pet store and find out they don’t carry dog diapers.

We chat for 10 minutes about less expensive alternatives, then I rush into the grocery store where I spend another 20 minutes evaluating the 472 different choices of baby diapers wondering if a 10-lb baby is equivalent to a 10-lb dog. I finally find the cheapest package (without aloe, Sesame Street characters, glow-in-the-dark stars, nighttime protection, or elastic legs) when I am seized with a sudden craving for chocolate covered strawberries. While in the produce aisle, I also get bananas and a coconut.

I hit the self-checkout lane and rush home where I have a 20 minute discussion with Steve about Madison and Basketball (and the psychological ramifications of her not being prepared for this weekend's tournament). I look at my watch and it's 12:42!!!!

And I wonder why every evening ends with the same thought: Where has this day gone????? And can I get any of it back?

The i-Visa?

Wow, December 15th... do you have any idea how much has happened since then? Of course you don't, because I've been a terrible blogger. I should be blog-flogged.

The short version includes:

• 2 trips to Orlando (Mom's b-day and Madison's b-day)
• a romantic Mexican getaway for Steve and I (meaning that Steve and I went to Playa del Carmen without the kids, not that he initiated some heavy petting over a bean burrito at Taco Loco),
• 2 separate colds/bronchitis/sinus infections
• decided to take on Cyclefest again (pray for me)
• Madison's first confession (which better have included "I keep wearing makeup to school even though my mom threatened that the next time I do SHE will apply it, Amy Winehouse-style")
• Allison takes first in all divisions at her cheerleading competition
• saw Legally Blonde the Musical (again), Scorched (Philadelphia), a Brady Bunch Murder Mystery (dinner theater), and a few mildly amusing live comedians
• got a puppy (that's not a typo)
• 
• had to take puppy to ER vet where she needed surgery for a hernia
• realized that I only had 2 more months before my next AVON walk for breast cancer, correlated that to how out of shape I am, and almost faked a mysterious paralysis to get out of it.

So, that brings us to this week and I finally got out there and WALKED. I did it, people... I put one foot in front of the other and walked like it was nobody's business, arms swinging -- I may have even hummed. Even though I resisted at first, once I was out there I felt great. I felt the sheer joy of an amputee who has just been handed a pair of carbon-fiber prosthetic legs by Oprah.

Ah, it was glorious. I opted to forgo the iPod on this trip and just take in my surroundings. I noticed so many things that have eluded me all these years in New Hope. I found new restaurants, shops and a Dunkin Donuts that wasn't even there the last time I walked. And at 6 for $3, it's a good thing I left my money at home.

And that got me to thinking... how cool would it be to be able to pay for things with your phone? I rarely carry money with me when I'm out for a walk. I feel like the purpose of the walk is to get exercise and be healthy, and the C'est la Vie bakery I'm forced to pass on one of my more enjoyable routes is irresistible. I get near it, and the long, curling fingers of fragrant croissant steam wagging at me, beckoning for me to enter are too easy to follow if I've just shoved a wad of singles in my pocket on the way out the door.

However, I did pass a sidewalk sale and saw the cutest little pair of sandals that were just begging to come live in my closet. And that's when it dawned on me -- 'there should be an app for that.' Someone at Apple needs to get her thinking cap on and come up with a way to be able to use your phone as a credit card or ATM card (Introducing the "iTM").

I pull up the app, enter a secret password, then show it to the sales person. They, in turn, punch my CC # into the register along with, let's say, some randomly generated code, and *be-bap-boop-be-ba-beee*, it's called in and approved. What could be more convenient?

Anyone know a good programmer? And does anyone else know how to get me credit for this spectacular idea?