Not My Finest Moment

Today Andrea is home sick with the same lovely illness that afflicted Natalie and Ethan this weekend (sore throat, fever, general crankiness). And so I had to cancel the 47 absolutely mandantory errands I had planned, and instead just hang out with the kids. It's amazing what happens when I have to take a time-out from the busy-ness of life - I realize how much of my crazy life I inflict upon myself. It's nice just to be still every once in a while.

Today I have one thing that I am very thankful for. So thankful, in fact, that it is going to take the place of my usual 3 things. Drumroll, please.

1. My very patient husband.
So I can be a pretty smart person. I did well in school, made good grades, got a scholarship, etc. But sometimes, for no apparent reason, I can be incredibly dumb. My common sense is a little flighty. Here is an example:

Last Friday was one of those days I should have stayed in bed. It was hectic and filled with tantrums from just about everyone in the house (myself included). The chaos culminated with a quick, last minute trip to the pediatrician's office because of Ethan's 102 degree fever and hours of screaming. 3 kids+1 small doctor's office+1 hectic day=1 very stressed, frazzled mommy. Anyway, we got back home, and the chaos continued. And then the phone rang.

I answered, and, because of my impaired mental state, proceeded to GIVE OUT MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER OVER THE PHONE to the Fairfax County Firefighters and Paramedics something-or-other. Come to think of it, it was my debit card. Even better.

Didn't I want to help support those brave men and women who run into the burning building when everyone else is running out? Don't worry ma'am, this call is being recorded for your safety, we don't keep your card number on file, my boss is right here making sure I type in $10 instead of $1000, no you can't mail us a check because it is too expensive for us. And if you're still unsure about the safety of what you are doing, here is my boss. His name is Jason Upright. Spelled U-P-R-I-G-H-T.

Since Jason's last name was 'Upright', I figured he must be a person of intergrity. I hung up the phone after giving this perfect stranger the keys to my family's financial life. And then I forgot about it until last night. Around midnight. The first quiet moment in our house in a few days.

I all of the sudden remembered what I had done, and the severity of what could happen began to sink in. I woke up Anders. I told him the bad news. I didn't think he'd be mad at me or anything, but I didn't think he'd be thrilled to know about it, either. But do you know what he did? He laughed. He laughed at me. He laughed a long, long, time.

We talked it over, did a little digging on Google to determine if it was legitimate or not (it was) and checked our bank account to make sure they didn't clean us out (they hadn't). We determined that I should immediately cancel my debit card and get a new one. He also reminded me that it is never, ever, ever, never, ever okay to give out that kind of information over the phone. Ever. Especially to someone with the last name of "Upright." Which I already knew. I just...well, sometimes I do really REALLY dumb things.

In conclusion, thank you, Anders, for your patience with me. And for not taking away my credit cards.

(In my defense, I really did want to support my local firefighters. They sent a whole team of firefighters and paramedics to our house once when I accidentally locked the kids in the car in the middle of the summer.)