Wednesday, February 6, 2008

It might be toxic

Our local public library was having a very special guest today - Gisele who is the host of our local PBS equivalent children's block. I'd gotten free tickets a while ago, but didn't say anything in case we couldn't go.

CleverMonkey held it together through the morning, so off we went to the library. Terrific excitement ensues. Because my kids are cute we're invited to stay afterwards and have their pictures taken for the library newsletter. And then they tell us we have to evacuate the library because some kids let off some toxic substance in the library.

Two kids. Two snowsuits. One TV celebrity. One backpack carrier. About a foot of wet snow on the ground. Options limited. Put the 18month old down in the middle of the sidewalk in the snow. Now he's wet, but dressed and in the carrier. In the meantime 3 year old has decided to make snow angels in his socks, pants and t-shirt. Quickly dress him while ignoring evil stares of library staff.

Score: two wet children and a snowstorm that's rapidly getting worse. And we need to take the bus home. So what does the responsible mommy do? Lets the kids stay outside the possibly toxic library for half an hour so he can watch the fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, and hazmat team, etc...

In retrospect, I should have asked someone to hold the baby, but with a change of clothes, he seems none the worse for wear. And they did have a great afternoon.

3 comments:

Lady Epiphany said...

You are SO my hero. I would've definitely lost my cool, thrown the half-dressed kids in the car and sped out of there.

karen said...

According to a friend of mine, watching firemen is a sport! It's probably slightly less appealing with a foot of snow coming down on your head and two squirming kids. By my count, your score for this event is:

-1 WMP for having a great morning and taking children to the library (of all the wholesome places) for a PBS (there's that wholesome goodness again) event.

-1 WMP for having adorable children, well behaved enough to be asked to pose for publicity shots

+1 WMP for allowing your kids to run around shoeless in the public library (what kind of hick are you?)

+1 WMP for not having a practiced emergency evacuation plan from the library. Haven't you read the most recent FEMA guidelines? Oh, wait, ...Canadians wouldn't have that. Still - don't you want your children to be SAFE???

+1 WMP for not catching the first bus home with your wet children, even though there were firemen (!!) to watch.

Your total: +1 WMP! Good thing you got the kids wet, or you'd be in the hole with all that early goodness.

ChefSara said...

ok...so I lurk and enjoy your stories in preparation for my first due in July. But (from the previous post) I think I just proved that I am way too immature for kids. When I saw that "some kids let off a toxic substance in the library" my first thought went straight to the bodily functions... "isn't that what kids do?"