Muffins with Mom – The Dummy Mission



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My eighteen year-old son and I ventured out to a meeting that I wanted to take him to the other day. He was dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt for a meeting that I told him was casual attire. His interpretation of casual was obviously different than mine.

My son and I arrived at our destination a few minutes early. We stopped at the front desk and asked the staff person which room our meeting was being held in.

“I don’t show that group on the schedule for today,” she said.  “But maybe it didn’t get on the schedule.”

“I’ll check the two rooms we usually meet in,” I said.

After checking both rooms, I told my son we must have been there on the wrong Thursday. My son and I talked as we drove the 30 minutes back home. I was complaining that I had wasted my time and my gas rushing to get to a meeting that didn’t exist. Next time I would be sure to double check the date.

My son told said we were on a dummy mission. His definition of the dummy mission – When you don’t complete your task and waste your time and gas for nothing. We had successfully completed a dummy mission. At least we were successful at something.

When I recanted my mission story to my mother she told me that my grandmother occasionally ventured out on a dummy mission. Grandma would leave the house heading to an event, only to return home and say, “That luncheon isn’t until next week,” or “that meeting is tomorrow.”

Could this be some kind of condition in my family? Whatever it is I don’t want it. Is there a magic pill that can be taken?

If you happen to find yourself on a dummy mission, just make the best use of your time. Take a moment to slow down and literally smell the roses or take in some fresh air. It’s not always about how much time you have to accomplish something, but how you make the best use of your time.

Have you ever been on a dummy mission?

If you give a mom a minute, she’ll want more time – why planning ahead is important

CAUTION: This post may contain offensive language...I use the word "pee."

Have you ever had one of those days where you wish you had just a little more time to get things done? In some cases it may be poor planning that caused a lack of time to get things accomplished. It can strike any one of us…the dreaded lack of time. It happened to me.

I thought I awoke early enough one morning to begin my routine, but the time monster had a different plan. Murphy’s Law took over - whatever could go wrong, did go wrong.

The clothes I planned to wear needed to be ironed. The iron never got hot, so I had to search for a different outfit. Once dressed, I headed to the kitchen to make my lunch. This easy task was compounded when I couldn’t find the lid to the plastic storage container I wanted to take (for my salad).

I only had 15 minutes left before I needed to leave for work. If I only had more time.

I began putting together the rest of my lunch, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My first hurdle was to open the squeezable bottle of jelly. Easy enough? Nope, the cap would not flip open. I finally got it open with the assistance of a butter knife.

In my hurriedness I squeezed the jelly quickly. Splat. Too much jelly that I could not squeeze back into the small neck of the bottle. Perhaps a call was needed to the Welch’s company.

If I only had more time.

Of course I had to stop and jot notes for this blog post. I was going to be late for sure and I still had not had breakfast. The cereal I poured was waiting for me, but I had to stop to pee. No time for breakfast, I just poured the cereal back into the box. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich would suffice as breakfast once I got to work.

Just one more stop and I could make it to work only 10 minutes late. There is a grace period right? I had to stop by the post office and mail a bill payment. After all, I got up early and addressed the envelope.

Once I got in the car, I realized I walked out without my cell phone. I took it off because I stopped to pee. My phone is like American Express, I can’t leave home without it.

More time would have helped.

After retrieving the phone, I was on my way. The post office was only five minutes away, then another five minutes to work. I dropped the envelope in the drive up mailbox and headed to work. Mission accomplished.

My bill was on its’ way. Wait did I put a stamp on the envelope?

If only I had planned ahead.

What has been your experience in not planning ahead?