Just when you thought YOUR day was bad....

you see some crazy lady in the parking lot with a dead goldfish in a plastic baggy!

I just want to share this little story so that maybe you can think of me today and either laugh, or feel a little better about what YOUR doing at the moment.

Yesterday Gwen and Katie were together, no children, doing some much needed girl time before Katie leaves to return to her 13 children in Africa. When I called them, I shared this story and decided that the rest of you are just as deserving of feeling good about your day too! :) So here's the story....

I found myself driving to the mall with all four children, eating Taco Bell from the drive through, and trying NOT to look at the dead goldfish, which was in a sandwich bag hanging out my passenger side window of my car. Why, might you ask, was I even going to the mall with four children in the first place. I have no answer to that question. It did occur to me that it might be a bad idea, but it wasn't until about an hour into the shopping extravaganza (to which I had forgotten to bring my stroller) that I realized just how dumb it actually was.

Oh, you were wondering about the fish.... gotcha! Yes, well, the fish.... last week the two little boys (who share a room) decided to spend their own money, buy a tank, a goldfish and a snail. All is well for about a week, at which time the goldfish gets caught in the filter, which rips off his dorsal fin. He can't guide himself around the tank, he can only swim aimlessly without direction (which makes it hard to get food when you have to wait for it float past you.) Anyway, we flushed him live down the toilet because I couldn't stand to see him die a slow death. Enter the second trip to PetSmart where we purchase TWO goldfish this time. Black goldfish lives, white goldfish promptly dies upon entering the tank... seriously, within about two hours he was dead. I being the compassionate animal lover that I am decided that the black fish would not want to swim around in a tank with a dead fish overnight until we could take the fish back to the store (they have a two week guarantee on all fish.) So I put the dead fish in a plastic sandwich bag and go about my business. Yesterday morning I load the kids into the car, throw the baggy into the front seat and head off to the mall. But it only took me about two minutes to realize that this thing STINKS to high heaven and it would need about ten bags to keep the smell in. Hmmmm, what to do? I know, I'll stick the baggy out the window, roll the window back up, and let the fish and bag hang out the window on the way to the store. Great idea! Except.... the fish really took a beating and gross juice started coming out of his dead little body, which was pretty nasty to look at. Then his tail separated from his body. Then somehow, a little rip in the bag and the fish was gone to an interstate burial. Does this qualify for a "Because Kids Live Here" post?

You should have seen the look on the ladies face at PetSmart when I walked in with a baggy full of fish guts and juice, but no fish. All this for a refund of $2.17. :) I'm nothing if not CHEAP!

So, next time you think your day cannot get any more absurd, just thank your lucky stars you don't have a stinky fish hanging out your car window!