When you are a mom, improvisation is a necessity.

For weeks I have been telling Michael to go get new tires on his car. He drives 45 minutes to work going into the snow belt, so this father of 4 should probably have good tires on his car, no? He had taken his car in over a month ago and they said his tires were bad and he should get new ones. One day of procrastination turned into many and before you know it, we wake up and there is a foot of snow outside and he still has crappy tires on his car.

So, he decided to work from home and go get new tires. In turn, I had to rearrange my schedule and miss a meeting I was planning on attending. But, he needs new tires, so it is worth it.

As I was out running errands that day, my rear back wheel continues to squeal, get overheated, and smell like burning rubber. This has been going on for months. We have taken it to the dealer, where they tell us that they can't find anything wrong with it. Really? Is it normal to have that one wheel twice as hot as the others and smell like burning rubber? They said it didn't happen when they had it.

So, since we were already going to the car shop, I figured, myswell have them take a looksy at my van. I drop it off and make sure I take the car seat out of my van and put it into Michaels car (because, yes this family of 6 only has one carseat for Teresa....yes, I know it is dumb).

Of course they call me shortly after I got home and tell me that they, too, can not find anything wrong with it. This is driving me mad. This does not sit well with me, since we will be driving 1000 miles to Florida in just a couple months.

It is 330pm and my kids get home at 4pm, and we decide to run out and get my van, so that we only have to go with two kids and not all four. Not sure how we would go with all four, since Michael's car can only fit 3, but whatever.

This now brings us to this morning. Teresa most certainly woke up way too early and on the wrong side of the crib! I sit her down to eat breakfast and all she wants to do is scream and slap her hands at me trying to hit the spoon out of my hands. She doesn't want her cheerios or milk or anything for that matter. So, she just screams. Meanwhile, I am trying to get my other three kids ready for school. All the while, they are trying to make Teresa happy.

Finally we are all coated, gloved, and booted up and are ready to head to school. The older kids climb in and I get Teresa and head to the van. But, what's this? Something is missing. Yep, you guessed. The carseat is still in Michaels car and he is already at work (remember 45 minutes away).

What is a mom to do? Quick thinking is a necessity, along with improvisation. I run into the house, put Teresa down and start thinking. How are the kids going to get to school? Do we have another car seat? Hmm...can she go in a booster? No, probably not a good idea! Oh wait! I still have the infant car seat. So, I run to the basement, pull it out of the closet and go to the car to install it. And anyone that has installed an infant carseat knows this is not the simplest of things, especially when you are running late and in a hurry! Thank goodness Teresa is so tiny and able to fit in the infant carseat.

Teresa thinks it is hilarious that she is sitting backwards again and the older kids do, too. Ahhhh....everyone is happy again and actually got to school on time.

Now it is naptime and time for my coffee break.