Staying Green While on the Run!

Yesterday I got up in the morning and I had a plan.  I had some household cleaning to do, work on my blog to complete, and some work for a client that needed my attention.  Oh, I also planned to walk down to the health food store to pick up some ingredients for a yummy cinco de mayo family dinner.
So it began.  I wrote a blog post, got some of that cleaning done, started browsing online for some fun recipes to try for the evening.  I was in control of my day (yes, I am a bit of a control freak-I admit that).  I had my lunch and was about to dive into some work on the computer when my phone rang.  It was my eleven year old calling to tell me that he was about to get on a bus for an away track meet.  Big deal you say?  Well, maybe not if it was on the day it was scheduled for!  It was scheduled for today, not yesterday.
My mind started to race…..did I miss this change?  I looked at the schedule that hangs prominently on the refrigerator.  Nope, it clearly says May 6th.
Me:  Nick, you can’t go.  Dad rearranged his schedule for tomorrow and is at work today.  (We only have one vehicle and my husband works a 30 minute drive from home.)
Nick:  Mom, I really want to go, the coach said I can borrow a shirt to wear.
Me:  Is the coach right there?  Let me talk to him please, now. Yes, I am that kind of Mom.
Coach: Hello…..
Me:  Hi Mr. B.  This is Nick’s Mom.  What the hell is going on?!  Can you tell me what is going on with this track meet?  I see it’s scheduled for tomorrow not today!
Coach: Well, we got the email on Monday (yes, as in two days prior) from the hosting school telling us of the change of the date.  We announced in the morning and in the afternoon at school over the intercom.
You mean the intercom that no child pays attention to and the one that the teachers don’t insist the students listen to? 
Yeah, that’s the one.
Coach:  I also told the kids about the change at practice. 
Me:  Umm, why no notice sent home?  (As in, piece of paper!)
Coach:  Because we made the announcements over the intercom.
I continued on a bit, ranting and giving him a piece of my mind, at least I’m sure that’s how it felt for him.
Me:  Can I talk to Nick again, please?
Nick:  Hi Mom
Me:  Nick, why the heck weren’t you paying attention to the intercom announcements? 
Nick:  I did pay attention, but they said the track meet was changed from Tuesday to Wednesday, not Thursday to Wednesday so I didn’t think it was correct.
Me:  Why didn’t you ask the coach about the announcement, then?
Nick:  I don’t know.
Me:  Okay, fine.  Get on that bus, but keep you phone with you so I can call you back.
Crap-tastic!
Okay, let’s be clear.  I admit I don’t do “stress” very well.  It looks awful on me.  I called my husband practically in tears telling him what was going on and hoping that he could somehow fix this mess.
Remember, though.  He works a 30 minute drive from home and then we would need to drive an hour to get to the track meet, which was to start only 2 hours from the time of that initial phone call from Nick.
This just wasn’t looking good.
My husband said to let him see what he could make for arrangements at work and he would call me back.
So, I went crazy trying to get organized in the event he came through for me.  I grabbed a leash and a dog and headed out for some speedy “business.”
All the while, hoping my husband would somehow make this happen.  Also, running through about 10 things I needed to do before getting out the door if we were going to make it in time.
At the top of my list was the thing that is always on my mind:  to spend the least amount of money possible while on the road.  I don’t buy from concession stands.  It’s a waste of money and completely unhealthy.
~I put an electronic “device” on a charger for Cody to have on the drive and for at the track meet.
~I filled a water bottle for each family member
~I packed some snack foods (nuts, raisins, fruit)
~I packed a couple of hats and a blanket (for sitting on)
~I packed Nick’s track uniform
Now, if only my husband would call and say he was on his way.  The clock was ticking and I knew we needed to get on the road quickly to arrive on time.
Finally, he called.  On his way.  He came through for me, for or all of us. 
I jumped in the shower and got ready in record time.  Off we went and arrived on time to the track meet, not missing any of Nick’s events.  Phew!  I could finally breathe. 
It was a wonderful afternoon.  Nick did a great job and I saw friends that I hadn’t seen in nearly 20 years. 
Through all the chaos that occurred one thing remained a priority in my mind.  Packing water bottles and food are like what packing a diaper bag was when my boys were little.  It is a way of life.  It was so worth it to me when we were at the track meet and I saw kids walking around with candy bars and nachos and I could smell fried foods being cooked at the concession stand. Really?!  They should be drinking water and snacking on fruit when they are waiting to compete in their events.  I am just glad that my kids don’t even ask to buy anything because they know I’ll say no, plus they know that what I bring is way more healthy for their bodies.
Had this track meet been on the day it was originally scheduled for, I would have even packed food for dinner, but since time simply didn’t allow for that, I did the best could.  We enjoyed a nice family dinner at a favorite deli local to where the track meet was held.
Overall, even with the stress, this was a wonderful day!
Also, we may have had a conversation with Nick about paying attention during intercom announcements at school.