Hey, try this one on...

Tonight's schedule reads like this: Reba leaves right now and picks up all the kids from school and takes them to the park, where three of them change into their practice clothes and cleats in the van. I leave at 5, meet them at the park at around 5:30, pick up Oldest, her wolf costume, her concert clothes, and her bass clarinet. Mom stays at park with kids and I go back to the theater with Wolf #8 before the clock chimes 6. (See, Mom has to stay at the park because she's driving the van, which is the only thing all the kids can fit into at the moment, since the Oldsmo'money is in the shop and I'm driving the pickup. And she can't drive the truck since it has a manual transmission. A very distinct cautionary tale for any of you who don't know how to row. Learn how immediately.) Wolf changes into costume at theater, rehearses for exactly 38 minutes, after which she must come off stage and change into her nice somber band concert clothes and run next door to the middle school gym and be in position not a minute past 6:50. She will then play an exciting medley of tunes, and after expending a great deal of energy, will then rush back out of the gym to the theater and change once more into her lupine duds. During this time, Mom will have gathered the other children back into the van, and either decided they REALLY need to go home and bathe, or decided that she wants to see the concert. If the former, they will head home and eat supper, if the latter, she will circle the Mall for 15 minutes until she finds a parking space, then haul the grimy little buggers inside for about five minutes worth of music. I personally hope she just heads on to the house. Anyway, after Oldest and I get back to the theater, she will proceed to deliver her stunning line: "But THAT was TEN YEARS AGO!!" The other players will continue to chew on the scenery for another hour or so and then it will be time to head home, let her get HER bath, get all of us into our beds, snore loudly, then get up and do something similar tomorrow.

Except tomorrow is...OPENING NIGHT!!

Whee.
posted by Terry at 4:43:00 PM