Recently I stopped at the ATM for some moo-lah. It was the walk-up kind and all the kids happened to be with me. I said, “Wait here… I’ll be right back.”

Natalie jumped out of her seatbelt and headed for her door, “I’m coming in with you!”

“No. Stay in the car.” I said.

“But I want a lollipop!”

“I’m going to the machine. It doesn’t give out lollipops.”

“Can you ask it?” she said.

“It doesn’t talk,” I said flabbergasted. “It’s a machine!” I said jumping out of the car.

“Can you at least try?” she said. “Cause I really want a lollipop!”

All of these exclamation points are because we were talking with much intensity…

This conversation is ironic as it came in the same day I had a conversation with my sister Johanna about lollipops of all things. I was telling her Ryan had asked for a lollipop the last time we drove through the pharmacy (we are there often). I didn’t think they gave out lollipops but he insisted. “Do you give out lollipops?” I said a little half-hearted to the pharmacist.

“Yep! What color does he want?” she asked.

Wow. The pharmacy gives out lollipops. Not to be outdone by the banks. But really? The pharmacy? Shouldn’t they be giving out steri-strips or colored bandaids? I guess Mary Poppins was right that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down….

As I was telling Johanna this story (she was surprised the pharmacist gave out lollipops too) she told me that at her bank there’s a young teller who always gives her one extra lollipop so she can have one too… although she’s assured him several times she doesn’t need a lollipop, doesn’t even like them really. But he always includes that extra one and smiles at her knowingly while mouthing through the glass “there’s one for you!”  Ohmygosh, is it possible the young teller is hitting on my almost 40 yr old sister with 5 kids?

Being the smart mom she is, she saves the extra one in her door for a rainy day, or any other kind of day where one of her children might not like the color lollipop they’ve been doled out. She can save the day by offering a different one. (and BTW, I know this has nothing to do with this post, but as a kid I hated any candy that was cherry flavored and now it’s like my favorite… ever. How weird is that?)

We talked about how we save extra straws, forks, and apparently lollipops in our glove compartments/door storage compartments for when we’re in a pinch. For me the nine months before I had Piper I stocked up on them to help ward off nausea, but thankfully that’s over. Speaking about being prepared Johanna also has a bowl named Pukey. I’m going to let you guess what it’s for…. it’s different than the small trashcan that in general holds trash in her family van, but was originally bought on a road trip for a sick child. It should be named Pukey Jr.

What peculiar items do you have stashed away in your car?

 

 

Comments (2)

  • Heather from Ontario Canada / January 30, 2014 / Reply

    Oh boy! stuff in the car? I have an extra pair of warm mitts, warm hats, a reflective vest for if I get a flat , hand warmers, umbrellas , snow scraper, extra jug of washer fluid, booster cables, vice grip, thingys that you attach to your boots or shoes so you can walk on pure ice, rain coat, 2 ratchet straps, an extensive medical kit, ( sometimes I go to the van for polisporin) , and now a few spare diapers for my granddaughter. oh yeah and a blanket too 🙂 Drives hubby cAraZY . Did I mention I’m from Canada ***grin**

  • Linda / January 30, 2014 / Reply

    Wow! Heather from Ontario has an amazing survival kit in her car!!!! 🙂 My items are nearly as amazing…but my bathroom lighting isn’t bright enough for me to pluck my eyebrows and stray hairs, so I keep tweezers and a little pair of scissors in my console because when I go out in the sunlight I can see really well in the mirror. It is a little embarrassing to be parked in a lot at a store and the people pull up next to me and see me plucking away! Ha! But…it works for me!

    I remember the days of driving through at the bank when my kids wanted the lollipops…and then years my grandkids getting them too! Sometimes they also gave out balloons! 🙂

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