Kids packed off to school.

Coffee down.

Time to unload the dishwasher.

It’s then I see it. A mason jar. Not just any old mason jar – the jar that was supposed to hold the plant that Sonny boy was supposed to take with him to school on Monday morning.

Except today is Monday morning. And the jar is looking up at me smugly from the cupboard while, of course, Sonny boy has been dispatched to school.

Mild panic and guilt ensues. I was that mom. Again. The mom who has amnesia about spelling tests (twice), school orientations (once) and RSVPs to birthday parties (countless). And plants in glass jars? Forgetaboutit.

I blame the whole thing on Mondays. One needs some solid recovery time from the weekend, before one can deal with living things like plants. I can barely get my act together and get my own living things (the kidlets) up, ready and out of the house on a Monday morning.

Anyhoo, ’nuff with the excuses.

That boy was going to get his plant today. Before his Home Economics class. Lessons about responsibility could wait till another day.

The thought of Sonny Boy’s soulful eyes propel me out of my PJs into regular clothes with copious amounts of deo to compensate for not showering, calling an Uber cab while I brushed my teeth and scrambled in the kids’ toys for a spoon from their plastic kitchen set to dig dirt from our garden.

The mason jar is duly filled with soil, rocks and some sprigs of mint.

Superhero Mama is on her way to the rescue.

Plant is delivered to the reception, with a record-breaking 24.5 minutes from discovery of jar to delivery.

Pheeeew.

Yup, I was that parent today. And I probably will do it again tomorrow (metaphorically speaking, people! I hope it means some time in the future!)

But that’s what this whole gig is about right? Messing up, doing ridiculous stuff (if only you’d seen me in my PJs, digging dirt with a plastic spoon), loving the kidlings enough to pull out all the stops for things they will probably never remember. And then messing up again.

This is the stuff mommydom is made of. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.