Beatle and the Great Exploding Backpack Trick

So, have I blogged about the gentleman at school who assists the children get out of their cars in the morning? I think I have. Beatle's so awkward with him! We're really trying to work through that. She says it's because he wears too much cologne and says things like, "Go get 'em, Tiger". Getting out of the car in the morning is high pressure and Beatle is usually in her own world, unaware of the anxious, rushed people around her trying to make it to all of their places on time. She's mostly just preoccupied with trying to avoid the greeter, afraid his cologne will blow on her and make her smell like a man.

Brent came back home to switch cars after dropping her off today and said that once again, her backpack exploded. This usually only happens on a big day. As he tells it, she wanted to get out early while traffic was stopped instead of waiting until they got to the front of the school. (This is a risky move because if not done quickly, traffic can back up in to the road thereby making lots of people cranky.) Was she trying to avoid the smelly-good, jolly man? Possibly. Was she just so jazzed to bail out of the car because it is V-Day? Probably. I had all of her Valentines (spoons dipped in chocolate with M&Ms and sprinkles) tucked away in two big cups and zipped in her backpack but I fear when someone helped me put her lunchbox in there this morning, the zipper was neglected. And when she hopped out at that critical moment and went to sling her Barbie backpack where it belongs, spoons went flipping through the air and flying everywhere!! All 23 of them. Brent and Beatle scurried around picking them up and she hopped back in the car, in the floorboard actually. She just couldn't go in right then; she needed a minute to compose herself. The pulled up to the designated unloading spot and she got out with (hopefully!) all of her Valentines. (The upside: I was too lazy to label all of the Valentines so we left them generic and I sent two extra so at least I know everyone will get one and no one will feel slighted if one's still in the parking lot.)