Hi everyone!

It’s Mommy Monday!

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you feel like it’s just another routine day, and then… WHAM! …your face suddenly feels flush, you get this funny feeling in the pit of your stomach, and you just want to RUN back to your comfort zone?!? Well that’s what happened to me the other day!

I was sitting in the vet’s office with my cat this weekend when I had a sudden flashback to one of my most embarrassing “Here’s Your Sign” moments…

A couple of weeks after we moved into our new home, my son, Jared, and I were outside cleaning the pool when a young stray cat wandered up to where we were standing. I thought it was a little strange that we had never even seen this cat before, yet it showed no fear or hesitation… it just strutted over to us like it knew who we were… like it had come home.

I still can’t explain why, but for some reason this cat’s personality immediately reminded me of my oldest son, Charlie, who passed away unexpectedly the summer before we moved… needless to say, his passing turned my world upside down and sideways. Charlie had an amazing sense of humor and was very good at pulling pranks… I think I was his favorite “victim”. I’m almost positive he spent the entire year planning April Fool’s Day pranks for me… and I fell for them… every…single…year!

Anyway… after a few days, it was apparent that this stray animal wasn’t going to leave, so naturally Jared tried his hardest to convince me that we NEEDED a cat….

HA! Been there, done that! I can’t even begin to count the number of stray pets that my kids have brought home over the years! I was really thinking about getting another dog after we’d settled in, but I told him I would think about it.

I guess I wasn’t thinking fast enough, so… taking full advantage of the fact that it’s common knowledge I’m out-hormoned by all the testosterone in our home, he used the “But it’s a FEMALE, mom!” angle. Okay… fine… I relented… once again… but only on the condition that the cat wouldn’t be allowed to come in the house until after a visit to the vet.

A few days later I dropped the cat off to be immunized, spayed, and declawed, and then ran a couple errands. And that’s when it happened… the vet called as I was on my way home to tell me that she had just begun the spay procedure and had some interesting information to pass on.

I immediately envisioned that a litter of kittens was in our future… been there, done that, too… ugh! But, NOPE, that wasn’t it…

I don’t think there is anything that could’ve made me feel more stupid than when the vet told me that SHE (the cat… not the vet) was actually a HE… and had already been neutered!

Sheesh! I never thought to “gender-check” the cat myself- I relied totally on Jared’s observation and his knowledge of basic anatomy…

Not only did I hear a little voice in my head that said “Here’s Your Sign”, but I swear I also heard one saying “April Fools, Mom”!

I eventually got over the embarrassment, but I’ll admit… I was a little concerned about Jared dating…

Enjoy…

Lynn