For someone who is trying really hard not to work, I sure do a bad job. I don’t know what my problem is. I guess I just have a problem saying “no” and of course there’s always the money issue. It’s hard for me to say “no” to a quick buck when my checking account is gasping for funds. The thing is, I’m a full-time mom and working doesn’t exactly fit into my schedule.

So when the Big Local Mall called me up to photograph their Garden Show again, I called up my mom and lined her up as babysitter. Then my sister-in-law decided to come too and brought along my niece, SuperChic. Before I knew it, the quick photo job had turned into another family extravaganza. The more the merrier, right?

Almost. Things were not going very merrily this morning. I’m always such a stress case whenever I have to be somewhere at a certain time. I hate being late and I hate leaving my house in a royal mess. But it’s kinda hard when you have family in the mix and they need to have their bedding and suitcases and miscellaneous stuff all over. I did my best to be Ms. Hospitality and Ms. Neat-nick at the same time but I think I came off as Ms. Chicken-with-her-head-cut-off instead.

Sigh….

I had to be at the mall at 9 am and pick up a camera at 8 am. Nothing went smoothly. I think that’s just the nature of being a mom and trying to juggle too many things at once. We managed to get out the door at a decent hour but then I took a wrong turn on the wrong boulevard and ended up smack in middle of morning traffic. I wanted to bang my head on the steering wheel. IF ONLY I had taken a different turn we would be sailing to our destination with time to spare. BUT NO… we had to stop at every light and miss every green arrow we came across. I was chewing the stitching off my steering wheel by the time we actually got to the coffee shop where I would meet a friend and pick up the camera. Did I say I hate being late? I really wish I could just learn to chill sometimes.

Thankfully, the camera loaning friend was super cool and he didn’t mind waiting around reading his paper and drinking his coffee for fifteen minutes while I sat in traffic melting bumpers off with my laser eyes of anger. We even had a few minutes to get our own coffee and a quick overview of the many camera functions. It turns out my friend’s camera is ten times better than my old camera and he even taught me a few new tricks.

We made it to the Big Mall with plenty of time to spare and the rest of the day went remarkably smooth. The camera didn’t break and I managed to get all the shots they requested. Plus, the photos didn’t even turn out half bad. I usually come away with a dozen photos that need to be re-shot because they are blurry or something but this time almost every single picture turned out. This just goes to show you that yes, I need to learn to chill. Why do I always get so uptight when everything usually works out in the end? I don’t know. It’s just the way I’m wired.

Baby Bug had a great time tagging along with her cousin and my mom and sister-in-law seemed to really enjoy the Garden Show. I made some money and learned a few photography tricks. Not bad for a day’s work. But still…even after all that good, I think I need to say “no” next time. I’m just not cut out for the pressure I put myself under.