"Those" Ladies

I wish I could be one of “those ladies”. You know the kind. They look in their fridge; see one turkey leg, ½ a bag of baby carrots and a mozzarella stick. The next thing you know…bam! Four course meal.
I, on the other hand, can have just come home from spending an ungodly amount of money grocery shopping and end up sitting on the floor with a bag of Doritos on my lap, a can of diet coke sitting beside me and nothing to fix for supper. (At least I have the essentials!)
I really have never figured out how “they” do it. I have a friend who’s one of “those ladies”. We’ll go on an outing and without breaking a sweat she’ll pull out suntan lotion, water bottles, snacks and every single solitary thing a child could need. Usually this is all packed neatly into an easy-to-carry tote baggy like thingy. She’s kind enough to always bring extra for my kid as well… she knows I’ll forget. I mean, it’s the beach. I made sure my kid had a swim suit. I was pretty proud of that.
When she brings her kids over to my house they come along with their own healthy snack, and, of course, enough to share. When I bring my kid over to her house, well….I brought the child, what else do you want???
These ladies never forget a birthday, holiday, anniversary etc. I’ve been known to wake up Halloween morning and think, oh, man, I should really get my child something to wear! One February was particularly stressful, “What do you mean today’s Valentines Day and you’re supposed to have a card for every kid in your class? How about one big one to put on the board that says ‘I like you all….really!’?” Apparently in first grade they take that stuff really seriously. I’ve just never quite caught up.
I‘ve finally figured out somewhat of a solution to not being one of “those ladies”. Everyone who’s a little domestically challenged like, well… me should try this: Get a friend who’s one of “those ladies”. Don’t hide the fact you’re pretty much totally incompetent with all things domestic. Eventually, being the kind as well as efficient people they are, they will feel sorry for, well, if not you, at least your child. My friend now calls a few weeks before each Holiday to remind me of what my kid might need. Now, granted, sometimes she has to remind me more than once, and sometimes that still isn’t enough, but it’s a start. My daughter actually got to the store to pick out a costume before they ran out last October! There’s a first time for everything.
Now, if I could just figure out how to get her to come to my house and make dinner.