Posting a letter

Should be easy right?
No. Not when it involves my children. I had 2 letters to send off today. In a whirl of feeling good and so far being a good day I told the oldest boys they could go in the post office, get the stamps and post the letters. That way I could stay in the Bus outside the post office and not have to get the troop out.

So we park. I give 2nd eldest son the exact money he would need for two stamps. I gave them the two envelopes. One already had a stamp, the other did not. They were to buy the stamps, put one on the envelope that needed one, post the letters, and bring me back the spare stamp.
I have another letter that will need to be sent at the end of this week.

Anyway, so off they trot. Leaving behind a now crying toddler who wants to get out, a 3 year old who thinks the new car (well it's a bus, but I just can't bring myself to call it that yet) is his own personal Gym, to monkey about on the bars, jump over seats and make monkey noises as he goes along, a sleeping baby, and a 5 year old who has ants in her pants and is making life even harder for the toddler who wants out because she wants to do what the others are doing...

Breathe.
The older boys come back, hand me the spare stamp and say they put the letters in the box.
2nd son says the yellow box.
The yellow box? Why? Why would you do that? That is for express letters, with the specific yellow envelopes.
Groan.
Go back, explain to the woman what you have done and if they can stay there, or need to be put in the red box.
So they go back, again.
Repeat above for the 4 children left in the car with me. Add me trying to call my Mum asking if photos we sent got through on her phone.

Boys come back. The woman had to open the yellow box with a key, get the 2 letters out, and then put them in the correct red box.
The red box, like every red box we have ever put letters into.
Why did they put it in the yellow one? Because the red box was over the other side and the yellow one was closer, next to the counter. Sigh.
What can I say, they get their laziness from me.

Finally we are home. A trip to the post office should not be this hard.