By Janet Hommel Mangas
It seems I may be at risk of losing my position as CFO — a position I’ve proudly held and performed with adept skill for the 28 years.
I have served as “Chief Finding Officer” since the first month of marriage and the following years of locating and signing school papers for three children throughout their kindergarten, elementary and high school years.
It was a mere eight years ago that my youngest — who will remain anonymous since she is currently applying for internships — couldn’t find a few important papers that needed a parental signature for class. Realizing that her lack of superior organization skills could be the culprit, I ended up surprising her with a “home makeover” on her school locker. Her classmates loved it.
The aforementioned child found her papers amongst the creatively filed papers and books on the bottom of her locker. When same child was a mere 4-years-old, I found cheese in a multi-colored wooden, toy lock-box in the closet. I would just like for all my readers to understand that I did feed my children on a regular basis.
Even the super-organized middle child once needed my CFO skills.
Sitting in the backseat of the car on the way home from church one glorious sunny, Sunday morn, Chloe began whimpering. Working as a momma bear detective, I managed to find that a magnetic earring had worked its way up into the top nasal cavity when she thought it’d be cute to wear her magnetic earring as a nose ring.
I am the CFO, but thankfully I’m teamed up with a CRO — the hubby is the Chief Retrieval Officer.
To this day, my eldest blames me for not returning to the remote Canadian motel for her raggedy, but soft, Mickey Mouse/ABC blanket when she was 8 years old. Alex, who I can name since she is gainfully employed and not applying for internships, asked me to state that her blanket was loved and cherished.
I personally would have gone back for it, but the hubby was driving and we were already 90 miles north. I did call the motel, but it still remains a cold case. Alex continues to offer a sizable reward for its return.
But I do admit my CFO skills are slipping. Last week while sprucing up the yard for a visit from the Fall Creek Garden Club, my phone jumped off the mower and attached cart I was using as a weed receptacle. As a side note, isn’t it rather peculiar how weeds can get corn-stalk high when you don’t weed for two months. Anyway, I must’ve drove and walked the entire yard 10 times trying to locate it.
And why yes, I did go get the house phone and try to call it. And yes, I did retrace all my steps — numerous times. Alex drove up and in three minutes pointed to my phone in the yard — beginners luck.
Janet Hommel Mangas grew up on the east side of Greenwood. The Center Grove
area resident and her husband are the parents of three daughters. Send comments
to [email protected].
