What? Too early to drink?

It had been a loooong day with the kids at school. We had hit indoor recess #30, due to weeks of windchills too far below zero.
Literally, that's thirty consecutive times we had hopefully checked the
weather website, seeking some miraculous shift so we could play in
that field of pristine snow outside our classroom windows. No luck. I'll
spare you all of the details of recent weeks, but suffice it to say
that kids puke, sneeze measurable lengths of snot, and pick noses much too frequently.

By 4p.m., I was cranky. Just wanting to be home. When one of
Our City's Finest pulled me over for an expired license
plate/tag/sticker. Come on. I mean, come ON. I put a smile on and
tried to be kind, apologetic, everything I thought he wanted.
THEN, he started asking me exactly where I was coming from...Had I
made any stops after school?
"Yes, the grocery store."
Had I purchased then drank any alcohol? Have I stopped for a drink?
I'm thinking, buddy, I was driving amazingly well, I've only lost my
mind a bit lately and forgotten to renew the stinking plates! It came
out more like,
"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry I was forgetful. Now I know my
immediate plans will be to go downtown and take care of this."
insert apologetic smile
"Okay, okay, but you smell like you've been drinking."
Honestly, there's nothing in the car, I did not purchase anything, (or
drink from a flask behind my desk?).
He's STILL questioning me, thinking of asking me out of the car, when
alas, he spots the Purel on the passenger seat. "Oh, have you used that lately?"
"Oh, yeah. Puking, snot-filled first graders have fueled an obsession
with it." Forming young minds here, educating the future of our
country, dodging puke, while you're pulling over hard-working,
completely frazzled TEACHERS that could use a BREAK!!
He takes my info back to his car, then returns with a ticket. A
stinking ninety dollar ticket! The kid looked like he had just
graduated from the academy and he's actually grinning as he hands me
the ticket, blah, blah, blah and continues with the chit chat! What?
You still want to chat?!!
Fuming. I am fa-uming.
So, two and a half hours later and I'm desperately trying to calm
myself and rip the tape out of my head that keeps replaying what I
should have said to him, how I shouldn't have forgotten, so I could
have avoided the whole ordeal...but I have the money to pay it so it's
not a big deal...but it's such a waste of $90. I was going crazy.

What was the one thing that calmed me? The thing that stirred
my heart to all things silver-lined and warm-fuzzy?
The Flickr window on my favorite blog.
Could my niece & nephews be any more adorable? These are thoughts & pictures worth dwelling on, lingering over, cooing at and getting all sniffly and misty-eyed.
Now, please pass the Purel.