We are under a winter weather advisory for the entire weekend. I will be bringing work home with me just in case we actually get snow and I just don't want to mess with driving to work. Will also bring our Saturday appointments contact info home just in case. So much for a quiet weekend at the office.
Weekend vent. I have another Vball tournament fundraiser tonight. This time for the PTO. I am tired of doing these. I get roped into it because a. I play volleyball. b. I am one of the handful of parents that actually show up and do something. I just want to be that mom, one time, thinking of one specifically in my mind, who doesn't btw have a job, that just drops off a batch of cookies and leaves, while we are setting up tables, nets, running the tournament, cleaning up. etc... I am especially perturbed because DH works a lot of weekends and these have all fallen on his days off.
Other than that, DD is spending the night with a friend tonight. DS has to get up early and take the ACT which does not thrill him. Saturday I need to drop some food to a my childhood BFF whose mom was put in Hospice care. Sunday is my Sister Act Practice. At some point I want to sit in my comfy pants and eat food and drink wine. We shall see. DD wants to go out to diner one night and DS thinks it will be the end of the world if he doesn't do something great this weekend and we would be boring to stay home Saturday night. Add that to his running list of 123561 reasons he should be able to drive himself wherever he wants to go. He's 15. Call your Congressmen kid, tell it to them.
Tomorrow is DS’ 7th Birthday. He’s my baby so that feels too old. Tonight DDs and I are making his cake for breakfast. I’m running a 5k (below freezing) in the morning. This has been planned for a long time. Today DH was like “I thought we could go for pancakes in the morning and now you won’t be here”. Um, we do cake for breakfast on birthdays AND I cleared this with him AND DS was supposed to be at a soccer game AND he’s sick (fever still present) so seriously?! Canceled and rescheduled DS’ birthday sleepover. So not only did we come home early from his actual birthday trip, now he’s not having his sleepover. Poor guy.
Tonight I have to buy DD new shoes and cleats, pick up and sort my mom’s meds, make dinner, make cake and get DD through her PT exercises. I also have to buy and print the membership to the flight museum DS is getting for his birthday and a WWII aircraft book.
Church Sunday, groceries and errands - then I scheduled a hair appointment for 6:45 Sunday night, which DH doesn’t know yet. But he’s gone M-F next week so thinking he can handle bedtime and I don’t have other time that lined up with my stylist’s time.
I’m overwhelmed with being able to cook anything for dinner. I need to plan a menu for next week and need healthy options ... so research in my free time has to happen.
Spending the night at a friend's place tonight. The plan is to drink wine and b*tch about XH and just generally catch up. Diner breakfast tomorrow morning. I desperately need this. I haven't had a true decompress "girls' night" to process the divorce and life has just been so messy and crazy that I think it's going to help a lot.
I really want to paint my bedroom, so maybe I'll go nuts and do that this weekend. I don't have the kids back until Thursday night and will be out of town Tues - Thurs next week, so it could be a good chance to move stuff out of the room and do it. Or I'll end up doing literally nothing but laundry and vegging on the couch. Could go either way.
Tomorrow, I have to simultaneously take DS for a community service project while also taking DD to dance, so that should be fun. Then pick up GS cookies and date night when DH gets back. Hopefully his flight is on time.
Then work on Sunday which makes for a long week especially since my day off for Sunday is not until Thursday because I have a dentist appointment and school party that day.
Friday is prep and cleaning to host my mom and great aunt for an early dinner tomorrow. It is my mom’s 70th birthday. My dad is doing nothing for her cause he is an ass. So I will decorate like crazy, make seafood chowder and apple cupcakes tonight.
Prior to the birthday dinner, I get my hair colored and cut, DS goes to a landfill with the YMCA and DD has ice skating lessons.
At some point, I want to go to the mall and get pants for my work trip to Banff. Business casual in -20. Good times. Looking for fleece lined leggings that I can put under a big sweater.
I also need to pack for said trip. Leave on Sunday for the airport before 8am.
Will have to set DH up with the kids laundry and meal plan before I go too....I will be gone for a week.
I just spent 20 minutes emailing the volunteer person and writing out our schedule.
I think if I go early for volunteer event and late for dance we can be there 25 minutes to volunteer.
Otherwise after dance she says I can deliver- no thanks since I have no clue where I am delivering to.
DH is having an interview in his uber on his way out so I guess I am not the only one. Schedule is down to the 5 minutes including breakfast, get gas and buy donations.
Friends are really trying hard to be inclusive of DS. It’s nice but a bit strange to me that they want him included so bad when no one ever mentioned anything to us about their group events last year.
DH has an all morning meeting tomorrow for teeball and baseball. Vent: we need one parent to go to umpire training tomorrow. No one has signed up, despite multiple requests from the coach. DH cannot be the umpire since he’s coaching two teams. So right now I’m like “oh well I guess we have to forfeit 5 games since we don’t have an umpire.” I’m really getting pissy about other people not pulling their parenting weight.
We have nothing else. But tomorrow is supposed to be sleet and cold weather so we will be stuck inside. Yuck.
DD1 had a play date, and 1/2 way through it DD2 spiked a 102 fever. DD1 melted down before bed, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it has been.
Tomorrow DD2 is supposed to start tennis, but I’m not sure she’ll go since she had a fever today. Then I will take DD1 to a hitting clinic for softball. My cousin is bringing her daughter, and I’m hoping the two girls wind up on the same team this year.
Sunday DD1 has basketball. Otherwise I’m hoping to lay low. I’m feeling very run down and I need a couple of slow days.
DD and DH are camping this weekend with the YMCA adventure clubs (FKA Indian princesses). So I’m on my own with the two boys and still can’t drive because of my foot surgery. Today I ubered from work to preschool go pick up DS1 and then ubered home with him. Of course today I jammed my foot in a weird way (while wearing the boot) and now it’s all swollen. I really really really hope I didn’t mess up the repair.
Our babysitter is coming tomorrow morning 9-12 so that we’re not just stuck within walking distance all weekend. The plan was for her to drive DS1 and me to tball, but that got rained out, so now she’ll just hang with the boys while I do some foot-free exercise and shower. Then a friend invited me to a nearby craft studio to do an adult class to make this Valentine’s Day heart string thing. So babysitter will drop me there and take the boys to our preschool touch-a-truck fundraiser. Or the library if it’s pouring down rain. We’re not used to worrying about weather here.
mommyatty, we sighed DS1 up for tball this year and had absolutely no clue what was involved. I got a 4-page email today with all the things they need us to do and volunteer for - find auction items, find a $500 team sponsor, still no coach etc. I really hope DS even likes tball with all the parental effort required. Good for your DH for coaching!
I am the slacker sport parent- sorry. I never played sports so I have no idea of rules or how to coach. And I am completely on my own during the week with another child in tow that I would have to watch while also trying to coach. Which is hard. She’s a bit older now so might start being easier, but things like taking her to the bathroom etc. I do t know how all these working male coaches are available at 5pm to coach... I’ve actually only seen female coaches at the church league because it’s more relaxed over there. I mean not sure if that’s why but they just want bodies whereas at the park district it’s like 2 guys are friends and want to coach together type thing.
It has been a week. Two weeks, actually. Last week was no school due to blizzard-like conditions plus -20+ degree windchills. The kids went to school Monday and Tuesday of this week, then off the rest of the week due to an ice storm. We lost power for a couple hours early on Wednesday and internet until the evening. Thursday we had no power from 10am - 7:30pm, and we're on a well and septic, so it means no water and we can't flush toilets. Internet was out from 10am Thursday until Friday around 10pm. I ended up having to take a PTO day on Friday because I couldn't work from home.
DD's birthday was Friday - she turned 8! Even though the day didn't start as planned, it was fun to have the whole day with her (and DS). The daddy-daughter dance was supposed to be Friday evening, but it was cancelled due to widespread power outages. So we all went to dinner and then to see the Lego Movie 2. (I liked the first one better, but it was still entertaining.)
Today (Saturday) my parents and sister are coming to celebrate DD's birthday at lunch and then she's having a small birthday party with friends in the evening. Tomorrow is church in the morning and then small group in the evening.
I really, really hope next week is a completely normal week and we don't get crazy weather. We now have to go three days into summer break, and we still have almost 2 more months of winter weather.
mommyatty, can you reach out to your local HS to see if some baseball or softball players would be willing to umpire?
This is what our town league does. It actually recruits older players within the league, trains them, and then assigns them to games. Older divisions get paid umps.
All plans on hold to deal with DD2. After sleeping for 13 hours, she woke up crying with a terrible headache and a 103 fever. Chugged some Advil and 2 cups of water, and promptly vomited all over me.
She’s never thrown up before. She’s almost 6. Poor kid didn’t know what happened.
So I don’t know if we are dealing with strep or a stomach virus. Either way it’s not awesome.
I’m not asking that everyone coach. But when you sign up, you agree that you’ll do SOMETHING to volunteer. And it’s not onerous. No fundraising. (They use that as a selling point.) Literally, the entire team is responsible for: 1) Coaching. We have that covered. 2) Providing an umpire which means going to a 2 hr training session and showing up for the games where your team is responsible for the umpire. DH did the training this morning. But he can’t be our umpire because he’s coaching 2 teams and won’t necessarily be available. 3) Volunteer to work the dugout during games (2 parents, and the same 3 of us took turns last year for all the games... two of us with younger kids in tow and one with an older kid in tow) 4) Work the snack bar one single time during the season. We literally have to provide 2 adults one single time for 2 hours. Last year, the two coaches did it.
I’m going to be bitchy this year on snackbar duty and tell everyone if we don’t get a volunteer I’m pulling a name out of a hat and they are responsible for working it or finding the volunteer.
mommyatty preach! Last night they told me that they signed 8th grade up for another tournament. I said nope. They said, you all need the money. I came back that we need more than me and 2 other moms doing these. This is 5 Friday night tournaments. There are 8 more families. We are paying for a class trip that all kids and their parents attend. They will bring their required drink or food and leave, while the 3 of us set up, take down, keep score, stay the entire time. I think I am just going to say no. I will pay my own way instead of working my ass off so these people can get a free trip to St. Louis including hotels, museums, and ballgames.
mommyatty, I got equally frustrated with many of the parents at softball last season. All I was really asking was to get your kid there on time, tell me if you're not coming, and help if I ask you (and I'll try not to ask). I would do a careful lineup every game to make sure everyone could play in the "good positions"... and then I'd scrap it because people wouldn't show up and I'd need bodies in certain spots.
This is the first season that DD1 is participating in a sport and one of us isn't coaching (90% of the time it was me). She needs to be instructed by another adult. And I feel super guilty about it, so I'll probably end up helping out in some way.
A nutty day here. DD2 slept for 13 hours last night (save us waking her for tylenol and motrin), and woke up sobbing about a headache. This is very unlike her. Crawled onto my lap, had a 103 fever. Chugged 2 cups of water and promptly threw up all over me. She's almost 6 and has never vomited so she was like WTF WAS THAT???
So I thought she had strep, maybe norovirus... bleaching all things... DH took her to the local urgent care... she has flu. Poor kid.
While all this chaos was going on, DD1 gave herself a haircut. Cut off ALL OF THE HAIR in the front. Down to a nub. Spiky little pieces of bang sticking straight up. It's going to take like 2 years to grow out.
I definitely tell them when the kids wont be there and get them there on time. We dont have concessions. Being a dugout volunteer could work for me, but I am not sure if I can commit to coach. I think we have enough umpires, and they get paid. I know they get training but I seriously know no rules of any sports- well a little bit of football.
Preach mommyatty, this was how DD's t-ball team's parents acted. Only me and another mom helped at practices and games. I think for 3 games I did both 1st base coach and dugout patrol. We didn't have umps because everyone scored an there were no outs. The coach had a hard time even getting parents to bring treats. I finally put an extra stash in the car just in case. Try having your DH specifically ask the parents. Instead of saying hey I need 2 parents to go to ump training on Saturday and be available to ump on these games. Sometimes I think everyone thinks someone else will do it and then no one raises their hand. So have him go Johnny's mom/dad/grandparent could you got to ump training and ump at XYZ game for the team.
rere, no more tournaments. I would run, you've done enough.
The gymnastic team gets volunteers with the lure of $$$. If you volunteer at the meet or fundraiser event they take the hours you and everyone else worked and total them up. Then they divide it by the profit from the meet/event and it gets divided up based on total man hours and then multiplied by the number of hours your family worked. Those $$$ then go into your kids team account and can be used for meet fees, leo, supplies, travel expenses. They very seldom have to beg parents/families to help. Also they let the girls work the events too to help earn $$$.
waverly, you do your best! But there were so many parents that would sit in the stands and see me struggling and do nothing. Dugout helping is easy and so, so helpful - if you can swing it now and then, jump in! My first year coaching, the only parent to ever help was this wonderful man from India. He just kept saying, "I don't know anything about this. I've never even seen a baseball game. I played cricket. Just tell me what to do." His job was to put helmets on kids and get them in order to hit.
I knew that there were parents that worked crazy shifts, or had spouses that traveled and they had to get multiple kids to multiple games. I cut them slack. But the mom that was hunched over her phone in her scrubs (so clearly not working every game, you know?) that never even looked up when her kid was at bat, let alone offer to help out? Yeah. I blamed her.
A nutty day here. DD2 slept for 13 hours last night (save us waking her for tylenol and motrin), and woke up sobbing about a headache. This is very unlike her. Crawled onto my lap, had a 103 fever. Chugged 2 cups of water and promptly threw up all over me. She's almost 6 and has never vomited so she was like WTF WAS THAT???
So I thought she had strep, maybe norovirus... bleaching all things... DH took her to the local urgent care... she has flu. Poor kid.
While all this chaos was going on, DD1 gave herself a haircut. Cut off ALL OF THE HAIR in the front. Down to a nub. Spiky little pieces of bang sticking straight up. It's going to take like 2 years to grow out.
Heck of a day so far.
Oh my. I hope things calm down and your DD feels better soon!