I think we might actually pull off our PTO Fall Ball tomorrow. Just got word that a local grocery store donated enough candy for all the game prizes and 200 cookies. Then a local pizza place donated 15 large pizzas. The only thing we had to buy was water/juice for concessions and a few other odds and ends as all the other ladies wanted to decorate. I will be very happy when Friday night is over and I'm hoping for a huge success to get our principle on board with a few other new ideas.
It is still foggy and we are still under stagnate air warning and it isn't expected to lift until 11/12.
I had another run in with the principal because the kid wound up and kicked DD1 in the shin while they were waiting in line. She is unwilling to address it with the mom/librarian because she is going through a difficult time. I meet with my lawyer tomorrow. DH is not on board. He thinks we should just continue to handle with the principal. He thinks DD1 will get kicked out. He doesn’t understand that they can’t throw her out for nothing.
DD1 has had a week-long snap of bad behavior. I’m totally worn out from it.
I’ve not been able to do much job searching with all that going on.
My in-laws are coming to visit this weekend. We have some fun stuff planned. We are supposed to go to a fall dance tomorrow before they get here, but DD1 lost it today during a tantrum. I’m pretty relieved that we probably aren’t going.
I'm on the upswing from the plague I've had. I'm feeling less like death warmed over, and have settled firmly into zombie status. I'm in the office (door closed, hand sanitizer, clorox wipes at the ready) and just trying to get stuff done.
Our bathroom reno is going. Apparently they decided that they don't need to work today, since no one has showed up. Their project management skills suck, which I knew going into it, but got to see first hand when I was home sick. One day a guy showed up, spent 15 minutes unloading tools, worked for ten, then said he was supposed to be on another job and packed everything up and left.
We're working on refinancing our mortgage and it's just been a huge PITA. Current lender sent a payoff letter for an extra $11k saying that the next tax payment is due.. but they have $20k in escrow that for whatever reason, they won't use. I don't want to tack an extra $11k onto my mortgage for no reason. I felt like screaming at the lady, so in lieu of doing that, looped in DH. I ended up paying the taxes early out of pocket today, so hopefully it settles through the system and they can get us a new payoff letter. And then we wait for 30 days from payment to get the other $20k that's tied up in escrow...
Post by supertrooper1 on Nov 7, 2019 15:12:49 GMT -5
Beau and I had a series of talks over the last week about where our relationship was headed. We're both insistent on taking things slow as he's still grieving his late wife and I'm still working through my divorce. We agreed that we're each other's girlfriend/boyfriend which was a title he had a hard time accepting. Not that he didn't agree, it was just weird for him to think about. At a point where the conversation got really serious, he kept asking me why we kept seeing each other. That lead to both of us saying the L word. It still is strange for both of us since we both are the type to bury our emotions. But we both agreed that we fell quickly for each other. I feel like a teenager in a grown up body.
Not much new here except with my new title, came a few new duties, which is fine, but has kept me very busy. It is where now I don't just think about how to do my job, but how the programs I oversee can be improved and impact the entire agency.
I am still following DS to school much to his annoyance. I can't decide if his speedometer is off, or now maybe mine. You would think mine being digital would be correct, but I had DD download a speedometer app and it agreed with his. I was super anxious this morning because it was raining.
Hunting season her, so I have bought wine and good food to cook, since DH is annoying this season. Scheduling some bunco and activities with friends also.
Ds’s teacher is starting a reading/writing intervention and asked if ds can join. I said yes and told ds it was a club. Dh hates the idea of ds being in the “dumb club” but agrees he should take any help given. It just hurts our hearts that it’s not easy for him. I reminded dh that ds got a perfect score in math and science and that it’s not labeling ds as slow in any way and his teacher said he was very smart.
Ds2s favorite teacher ever is leaving his daycare and it makes me consider pulling him sooner than planned. We planned to switch for pre-K in August. He has his besties there and I don’t want him to leave his buddies so we aren’t doing anything yet but I’m bummed.
Work hasn’t slowed down just moved on to other urgent things. I’m getting sick. And I’m tired.
I’m drowning. I haven’t gotten lunch breaks at work and I’ve been doing work at home after the kids go to bed.
Strong willed little one is really....I’m struggling. Did I tell you guys he ran away from me and was almost hit by a car in a parking lot? Or maybe I wrote about it at HoweverItHappened. I can’t remember. I’ve done SO much. So many behavioral interventions. I dread daycare pickup now bc I don’t want to read all the reports. But yet I rush after work to get him...therefore I don’t have a break. Ever. Ever in my life.
H is still away and won’t be back for a while. I’ve barely spoken to him. Honestly he calls me at like he worst times. Like, hello I’m putting 3 kids to bed and then I need to fold laundry and clean the kitchen and pack for tomorrow’s 7 am departure and empty the dishwasher. I don’t really want to hear about your day. Sorry but not sorry.
I’m having a hard time. On then upside, I’m feeling better after being sick this week.
Also my swelling is going down by a lot. One of these days I’ll take the time to get a pic and post it.
Post by traveltheworld on Nov 7, 2019 23:16:16 GMT -5
We had parent teacher meeting yesterday and DS's teachers just gushed about him. They said he is kind and encouraging with the other kids, he's always helping them with their work, but in a friendly, and not "know it all" way. His main teacher said that she feels just awful about how badly things were at the start of the year and said that she'll make a point of working with the principal to ensure that DS gets introduced to his next year's teacher early and they'll all work together to help him settle in better at the beginning of next year, since it's so obvious that his bad behaviour at the start of the year is not at all indicative of who he is generally.
We felt so relieved. We've never worried about the academics with DS, but were always concerned that he'd struggle socially. And we think that him being a model student currently is making his teachers more willing to help him academically. He's starting to do independent projects, gets his own time with the librarian, and his math teacher said she'll connect him with the junior high math teacher so he can maybe join the math club. He's missing a few grade 5 and 6 math concepts but she thinks he could probably figure those out pretty quickly.
campermom I know how it is to dread pickup because you’re worried about a bad report. You need to give yourself a break! His teachers can deal - they’re used to all different types of kids.
We are having DS tested for sensory issues. He’s hypersensitive so is really upset by loud noises, loves quiet places like forts and tunnels, and basically eats like 4 foods. He doesn’t have tantrums, but he will yell at other kids to be quiet and melt down if a new food is on his plate or we go to a restaurant that smells like food. (Barbecue restaurants make him sob in anticipation, though he’s happy after he gets over the smell.) It sounds like your son may be hyposensitve and be craving stimuli. Lots of SPD kids bolt.
Random update: Sometimes I feel like I've really got my shit together and I'm doing a good job managing a household on one income. Then this morning I prepped for my 6 month check in with my financial advisor and realized I'm barely keeping my head afloat. Really, I'm drowning a bit because I've got some credit card debt for the first time in years and it's making me really anxious. I know I can pay it off when I get my bonus next month and start fresh again, but it's just looming right now. I had to get new tires and fix some stuff on my car and the house unexpectedly and I don't have any money to put in savings each month so had to put it on my credit card. I hope I get a decent raise this year. I just need a little bit of wiggle room. My budget is down to like $4 extra each month when I spell it all out. Ugh.
DH's "pre-holiday" work party at the CFO's house was last night. It was less stressful than I expected. I wore a black and white print casual dress with a BB Dakota jacket, black tights, and black kitten-heel booties. I felt comparably dressed to other ladies at the party. There was one weird thing that happened - one senior director decided it would be a good idea to hand out roses and do a Bachelor-style "rose ceremony" to announce a promotion (manager to director) to someone else at the party. It was really strange. I honestly can't believe the CFO was okay with it. As an HR person, my mind immediately went to sexual harassment, but the person to whom the "rose ceremony" was directed didn't seem offended.
Work is overwhelming. Today is supposed to be my e/o Friday off, and I'm going to be doing at least a couple hours of work. I found a couple jobs I'm going to apply for, just to see what else is out there. I don't like doing sales commissions and the stress from the leaders in that area is affecting me physically and mentally. Because of the sales commissions schedule, I feel like I can never take a break now.
Post by supertrooper1 on Nov 8, 2019 12:00:53 GMT -5
campermom, have you tried a backpack leash for your youngest? DS would run away a lot, so even though I got dirty looks, I felt like I was keeping him safe. Hopefully he grows out of the other tricky behavior soon.
Hi 👋 So many things that I’m not sure where to begin but...
I got a big promotion in August (40% raise) and we can now live off my income alone. Woo hoo! Go me.
DH got laid off again two weeks ago but it’s not nearly so consequential any more. He’s really made a ton of progress, mental health-wise, in the last 18 months and he’s handing the lay-off and the job hunt ok. I frequently can’t believe my life & marriage has gotten so much better than it was. Not that it’s perfect, of course, but really so much better in all ways.
And finally, we are getting licensed to be foster parents. We had our home inspection today (the very last step in an 11-month process) and we failed for lack of a carbon monoxide detector in the basement. Boo. But we can install one this weekend, have a caseworker verify it Tuesday, and we’ll be licensed by next Friday. Then we can start the real wait for a kid or two to enter our home!
I started typing out my frustration about our current staffing levels a few times yesterday. In the last 1.5 years, two people in my division have left and I've absorbed their work and grown the overall portfolio without adding headcount. It's mostly coming to a head because I'm sick, have been out of the office, and feel really, really, really overwhelmed.
I mentioned it to a coworker in my division on the operations side yesterday who assured me that even though I feel like I'm letting things slide that I'm very on top of things and this is a blip because of current circumstances. I mentioned it to a coworker in another department (who I worked with at my prior company) in more of a vent fashion ("people at old company manage 1/3 the volume AND have at least one person who support them" along with more venting). I mentioned it to my boss in response to a client request that came up ("you need to hire someone just to negotiated these docs because I'll have capacity to get to them sometime next month").
Anyways, my boss just popped in - "What kind of support do you want? Analyst, underwriter? What do you need?" The answer is I need an analyst that can at minimum do some simple underwriting that I can train to do better underwriting.
Now fingers crossed that it actually happens. Unfortunately, I work for a very unsexy company, and the younger folks don't really want to come here.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Nov 8, 2019 14:01:03 GMT -5
I'm still trying to hire someone but it's turned into a total cluster fuck.
I found someone, HR loved them, I really liked them (maybe loved them) and the CEO...did not like them. But HR thought he did like her, and made her an offer. Now HR is pushing me to push back against the CEO who says we need to hire someone else. I tried, and he responded by giving me the reasons he wants someone else. They are not crazy reasons and HR totally jumped the gun in making the offer. So...I feel horrible but, no, I don't want to hire the person the CEO doesn't want me to hire. I'm sorry. I'm early in my job and i just don't think that's the right thing to do, for me or for the candidate.
And this is HR's fault. Which doesn't fix it for the candidate. And I feel horrible...and this is the loop I'm in right now.
Post by librarychica on Nov 8, 2019 15:42:41 GMT -5
DD1 has a permanent teacher again as of Monday. She seems nice, organized and competent. I’m very relieved and hope the remainder of second grade goes without drama.
I have been slammed at work. It’s all good things, but sheesh. I’m delegating left and right and still working overtime.
My baby has her fifth birthday party this weekend . 😭😭😭
The husband who has travelled so much these past few months and promised no more until January? Is a big fat liar. It’s not his fault but, again, sheesh.
I took the week of thanksgiving off with the kids and am really looking forward to it!
We are having DS tested for sensory issues. He’s hypersensitive so is really upset by loud noises, loves quiet places like forts and tunnels, and basically eats like 4 foods. He doesn’t have tantrums, but he will yell at other kids to be quiet and melt down if a new food is on his plate or we go to a restaurant that smells like food. (Barbecue restaurants make him sob in anticipation, though he’s happy after he gets over the smell.) It sounds like your son may be hyposensitve and be craving stimuli. Lots of SPD kids bolt.
Thanks for thinking of me. It’s not the explanation for my son, though.
campermom, have you tried a backpack leash for your youngest? DS would run away a lot, so even though I got dirty looks, I felt like I was keeping him safe. Hopefully he grows out of the other tricky behavior soon.
I haven’t. It’s pretty rare that he does this in an actual dangerous situation. Thankfully!
I am visiting my husband in Vegas this weekend without the kids. And today while h was in class I did absolutely nothing and it felt amazing. Even this one day off has done wonders for my mental health
campermom - no advice, just sympathy. My DD1 is very difficult. We fought and went to therapy and had testing and went to more and different therapy and she’s been diagnosed with ADHD. She’s not hyperactive, but extremely inattentive. She is on medication now. I do usually see a difference with her medication, but sometimes she’s just OMG rude and disrespectful and awful to her sister.
It’s exhausting. My DH travels a lot, but he’s here for pockets of time so I get a reprieve. So I can’t imagine how you’re feeling. I will say that CBD has helped me to be a bit more calm lately. I don’t know if that’s an option for you.
Awkward and it's becoming a judging thing where HR seems to think I should be able to steamroll the CEO b/c our old GC did do that all the time.
The person is working directly for me, but if we didn't want the CEO's opinion the CEO shouldn't be interviewing the candidates. Given that he did interview the candidates we should be listening to him. Just from a respect POV. Or maybe I'm the one on crack? I feel like Alice in Wonderland here.
But anyway some new developments have helped somewhat. To be continued.
campermom - no advice, just sympathy. My DD1 is very difficult. We fought and went to therapy and had testing and went to more and different therapy and she’s been diagnosed with ADHD. She’s not hyperactive, but extremely inattentive. She is on medication now. I do usually see a difference with her medication, but sometimes she’s just OMG rude and disrespectful and awful to her sister.
It’s exhausting. My DH travels a lot, but he’s here for pockets of time so I get a reprieve. So I can’t imagine how you’re feeling. I will say that CBD has helped me to be a bit more calm lately. I don’t know if that’s an option for you.
I used to take anxiety medication which was so beneficial but the weight gain side effect was pretty significant for me (26 lbs with an extremely active lifestyle and healthy nutrition). So I think what will help me most is getting back into exercise post surgery.
I did hit good paces today. Under a 10 minute mile. Endorphins help me so much. My cousin also offered to take all 3 for the night, and I’m taking her up on it. She may not offer again after this...but I’m taking the night off.
Post by librarychica on Nov 9, 2019 19:52:38 GMT -5
You guys, my kids woke me up for DD2’s 1:30pm kid gymnastics birthday party at 5:30am. I am an idiot and invited a small group of people who drove from far-ish after for taco bar at my house — defeating the very purpose of having someone else host this party — everyone just now left and as I walk the dog I can hear the electronic dance festival from 7 miles down the interstate. What a day.