Wednesday Open Letters April 15th

[186momx]

Dear April 15th
You are being the weirdest not tax day every
tax lady

Dear Me
You need to sleep and stop dreaming about Harry flying out of zoom meeting dropping snot flavored jelly beans onto all the kids.
Overtired and cranky me

[k3am]

186momx, it feels so weird that we haven't done/paid our taxes yet.

[186momx]

k3am, I know I haven't finished mine either. The only phone calls I have had today is about the stimulus and these clients could care less about the taxes they dropped off 2 weeks ago they just want the free $$$. Normally I'm running around like a crazy chicken today.

[mae0111]

Dear Kids -

Honest to God, I'm doing the best I can. I spent 95% of my time with you. So when I ask you to give me 15 minutes to myself, I very much mean it. You are old enough to entertain yourselves for much more than 15 minutes. The constant whining and bickering quite literally drove me to tears yesterday. I know that this is hard. It stinks for everyone. It stinks that we don't have a kitchen and it stinks that we can't go into that area of the house. But we have approximately 8 million games, art projects, pieces of sports gear, etc. to entertain you. SO USE IT. Play soccer. Hit a tennis ball. Paint some rocks and hide them around the neighborhood. Fill the entire driveway with chalk drawings. IDGAF just stop fighting.

Signed,
Losing my mind

[mommyatty]

Dear Self,

You need to sleep. Honestly.

Self

Dear Work:

Omg. I literally don’t have time for a 5 minute pee break at all this afternoon. That’s crazy.

Signed,
Overwhelmed

[rere]

Dear Mexican restaurant,

When I ordered a to go margarita, I did not realize it would be the size of a Big Gulp.

Signed, headache

Dear still some staff,

If you have to ask me about everything, it is not very helpful to me now is it.

Signed, not even your boss

Dear business,

Hey. Let your people off and pay them if they are possibly infected or you are going to have to shut the place down!!!!!!

Signed I'll know where to shop and work when this is over.

Dear computer,

Ain't nobody got time for your shenanigans.

Signed WFH.

[phdmomma]

Dear Students,
I understand that this is a hard time for you and that taking an exam online is scary, but no I will not be awake at 3 am should you choose that part of the 24 hour window you have to answer your questions. I am old and need sleep.
Signed,
A very tired professor

Dear Kids,
Stop fighting, stop fighting, I have a job which I am trying to hold onto.
Signed,
Mom - ps stop fighting

Dear Collaborators,
I am so excited you want to put in a grant proposal on a new project, I hope that the funding works out.
Signed, Excited for new support

Dear Apple watch,
Yes, I know that I am moving less than I used to (as are I suspect a number of your users). Please stop telling me every day, multiple times a day. I promise to get on the treadmill at some point.
Signed, Yes, I know I am not walking as much as normal.....there is a pandemic?

Dear University, 
I understand that the pandemic is causing an economic issue. But all of us our teaching our classes like we are supposed to. And many of us are writing new research proposals and still publishing articles. So, this furlough talk you have going on feels really hard, considering how many hours most of us are putting in. I understand why you will need to do it based on the projected shortfall. But, I also feel like I am working on my tailfeathers off here. Might we be able to acknowledge that as well?
Singed, Trying to keep calm and carry on, but would like some economic certainty 

[twinmomma]

Dear therapist,
Sorry I ghosted you when life got busy. Can I be back in your rotation?
Signed,
Losing my mind

Dear kids,
Oh my god. I cannot wait to see you and hug you. It's been too long to go without seeing you, especially while you were sick and all this mess was going on.
Signed,
Momma

[polecat8]

Dear CEO,
I don't know what I was expecting when I went in to our company town hall meeting, but a 15% pay cut was not expected.
It's going to hurt since I just got that much in a raise a year ago. But I do have enough in my budget to make it work.
Signed,
Grateful to have a pretty good job

P.S. Thanks for dropping some f-bombs during the meeting about how everyone should have a good headset for web meetings. You always know how to make me lol.

[mae0111]

Dear Kids -

I’m going to refer to our earlier conversation referenced in my letter above. When I ask for time, GIVE IT TO ME. Sometimes that time is in the form of a walk around the block a few times to clear my head and get me ready for the rest of the day. So when I say I will go by myself, I mean that I will go BY MYSELF and WITHOUT OTHER PEOPLE. I don’t want to be rude, but no, you can’t come. I would be happy to go on a second walk with you, immediately following my first walk, but no, you can’t come on my first walk.

This also means that you can’t chase me down on your bike, yell after me to come and play basketball, or roll alongside me on your scooters.

I’m hanging on to my sanity by the thinnest of threads. Please, for the love of God, let me hang onto it by allowing me 30 minutes of activity in the fresh spring air, ALONE.

Love,

Your nearly-insane mother

[mellym]

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you for asking about my neck when you noticed I was in a lot of pain last night and then telling me to call the chiropractor. I don't know why I assumed they were closed. Doc said I'm in pretty bad shape and will need to keep coming and do traction again.

Love, mellym

Dear Pandemic,

Thank you for making me recognize the benefits of facetime with my parents. It's so fun to see them again and watch them interact with our kids. Also, give me medical advice.

I'm not sure why I didn't do this more often before....?

[twinmomma]

Dear WPs,
Beau is here again, doing more chores. He has apparently decided I am barely hanging on by a thread (he is not wrong) and is taking it upon himself to get my house in order since he has the time to do it with the restaurant closed right now. He just picked up the playroom, replaced a toilet pump, and is now vacuuming... Is this what it's like when your partner is... a partner? This is wild.
Signed,
Found a keeper

[186momx]

Dear mae0111,
I 1000% agree with you that even 15 minutes of pure alone time is a blessing. I have a very similar open letter but it is to DH and not to DD and the dog. That man seems to be more need each night. Its come look at this, why are you laying in bed reading do this instead, how about this, should I paint this X or Y. Come on man I'm with DD all day once she goes to bed I want some damn alone time. He even was "checking up" on me because I was in the shower too long. Yes I was taking a long shower to avoid people.
Also craving alone time

[mae0111]

186momx - DH has promised to give me an hour every day for the past 2 weeks. In that time I’ve gotten... 1.5 hours. In 2 weeks. I’m inventing things to do just to get some time alone. On Friday, I need to drop off DD1’s school work to her teacher 25 mins away. I could combine that with a trip to my parents’. But I won’t.

I hope everyone gets the message soon.

[mellym]

mae0111, 186momx, are you introverts? This is an introvert's hell. There is nowhere to hide because everyone keeps finding me.

The same is probably true for extroverts but I'm an introvert.

[mae0111]

Apr 15, 2020 15:07:56 GMT -5 mellym said:

mae0111, 186momx, are you introverts? This is an introvert's hell. There is nowhere to hide because everyone keeps finding me.

The same is probably true for extroverts but I'm an introvert.

YES. I am very much an introvert. I live in a house full of extroverts. This is killing me. No one gets why I need to be alone.

ETA I successfully hid from my family for a full hour last week while talking to my introvert sister, who was simultaneously hiding from her family. I could see them, but they couldn’t see me. It was glorious. I felt a million times better afterwards.

[mustardseed2007]

Apr 15, 2020 14:48:59 GMT -5 twinmomma said:

Dear WPs,
Beau is here again, doing more chores. He has apparently decided I am barely hanging on by a thread (he is not wrong) and is taking it upon himself to get my house in order since he has the time to do it with the restaurant closed right now. He just picked up the playroom, replaced a toilet pump, and is now vacuuming... Is this what it's like when your partner is... a partner? This is wild.
Signed,
Found a keeper

I have dated some good guys and I have never dated anyone like this (nor did I marry anyone like this). 

So pretty much its time to get married. 

[mustardseed2007]

twinmomma, was he able to get loans or anything so that he can reopen in the future? Most of our markets have started allowing alcohol to go, which has helped tremendously. Not to be a total creep but since I work in that industry too I've thought about him and the crappy position he's in, poor guy. It's so incredibly unfair.

[waverly]

Apr 15, 2020 14:48:59 GMT -5 twinmomma said:

Dear WPs,
Beau is here again, doing more chores. He has apparently decided I am barely hanging on by a thread (he is not wrong) and is taking it upon himself to get my house in order since he has the time to do it with the restaurant closed right now. He just picked up the playroom, replaced a toilet pump, and is now vacuuming... Is this what it's like when your partner is... a partner? This is wild.
Signed,
Found a keeper

Yup this is DH and what it is like to have a partner. Of course he manages to still annoy me in other ways. I don’t think I would have lasted 2 seconds with a guy that does nothing. DH helps a lot, and I still lost it on him on the regular after wrestling myself and 2 toddler / baby kids dressed while he sits in the chair on his phone every morning. Thank goodness they dress themselves now!

[librarychica]

Apr 15, 2020 15:58:19 GMT -5 mustardseed2007 said:

Apr 15, 2020 14:48:59 GMT -5 twinmomma said:

Dear WPs,
Beau is here again, doing more chores. He has apparently decided I am barely hanging on by a thread (he is not wrong) and is taking it upon himself to get my house in order since he has the time to do it with the restaurant closed right now. He just picked up the playroom, replaced a toilet pump, and is now vacuuming... Is this what it's like when your partner is... a partner? This is wild.
Signed,
Found a keeper

I have dated some good guys and I have never dated anyone like this (nor did I marry anyone like this). 

So pretty much its time to get married. 

I did. I married him. It’s gone well. Do recommend.

[librarychica]

Dear WMs,

School from home was a complete and utter shit show today. I told y’all it was going well yesterday. I cursed myself.

Sincerely,
Wednesday, April 15 was evidently the day it fell apart

PS — I got an email saying specials modules (art, PE, etc) should be done on the assigned day of specials. A) I don’t know what day my kid had specials in the before time and I don’t care and B) if fewer than 30% of DD’s classmates parents have not suddenly found themselves without a regular paycheck I’ll eat this email so are y’all really lecturing them about the timing of their art submissions right now? Srsly?

[librarychica]

Also I am making chili while drinking wine. Running a science experiment here: how much Trolls can my kids watch before someone (them, me, the dog, someone, not H he has headphones on) snaps. Charts to follow.

[twinmomma]

Apr 15, 2020 16:02:17 GMT -5 mustardseed2007 said:

twinmomma, was he able to get loans or anything so that he can reopen in the future? Most of our markets have started allowing alcohol to go, which has helped tremendously. Not to be a total creep but since I work in that industry too I've thought about him and the crappy position he's in, poor guy. It's so incredibly unfair.

Things are looking ok right now. He got some loans and his landlord gave the whole building two months off from rent (to be paid back when things pick up again). He also got approved to do grocery delivery in town so he can get basic staples from his suppliers like meat, eggs, milk, produce, and sell all the bottles of wine they have in stock with it. It was a perfect way for them to do the "take out alcohol" thing! And it's building great good will in the community already. So hopefully that translates to customers when they reopen. Plus, he can pay his bartenders a little to do that work for him. It was a rough month and he still refuses to collect a paycheck until his people get some money so he's broke, but he's holding on and things are looking up as of this week.

[186momx]

mellym, yep an introvert that uses all my patience on my clients. I really need that down time now more than ever. DD is also an introvert and we walk in most days and go to separate sides of the house for 10-15 minutes before talking to each other. This was at least how it was when I would pick her up in the afternoons. Right now I send her to run around the block and make DH go out and supervise when I get home so I can prep dinner in quiet for 5 minutes.

twinmomma, I "heart" beau.

[twinmomma]

librarychica mustardseed2007 waverly
Marriage material: Noted haha

Honestly, we have talked a lot about moving in together. I was feeling like this summer would be good for that and the kids were getting along so well. We'll have been together for a year by then.

But now things are so weird - the kids don't get to spend any time together anymore to get used to each other, we don't get to see each other's families or friends which is really important to both of us... So it kind of feels like we ended up in this weird pause due to quarantine. It's a strange time to be trying to build a relationship and blend families.

[sdlaura]

twinmomma, he sounds awesome, though I will note that my DH was much more likely to go above and beyond pre-marriage He's still pretty great now, but doesn't go out of his way quite as much!

[twinmomma]

Apr 15, 2020 17:33:23 GMT -5 sdlaura said:

twinmomma, he sounds awesome, though I will note that my DH was much more likely to go above and beyond pre-marriage He's still pretty great now, but doesn't go out of his way quite as much!

Oh I have no illusions about that hahaha

[xctsclrx]

twinmomma, yes that is what a partner is like. DH does that kind of stuff all the time. I'd keep him around. As for the moving in thing. eh, I might wait until after Christmas assuming things go back to normal during the summer. Or at least normalish. That way you have six months of normal and kids getting to know each other again and a chance to meet/get to know families before making that commitment. Just my thoughts on it.

[campermom]

xctsclrx how are you doing these days?

[mustardseed2007]

Apr 15, 2020 17:22:58 GMT -5 twinmomma said:

Apr 15, 2020 16:02:17 GMT -5 mustardseed2007 said:

twinmomma, was he able to get loans or anything so that he can reopen in the future? Most of our markets have started allowing alcohol to go, which has helped tremendously. Not to be a total creep but since I work in that industry too I've thought about him and the crappy position he's in, poor guy. It's so incredibly unfair.

Things are looking ok right now. He got some loans and his landlord gave the whole building two months off from rent (to be paid back when things pick up again). He also got approved to do grocery delivery in town so he can get basic staples from his suppliers like meat, eggs, milk, produce, and sell all the bottles of wine they have in stock with it. It was a perfect way for them to do the "take out alcohol" thing! And it's building great good will in the community already. So hopefully that translates to customers when they reopen. Plus, he can pay his bartenders a little to do that work for him. It was a rough month and he still refuses to collect a paycheck until his people get some money so he's broke, but he's holding on and things are looking up as of this week.

I’m sooooo glad he is able to get a little business. I know it’s just bandaid money, that’s what we have too. But it actually will help people know who he is, like you said, so that’s a big plus. I’m rooting for him!!