I feel like I'm winning at both Mom-ing and Christmas-ing.
Somehow I managed to get my kids to address, stamp, and seal all of our Christmas cards. Sure, some names are spelled oddly (I tried to fix these after the fact), the addresses are off-center, and the return address stamp is sideways on at least one envelope....but they are done! Can't believe I crossed these off of my list so easily!
Post by Patsy Baloney on Dec 16, 2022 8:33:13 GMT -5
We’re going to try to see Santa this weekend. I dunno. We have been so sick. I feel bad for the old guy rolling up with the remnants of influenza A rattling our bones. We may just write him a nice letter and call it a day.
My daughter is part of her school’s student council. They sponsored a school-wide project for kids to bring in pictures and posters of their family’s traditions. My kid made a poster of our gingerbread houses throughout the years, since we make what the kids draw as blueprints year-to-year. That made me happy! I didn’t even realize we’d been doing it for so long. Go us! Good memories!
Post by underwaterrhymes on Dec 16, 2022 8:40:12 GMT -5
I was patting myself on the back for getting all 18 of the teacher gift cards into backpacks this morning when my youngest had my H call from the car to remind me K has before care and N has after care teachers we need to buy for. 🤦🏻♀️
I’m watching episode 4 of H&M and I am sitting here crying remembering my ILs antics at our wedding and the year after. It was so hard and I was so depressed and DH was trying so hard to figure out what to do.
I really truly hate them.
I’ll never forget MIL didn’t get us a wedding gift AND complained about the cost of the rehearsal dinner after offering to host and then a month later gave BIL a very expensive 1st anniversary gift.
I bought a hideous coat at the end of last year for about 90% off. It’s full-length, puffy with a belt, and bright red. I finally got to try it out in the driving rain, wind and cold last night.
ITS AWESOME! I’m so excited to be warm and dry this winter when I walk the dog.
I’m also dreading this week at work. People are hysterical and rude. Between now and the week after Christmas- pray for me.
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Dec 16, 2022 8:45:08 GMT -5
ETA I had to add a picture because I love it so much
My book club had our holiday get together last night, and one of the members made ornaments for all of us where she used a cricut machine to make little miniatures of all of the books that we've read over the years (and it's been over 7 years for most of us at this point) and put them all in a clear ornament with the name of our club (Book It, as a throwback to the Pizza Hut reading program we grew up on in the 90's and loved), and it is just the coolest thing ever and I love it so much and I can't get over it. I seriously think it is my favorite gift that I have ever gotten.
After today, I'm off until Jan 3. OMG, I cannot wait. I'll check email here and there but there is zero expectation of me actually doing anything. I'm teleworking today, and basically just trying to knock off some easy training and CL point requests.
We've got a lot going on this weekend (all fun stuff at least), and then no commitments next week either. It's going to be amazing.
expectantsteelerfan, that is so cute!! I have great admiration for crafty people because that is not in my wheelhouse (like AT ALL) and am often in awe of the things people make!
There is a person on campus who makes ornaments and makes the rounds delivering them and it's so awesome! She's done a series of clear ones with negative photos of campus buildings and locations and so far I have the building where H and I had our wedding reception, the first building I worked in, the building where kid went to daycare for 5 years, my current building and then this year I got the dam of the river that flows through the middle of campus (recently the dam was removed which makes it cooler) and I love to line them up on my tree!
DD came home on Wednesday with a Christmas card from her favorite teacher. He wrote personalized notes for all of his students. I do not know where he found time to do that because he must have at least 150 students. Anyways the note he wrote her must be one of the nicest things I have ever read. He thanked her for signing up for advanced science and said she is the one of the most well-rounded students he's ever had and really appreciates the humor and hard work work she always brings to class. He also said he admires the way she always helps her friends. DD tried to shrug it off like it didn't mean anything to her but I found the card this morning by her bed where she keeps all her important memos. I'm so grateful DD has a teacher this year she feels 100% herself with.
Anyway. Last day of school before break! Who is more excited? Teachers? Students? Parents? I think yes. I can't wait. Maybe I'll finally feel more in the Christmas spirit.
Had another virtual job interview yesterday that went ok. It was much better than the group interview shebang a couple of weeks ago (which I have not heard back about yet but the job doesn’t start until the end of January AND I’m still kind of meh on them). It was a one on one with the hiring manager and good practice for me no matter what.
Why can’t I just be a rich bitch and not have to worry about these things?
It feels nice to have a quiet house again. H and DS were both here yesterday because school was a virtual day due to weather. Between listening to H in meetings and having to facilitate DS completing his online work, plus do my own work, it seemed like a long day. Our district had a 3 hour delay today but H took DS into before care on his way to work around 8, so all is calm now. I took a half day to just tie up some holiday odds and ends, so that will be great to be done at 12!
Tonight we're celebrating a friend's birthday with two other couples. Friend's husband is driving, and we're going to dinner and a couple fun cocktail bars in one of my favorite small towns about 45 min away. I am excited.
Well, no signs of illness here yet, so I feel like we are in the clear from Typhoid Mary we sat next to at the funeral Tuesday.
Finalizing menus for next week and doing some online clothing shopping for the kids who won't stop getting taller and streaming The Family Stone again.
Post by karinothing on Dec 16, 2022 9:02:07 GMT -5
DS1 had his psychoeducational assessment last week so now we just wait. I feel so lost lately. I just wish I just wish i could help him. His teacher contacted me and he is basically just not doing anything in school. He doesn't argue or scream. He just gets quiet and doesn't do the work. He has been shutting down outside of school and I never know what is wrong and just feel like I am failing as a parent. He is hurting and I am hurting, and I just feel in deep in my chest and it sucks.
I got a verbal offer for a job last night and expect the written offer this morning! It's a 10% raise and I will be developing and building systems which is what I love. I've been unhappy in my current role for a long time and learned yesterday I am getting more stuff dumped on me so it is a great time to leave.
I have fucking covid. I have done so many high risk things and avoided it. But the week before Christmas when I have a ton of fun plans I get it. 🤬 I know I am not unique and so many people are dealing with illness. I am just feeling sorry for myself this morning. I have what feels like a cold. Hopefully it stays this way.
I am going to fill the void by manically baking. And watching Hallmark movies.
Post by maudefindlay on Dec 16, 2022 9:12:40 GMT -5
karinothing I hope the assessment leads to a plan that works for your son. The waiting has to be hard, but you have the ball rolling towards help. Is his pediatrician involved in all of this? If not maybe there is something they can offer to help.
Congrats, sunnysally! It is such a relief to leave a job when you know that something bad is coming. At my last job, they floated a very, very dumb re-org that would have led to me quitting down the line. An hour later, I got my verbal offer. It made accepting the new job a very easy choice!
My mom texted me yesterday about Christmas and it basically sent me on a bad spiral about my family all day. I'm realizing that I would probably benefit from working through some of my family shit with a professional.
In happier news, I am way more organized about Christmas than I have ever been before in my life. I picked up the final teacher gifts last night. Most things are wrapped. Cards were sent directly from the printer, but I do have a couple extras I want to send out today that weren't on the original list.
I also was EXTREMELY generous with gifts for myself this year. It will be my best Christmas yet LOL.
karinothing I hope the assessment leads to a plan that works for your son. The waiting has to be hard, but you have the ball rolling towards help. Is his pediatrician involved in all of this? If not maybe there is something they can offer to help.
Thanks. Pediatrician is not really involved. I was kind of waiting until the assessment before talking to the pedi. 1) because they are very overwhelmed right now with sick visits and 2) because I brought it up for the first time at our last well visit and it he seemed kind of dismissive? I don't know. It is tough because DS2 is like a wonderful social and engaged kid until he is not. And the pedi has never seen the not I guess. I don't know, but I am going to check with him after the assessment results.
I’m doing this online market research and it’s been a pain. It’s for one of the very small niches I work in and I initially ignored the emails but I bet it was hard to fill and they contacted me again.
Anyway! It pays $600 for like an hour of answering questions but the page is buggy and I have to keep re-recording some answers.
They also keep calling me at random times to remind me to do it. Or to say one question didn’t load, that they have follow ups. Just email it? Put it in the form I’m supposed to check every day for follow ups?
The whole angle they kept pushing was that it was all online and that I could spread it out over 3 days. That does not mean call me multiple times a day when I’m doing other work. Which they know is largely hands on and why they wanted me for the market research! Today is the third day so nothing was an emergency on Wednesday that they had to call me 4 times about it.
I’m sure people don’t follow the instructions or flake but I wasn’t and completed it all early. Adjust your approach!
Post by blondemoment123 on Dec 16, 2022 9:37:25 GMT -5
I got all the teacher gifts together and dropped off this morning. I still need to drop off the gifts at DS's therapy center, but I'll worry about that next week.
I haven't wrapped a single gift, though. We had a close call this morning when we had to run back inside for something and H was in the spare room (where the gifts are hidden) with the door wide open.
expectantsteelerfan - I've seen people on TikTok making ornaments like that and I'd love to do that yearly for the books I read, but man, it looks like it takes so long! That's awesome that she did that for you all
I am so checked out of work for the year lol and yet people keep insist on having meetings, why?
Tomorrow night we have dinner with our supper club friends at one couple's new house and then after dinner they have other friends coming for a holiday/house warming party. I hate everything in my closet and so I last minute ordered a sweater dress from LOFT for pickup so I'm going to go pick that up this afternoon and hope I like it.
I need one more "favorite thing" gift for my sister in law, I got her two books I love and a mini Drunk Elephant baby facial, but I feel like I need a third "thing" to really make a theme lol I can't do a candle because she and I both love this candle shop that's right across the street from her house.
We had a new roof put on the week after Thanksgiving. So recent, we just got the final invoice this week and haven’t paid yet. Yesterday, it rained all day. H just happened to be in the attic doing some work, and noticed water dripping down the chimney where is goes through the roof. An area we had seen leaks before and specifically told them about so they could redo the flashing and whatever else.
I called the roofers to let them know, with a joke about it’s a good day to test a roof. They weren’t working bc of the weather, and we’re out Christmas shopping. But they actually came right over with the whole family, tarped up the chimney, and will be back today to fix it (something about caulk not curing). I guess this late in the season is a gamble, but while it tends to be cold, it has been weird that it’s been under 60 for two weeks straight. This time of year we typically have warm days mixed in.
We're supposed to go to my parents for Xmas, leave DS2 and the dog there and then leave straight from there to ski for 3 days with DS1. I need to pack early and in an organized way because that's a lot of shit I can't forget. Which is fine except 1 positive Covid test from the boys and it's all cancelled so it's kind of hard to motivate myself to pack.
I finally got DH to sit down with a calendar and commit to when we could rescheduling skiing for so I feel at least a litttle bit better now knowing what our plan B will be. Before he kept saying "I'm not there yet. That won't happen" which is a PITA because it very much could be our situation! I'm still spreading covid germs all around the house (in a KN95).
I'm sitting at the tire shop waiting on a patch for my tire. H scolded me for "forgetting" my laptop. It would have made sense to bring it, but I've really been enjoying just sitting here and staring into the middle distance.
I'm tired and down. Not feeling sick anymore at least. But I very rarely get to just sit and not do anything. This is nice.
Oh and in the dog licking saga, vet 3 says she is confident it’s not allergies. If it were all the things we’ve tried would have shown some change and her paws aren’t red or show any irritation.
So she thinks it’s calming anxiety related behavior. We’re trying 10 days of trazodone low dose 2x a day because she says it works quickly and only have a 12 hour time lapse in the body.
Last night she barely licked. If this is the cure, I will take it.
She did say, if it doesn’t work, then we can allergy test, but she didn’t want us to spend $500 on a maybe, which I appreciated. It was nice to have someone just review everything and listen.
Two of my former students are graduating from college today. One was a kid I had in Kindergarten who was SO shy… he is now an opera singer. The other is a kid I taught in 5th grade and he is the first in his family to go to college. I am just so damn proud of them and excited for everything they’ve already accomplished.