Please back off. Panama is one of our favorite spots and we plan to be there next summer. You crashed a lot of fall break vacations. Plus the people there are great, so I hope you don't create the havoc predicted.
Dear ropes coarse that the kids picked for today.
I am over 40 and don't like heights. Please don't hurt me. According to the kids, we need to participate. Dh is older than me.
Dear kids, "Divorced life is so much more fun and happy" is exactly what daddy and I needed to hear. Love you both so much. How did we get so lucky? Love, Momma
Dear self, Pace yourself. Your evenings are jumping between "I meal prepped, did laundry, ran errands, and cleaned the entire house" and "I just... can't. I'm going to bed at 8 PM with the kids." Maybe try to find some balance and make yourself a loose schedule for the week? Signed, Me
I had the same experience. Not sure this will happen to you, but as things went on, the number of days of "I just can't" increased the longer the divorce went on. I'd say go with the flow. If you have energy, take advantage. And don't beat yourself up on the days you can't.
Sincerely, me
Dear work,
You tell me I need visibility for a promotion, you invite me to take part in a trip to the mothership to get visibility; then I walk into a meeting yesterday where the two childless guys you promoted over the 3 young mothers are presenting on their trip to the mothership. I just worked 60 hrs a week for months for you on a project that got me no closer to a promotion. THIS would have gotten me a promotion (assuming you weren't lying to me - b/c don't forget "visibility" isn't on the job description). You have me thinking hard about quitting.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Oct 10, 2018 8:48:31 GMT -5
Dear Work,
You've got me in a groove of working on these complicated, interesting but also very expensive projects. I hope you know what you're doing b/c these look risky to me.
Signed, Who am I but...yeah.
Dear Disney,
I might have been a tad late this morning because I could not stop watching the Doc McStuffin/Winnie The Pooh Crossover. That was really funny!!
Dear cheap/boutique attorney I use for almost everything,
I love you for so many reasons. But I also love the full service firm I use for one off deals that costs twice the amount but makes my life SO much easier. How do we find a happy medium?
I’m so glad to hear that about your girls. I was going to ask in tomorrow’s TWERKS how they’re coping with everything.
- Shakinros
Dear H,
Do not make enemies of the school staff. Do not. You’ve already sassed the school secretary for no good reason. She may have been snippy with you, but hey, pick up our kid at the appointed time and that won’t happen. This morning you backtalked the principal. I don’t like what you’re modeling for DD. And newsflash: our next 5yrs at this school can be made infinitely more difficult or easier(!) based on how the staff feels about us.
Dear Back to School night The 30 minute spiel the principle made could have been cut into 15 minutes if she didn't have to be repeated in Spanish after every sentence. Also Mrs. Principle you lost the entire crowds attention within the first 5 minutes. Maybe it would be better to have everyone meet in their kids classes at X time and let the teachers remind us why attendance and reading are important instead. Me who zone out after 5 minutes
Dear DH I'm glad you are excited about going camping this weekend but you are doing no prep work. You want to leave Thursday as soon as you get home but you have done nothing so far. Telling me we can do it tonight after DD goes to bed doesn't sound fun. Why can't we leave Friday actually get to drive in the daylight hours and set up in the daylight hours and have time to load and make sure we got everything? Me who is having major camping stress
Dear Oregon Coast I want good weather with little wind. If I have to put up with camping I want lovely beach walking to compensate for the camping stress. Me
Dear School, I think it’s super weird that gifted placements are being made before gifted testing results are in. It made it harder for me to write a summary as I shamelessly lift from the cogat profile.
Lazy mom
Dear Ortho, I am super relieved that DD’s issue is muscular instead of structural. But I’m gobsmacked that it’s been 2.5 months with zero improvement and this can just happen. Also, saying genetics would be the next step but not saying yes or no do it annoys me no end. DD is a series of unrelated medical challenges and that might be an “it is what it is”. But it might not be. The people with MD after their names need to tell me, the person who is exhausted from being an advocate and overwhelmed by trying to figure out something so nebulous, wth to do.
Mom who really just need An Answer and A Solution, please
Post by justcheckingin73 on Oct 10, 2018 13:13:25 GMT -5
186momx , I absolutely love our Principal. He’s an amazing guy, plays with the kids and keeps them in line, however he’s a talker. This is my 10th year at this school and my 10th curriculum night. I think I’ve skipped the last 3 or 4 of his talks. I go straight to the classroom at the allotted time. The teacher will tell me what I need to know.
Dear tile guys,
Speaking of talkers...I appreciate the “getting to know you” chit chat but I don’t need to know about your other house and your brand of microwave or that you talked your wife out of getting the tile I got because it wasn’t a rectangle. I’m sure you could do everything in one day if it were straight lines but I don’t like those. Plus that’s your job. If they were subway tiles, I could probably do it (maybe not but just go with me).
Dear Aftercare, Lice happens. You obviously don't care about CDC guidelines, as you will not allow kids with dead nits to come back. I think that it is interesting that you hired a professional lice checking company to check the kids everyday. I appreciate that I don't have to check DS's hair, and he likes the cool bracelet that he got for "passing". For an unorganized place, lice seems to be your hill to die on. Also, why was no one in the office at 5:00pm yesterday? When someone is supposed to be there until 5:30pm? Mom who appreciates that you bus from the school
Dear cub scouts, Why does each child have to have their own adult come to each meeting? If this is the rule then 3 year old DD will keep coming when one of us has to travel. Also, if it is raining and lightning outside, we can't have the meeting outside, and you need to make a call (looking at you brand new leader). Signed, Ready to be done, and its just started
1. Where should we go for Thanksgiving Break? Kids are off the entire week. We could go somewhere early in the week and be back for Thanksgiving if we are celebrating with family (I don't know plans yet). So far suggestions have been Nashville/ Mammoth Cave or NYC. Other suggestions? We are just looking for someplace to get out. I favor places we haven't been before. I don't know DH's criteria. Anywhere that Southwest flies.
2. DS just turned 8- yay. I swear I posted this, but couldn't find it in search. I want to teach him to be home by himself and do a trial run. Any suggestions for getting started? Also, would you wait a while? I mean it was only July when he swallowed a dollar and had to be rushed to ER. So perhaps he is a bit immature? But he is mostly a rule follower and cautious, so that helps. My trial run would be 15 minutes max, and just him by himself, I wouldn't leave his sister with him until I don't know what age...
Post by justcheckingin73 on Oct 10, 2018 14:04:15 GMT -5
waverly, I just left my 8 year old DS when I dropped DD at a friends house. The poor kid gets dragged everywhere and it was the middle of the day and I thought we could try it.
The funny thing is, as much as he wants his independence, he’s an anxious little guy and stayed in his room the whole time with his door locked.
With your DS, honestly the fact that he just swallowed a coin would give me pause (but I also have a huge fear of choking) but you know him best.
A quick trip trip to the store or something that is nearby your house would be a good trial.
Post by covergirl82 on Oct 10, 2018 14:06:35 GMT -5
waverly, we are at the same place with DS, who turned 9 in July. We happened to have a situation come up where now the kids each have a cell phone (DH's phone is no longer covered by work, so he and I got new phones with a BOGO deal and gave our old phones to the kids), so now I feel more comfortable with DS being home alone and having an easy way to get ahold of us. We're going to start with leaving him home to take a quick trip to the gas station (1/4 mile away) or other equally short trip. He's not a kid who gets into stuff, so I feel comfortable starting to try and leave him home for a short time.
We do have a home phone. The coin swallowing thing definitely derailed my plans and made me wonder, just not sure how many months/ years to wait because of that justcheckingin73. DS has a little anxiety, but not that much; he would definitely spend that time on the TV.
My 11 won’t stay home alone unless she is in her room with her iPad to watch a show. Her sister was totally fine at the same age. I suspect DS will also be fine well before then.
I’d ask him - and run him through scenarios - doorbell, delivery (we have told the kids to leave packages on the porch for us to collect), Fire, food (no cooking for the younger ones, no excessive snacks), dogs, phone (practice 911 dialing), friends (nope) and cleaning up.
waverly, could you just start with leaving him home while you walk around the block 2 times and see how he does? Magic age in my state is 10 and DD can't wait. I leave her in the house alone to walk and get the mail or chat out front with the neighbors and she is fine as long as I tell her what I'm doing before hand. I've also started letting her walk by herself from the start of school grounds into the building. She has to walk the width of a soccer field and baseball diamond before the school. I stay and watch her walk all the way to the building before I turn around and it has been the perfect happy compromise.
Not an open letter, but - related to the staying home alone discussion - DD is 6 and in 1st grade and has been asking since the start of K if she can walk to school alone. We live probably 10-12 houses from the school, but I can't see the school from our house because of a curve. She'd be on the sidewalk the whole time except for crossing the street in front of the school with a crossing guard. There are lots of other families walking up the street at that time. It would make my mornings way easier to not have to bring my two younger boys with us everyday to walk her.
Would you let a kid that young walk? If so, what would you do to prepare her? We've been talking about how she'd never, ever go in anyone's house or get in anyone's car - just straight to the school. Also, how bad would other parents judge me if I let her?
Dear Woman Who Has Dry Shampoo in the Ladies Room at Work:
I have no idea who you are, but I’m curious as to why you would need to dry shampoo yourself at work. If it’s because you work out, wouldn’t it be in your gym bag? I mean, really. How oily can your hair get?
Not an open letter, but - related to the staying home alone discussion - DD is 6 and in 1st grade and has been asking since the start of K if she can walk to school alone. We live probably 10-12 houses from the school, but I can't see the school from our house because of a curve. She'd be on the sidewalk the whole time except for crossing the street in front of the school with a crossing guard. There are lots of other families walking up the street at that time. It would make my mornings way easier to not have to bring my two younger boys with us everyday to walk her.
Would you let a kid that young walk? If so, what would you do to prepare her? We've been talking about how she'd never, ever go in anyone's house or get in anyone's car - just straight to the school. Also, how bad would other parents judge me if I let her?
If everyone walks I wouldn’t judge. Could you try walking her halfway or to the point where you could watch her go into the school? See how that goes for a few weeks and then decide? Maybe introduce her to the crossing guard and let her know she is going to try it semi in her own.
I might not have with DS but that is because he is more immature and oblivious and didn’t start crossing the street without looking until he was 7 with 10 billion reminders. But if we were closer I would have considered it for last year- first grade but 7 years old. I think our neighbor kids might walk 2 blocks to their in home daycare. I’m not for sure as maybe she has an older child walk with them which might be another idea. Find a walking buddy?
Thanks waverly! Those are great ideas to go halfway up the street to where I can see her for a little while as a trial, and to make sure the crossing guard knows. I would also tell her teacher. We live in a neighborhood where most families have a stay-at-home/work-at-home parent and the weather is always nice, so a lot of the parents walk everyday, even with older kids who would be totally fine on their own. So we would be an outlier. But she is especially mature and independent for her age, and we live so close.
I hate what you have done to out family. My kids are stressed and I am so fing lonely. It did not help for me to find out you moved in with another woman. Married 26 years and within 3 weeks you are shacking up with someone else.
Post by ilovelucyvv on Oct 11, 2018 7:20:30 GMT -5
Dear K mom who invited DD to a Halloween party,
Thanks for the invite but honestly I am a little bit unsure of this whole situation. DD usually doesn't stay out until 9pm and as an early 5 I would consider her too young for a drop off. I guess its cute that you are referring to your house as a Haunted Mansion, but it was a little confusing at first. Should I bring something?
Unsure K Mom
PS: Is it typical fashion for the school secretary to email party invites?
Get it together. Stop being lazy when it comes to the kids. I know you hate your job, but please stop taking it out on us.
Love,
You loving wife.
Dear WP,
How do I help DH when he dreads getting up in the morning to go to work? He literally sits at work all day doing next to nothing because of some politics on the contract he is on. He is actively searching for a new job, but it might take awhile. He handles stress much better than boredom.