Twerks and DDots

[waverly]

Posting because I have a DDot; I can't think of any updates right now. 


DDOT:  I am hosting our pod over for DS's birthday.  Our pod is basically just 1 other family and their 2 kids, and only the kids are coming. So it is basically just a playdate with cupcakes and some extras. 


I was going to pick up chocolate cupcakes (birthday boy request).  I wanted to pick up something for them to do outside.  Any suggestions?  I looked for sidewalk chalk and couldn't find any at Target, maybe it is the wrong season.  I don't want to go back to Target, so I was hoping something I could find at the Grocery, Dollar store or Walgreens.  We did silly string at a playdate and that was a hit except that I then had to pick it up. 

I don't think water balloons were that great.  They were the ones on the plastic strings/ pipes and they were tiny and broke way too easily.  I could set up the slip n slide since it will be like 80, but they are already going to scooter and play basketball, so I think I would rather just keep it that way.  Plus I can't put it in the backyard since DH put down new grass there, and I think the front yard would look weird.  I've already done the pool/ slip n slide playdate twice, but maybe......   Since it wasn't them that used the slip n slide before. 

But something in those kinds of categories....  And maybe something for them to take home that is not junk/ not party favor....  He will be 10, so bubbles are probably a bit juvenile.  The other boy is 9, and his sister and the other girl are both 7.  The girls both like crafty type stuff. They would be happy with a simple craft kit outside. 

[sandandsea]

What about making an obstacle course. Jump over something, go between things, circles around a bat, etc or a scavenger hunt with goody bag prizes at the end?

[sandandsea]

Ddot. Both boys got vaccinations yesterday and got mild fevers as a result (normal reaction for both of them) and have sore arms today. Any other time I’d give them Tylenol and send them to school. This year it means they are home with me today because I’m not chancing a fever at fake school and being home for 2 weeks plus a Covid test. It sucks and is also proving that it’s absolutely impossible to monitor distance learning while working full time.

[campermom]

PDQ: Ommmggg my roller coaster continues.

[waverly]

campermom, Yikes (my word for 2020). I would talk to HR and ignore the leader. Obviously they are not much of a leader if they deny this because you aren't in the teachers union. I mean wouldn't they rather have their employees working then on leave? Also I would talk to whoever is running it and just bring my kids.

Let the terrible leader walk down there and tell your kids no and that you have to go home due to childcare. If they do, then continue your application for FFCRA.

[mae0111]

waverly - could you find a cheap cornhole game? My kids love cornhole. Also Kanjam, ladderball, washer toss.

[mae0111]

campermom - that level of uncertainty about anything in life would have me in tears, let alone something so big. I agree - I would go to HR to see what you can work out. What a mess.

[traveltheworld]

My DDOT: cases are rising rapidly in our area and my anxiety level is spiking. I feel like of everything we do, the kids' hockey is probably the most problematic. When the kids are on the bench/ice, they are so closed together and yelling/cheering all the time. But if I pull the kids, DS would be devastated. He worked really hard last season and through hockey camp in the summer so that he could get into a high tier (which he did). And it's the one place where he gets to feel more normal and like the other boys, so socially it's really good for him.

[twinmomma]

I'm disappointed in the quote we got from the realtor today for my house. It seems really low compared to the comps she sent, so I'm really curious as to why. I need to call her and discuss in more detail. I'm also just feeling frustrated that I had to buy out exH, which means I lost a ton of the equity we had in the house during the divorce. Trying not to dwell on that, since it had to be done. But it's so frustrating to think about how much I gave him. Based on these numbers she sent over, I wouldn't make enough profit to pay in my portion of the down payment that beau and I have discussed. It was not the layer of stress I needed on top of an already stressful week.

[mae0111]

twinmomma - definitely get details and talk to a few other realtors. Maybe it’s her strategy to price low and create a bidding war? That’s what our realtor did several years ago - in a bad market she priced low because we wanted to sell, but we ended up with a bidding war and sold for $10k over asking.

[186momx]

twinmomma, if what she says doesn't make sense get a 2nd and 3rd opinion not all relators are the same

DD told her teacher after class today that she was bored out of her mind during class. Her teacher asked in what and DD said everything. Her teacher didn't sound thrilled but said she would try to find her some extra work over the weekend to do next week. Um extra work to do isn't going to help her not be bored during live class time.

[waverly]

Youth services was giving away a bunch of extra stuff, so I got frisbees and stress balls and a ton of star wars crafts (not too crafty for the boys) and more crafty type stuff for the girls. I need to google what one was because I never heard of it. Basically a tiny jump rope? No idea.

[k3am]

TWERK: DH and I had a talk about school. He is apparently not at all receptive to the idea of moving her to private if they decide not to return to class after winter break. He's agreed that based on what we've seen this week, we need to have a discussion with the principal and/or teacher, and decide if we should switch her class. We're probably going to try to pick our neighbors brain about it (teacher in our district and parent of a student in our class) and see what she recommends.

[xctsclrx]

My update:

My H might finally be home tomorrow!!! I'm a little nervous. Is that normal?

[campermom]

Oct 8, 2020 18:21:44 GMT -5 xctsclrx said:

My update:

My H might finally be home tomorrow!!! I'm a little nervous. Is that normal?

I was JUST going to ask you this!!!!! He isn’t going to recognize you!!

[xctsclrx]

Oct 8, 2020 18:55:18 GMT -5 campermom said:

Oct 8, 2020 18:21:44 GMT -5 xctsclrx said:

My update:

My H might finally be home tomorrow!!! I'm a little nervous. Is that normal?

I was JUST going to ask you this!!!!! He isn’t going to recognize you!!

I've been sending progress pictures, buy I'm excited to show off to him. I was able to fit in my wedding dress again and I was stoked!!!

[vasc]

waverly Nerf gun party? Laser tag using those at-home laser tag games?

[shakinros]

I signed up for the school district’s free lunch pickup for kids this week. It’s been going since April (free for anyone, not just kids who typically qualify for free/reduced lunch). OMG. I’m so sorry I didn’t do this sooner. We got a half gallon of milk, a head of romaine, tomatoes, carrots, a cucumber, yogurt, mini chocolate milks, two individual containers of Apple Jacks, and those old-school fruit punches that come in a foil covered cup (like applesauce). Plus frozen meat products and some junk we probably won’t eat. It so exceeded my expectations!

[k3am]

Oct 8, 2020 18:21:44 GMT -5 xctsclrx said:

My update:

My H might finally be home tomorrow!!! I'm a little nervous. Is that normal?

Best news ever! I’m excited for you!

[mae0111]

We spent much of today meeting with window companies. Our windows are over 30 years old. They’re casements and barely open, the seals are gone, drafts everywhere once winter hits.

First company came in right where we thought they would. Second company was more expensive, which, again, we expected. The third company came in at... $120,000. ONE HUNDRED TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. For Windows. That are apparently encased in platinum and encrusted in diamonds.

[campermom]

Oct 8, 2020 13:08:52 GMT -5 campermom said:

PDQ:

Ommmggg my roller coaster continues.

[twinmomma]

mae0111, 186momx, After talking with her more last night, her quote makes sense. She showed me a bunch of comps that are on the market or pending, but only used the actual sales prices for houses that have sold to create the range for my comp. There's a house directly across the street from me and another around the corner that are perfect comps and are currently pending, so they don't factor into her automated formula. But the prices on those are definitely what we'd be listing for and more in line with what I expected. Basically, her automatic reporting math made it look much worse than it is.

[mae0111]

campermom - wow. So crazy that it took MONTHS to settle this, but I’m glad that you got a good result.

twinmomma - so are you going with her recommended price? It was she open to changing it based on the comps near you?

[twinmomma]

mae0111, We're upping the price to be in line with what is currently pending on the market. Her quote was based on an automated calculation that only uses houses that have actually sold, not current pending prices, which is why it seemed so low. When we talked it through on the phone, she said she would never expect to actually list it that low, given what she's seeing on the market right now. My neighborhood used to be seasonal homes that have all been changed to year round over time, so they're funky lots and quirky small houses that tend to stay in a family for decades, so there's not a lot of comps to choose from that have actually sold. The couple that are pending right now are going for the higher price point, so that's where she'd put me too.

[k3am]

Twerk: DH wants to wait a week before approaching the teacher or principal. Le sigh.

[k3am]

Twerk: DH wants to wait a week before approaching the teacher or principal. Le sigh.

[mustardseed2007]

campermom, what a weird process but it at least sounds like they gave you a workable solution?

Gosh way to do this in the most difficult way possible!!

[twinmomma]

Oct 8, 2020 20:35:51 GMT -5 shakinros said:

I signed up for the school district’s free lunch pickup for kids this week. It’s been going since April (free for anyone, not just kids who typically qualify for free/reduced lunch). OMG. I’m so sorry I didn’t do this sooner. We got a half gallon of milk, a head of romaine, tomatoes, carrots, a cucumber, yogurt, mini chocolate milks, two individual containers of Apple Jacks, and those old-school fruit punches that come in a foil covered cup (like applesauce). Plus frozen meat products and some junk we probably won’t eat. It so exceeded my expectations!

WHOA
We got the free breakfasts and lunches during remote learning last year and they were TERRIBLE. The school bus would drive around and drop them off to anyone who wanted them, which was great. But the food was not like this. Breakfast was literally pop tarts most days. One of the common lunches was a tiny baggy of tortilla chips and a small container of "taco meat" and cheese. Or a hot dog to microwave at home. It was like 3 bites of food. To meet the fruit and veggie requirements, we ended up getting bags of dried cranberries every day. Or we got a slice of tomato. As a veggie serving. They stopped sending milk after they used up what was already at the schools from the sudden shut down. It was embarrassing the food that they were putting together. 

[mrsGreeko]

Oct 8, 2020 18:21:44 GMT -5 xctsclrx said:

My update:

My H might finally be home tomorrow!!! I'm a little nervous. Is that normal?

Yay! Totally normal to have a wide range of emotions and they will probably continue through the reintegration process, which isn’t always all puppies and rainbows. All normal.

[mrsGreeko]

My 9th grader got exposed to covid at school on her second day of in person and now has to quarantine for 2 weeks. Meaning she’s not supposed to go out in public or see anyone. This sucks. The rest of us can go about our normal lives until she shows symptoms. Which sucks for her even more because it’s like a prison sentence for a 14 year old. They are using targeted quarantine based on seating charts per public health guidelines which is good in that it should limit the number of times we have to do this, but is not super in that because she got exposure notice it was probably relatively close exposure.