Monday again. Some celebrations and vents

[xctsclrx]

Back at work after the holidays. I took real time off this week and last. So many emails to get through. So many.

We are also start redoing our floors today eek. Getting rid of carpet and putting down 'hardwood' not really wood but something that looks like it.

I ended the year 63lbs down. I still need to take a picture, I gained 2lbs over the holidays which isn't too shabby

I am in a size eight jeans for the first time since I got pregnant the first time!!! So 6.5 years.

My 2021 fitness goal is to be able to do an unassisted pull up. I've never done one before so this is a big one for me.

[twinmomma]

xctsclrx, That's amazing! Your hard work totally blows my mind!

It's my "first day back" from the holidays too. I was supposed to have the day off to focus on juggling the random remote day that got thrown at us. But of course, everyone at work needs me for stuff so instead I'm triaging work problems while also juggling remote learning. Our internet is already dying a slow death with three kids on Zoom and me trying to connect to the VPN all at the same time.

[sdlaura]

I went back and forth to the YMCA not once, not twice, but three times this morning. First we forgot DS1’s backpack with iPad for distance learning. I had him log into his morning zoom from the car using my iPhone hotspot. Then I forgot the preschooler’s lunch. Thank goodness it’s only 10 minutes away and I don’t have any meetings till 11 am. I hope this isn’t a sign of how this year will go!

[k3am]

I'm really struggling with WFH. My set up is incredibly shitty. We upgraded our internet so that I could use my work laptop/VPN vs remote access on DH's desktop, but the laptop is so shitty that I can't connect an external monitor to it. NO ONE who works in finance can work with a single monitor. NO ONE. So I'm stuck in the remote system where hitting the esc button ruins everything and you can't use any keyboard commands like copy/paste. Add to that, there's just so many distractions, I'm just an abject failure.

DD's teacher finally got around to grading 3 of her assignment from early November. I imagine we'll get another 3 assignments graded in a couple months. Still no indication of when she's going to send the report card that we should have seen in November.

So clearly, starting 2021 off feeling like a winner. Clearly, remote work and distance learning are going to be a success!

[polecat8]

After two weeks off from work, Monday hit hard today.
We had a nice Christmas and New Year's celebration here. The kids mostly kept themselves entertained with their new toys.
I had a few anxiety related meltdowns since there was no work to keep my mind occupied. I did feel productive by forcing myself to do some planning for my class, which starts on Jan 19.
DD and DS1 are still remote for school this week and DS2 is still on break from preschool. DS2 will go back to preschool next week and with any luck, DD and DS1 will go back to hybrid too.

[186momx]

We got no internet at work and dealing with Comcast.
Welcome 2021!

[mae0111]

Kids are back at school after 2.5 weeks of vacation. I think they were ready. The morning was surprisingly smooth.

xctsclrx, You're such an inspiration with your weight loss. DH and I have put on a lot of weight over the past couple of years, so we started our new diet and exercise plan today. I hope I can stick with it. I think I can this time. I think that my mindset is right.

I'm waiting for a new contract from one of my clients, and a second potential client is working through some legal issues so said he would be in touch in a couple of weeks. Until then I'm in a bit of a holding pattern with work. DH's head is spinning. I wish I could help.

[twinmomma]

Mini celebration: My kids have had hand me down furniture their whole lives. Their unmatched dressers are super old and falling apart and they just have metal twin bed frames, no headboards or anything. I just got them new bedroom furniture on Wayfair's sale and I'm really excited for them! They'll each have a low loft bed with a dresser, bookshelf, and small rolling desk underneath. It's going to make their current bedroom so much more efficient with space and more functional for hanging out. I was going to wait and purchase new stuff in the new house, but this will make their room show so much better. And the housing market is killing us. One house in our price range has been listed in the last three weeks. I feel like we'll never find a place at this rate.

[sandandsea]

I read emails over my 2 week break but only responded to emergencies so I’m trying to clear my inbox today. For every email I clear I get 3 new ones.

We visited grandparents for Christmas so are doing our mandatory 10 day quarantine (with a negative test 5 days in) so DS2 is home from school this week. Ds1 “goes back” tomorrow but is all virtual anyway so it doesn’t change much since he’s always home anyway now.

We also decided to change ds’s tutoring program. He was hating the one we started at Thanksgiving that was reading and math so we’ve decided to just do reading there and are using outschool classes to supplement math.

So far this year, I’ve started running and have run 2 miles a day each day, grew out my nails and am trying to keep them nice, and started reading the New Testament with my church. I hope I can keep up all three now that we’re back to work and school.

[mommyatty]

Before I took off for break, my current company’s HR sent me a website to do an exit survey. I’m not doing an exit survey. Then I got an email invitation to a meeting to follow up in case they had questions about my exit survey. I declined and indicated I would not be filling out said survey so there was no need to follow up. Then they asked if I would be willing to answer questions outside the survey system. Good lord, people. I resigned after spending more than a quarter of my life at this company. You have literally never given a shit about my opinion. Just leave me alone to finish out my two weeks.

[186momx]

We got the internet up and working. Now I'm swamped, DD wants my attention, and clients are crawling out of the woodwork with really random stuff. I've had 3 phone calls today asking how long they need to keep tax returns and where the best place to shred documents is located.

I'm having a large glass of wine in 4 hours.

[waverly]

The power went out at work today, so yeah kicking off the new year perfectly.

It is back in now, but we didn’t know how long it would take so we already closed for the day.

[supertrooper1]

mommyatty, I wish I would have had an exit interview. I know it wouldn't have done much good, but I was ready to give them an earful as to why all the good people were leaving. I sat on a committee prior to leaving and spoke my mind, but they didn't want to see it. I think they knew me leaving meant things were really bad and knew I would tell them like it was.

[shakinros]

So many emails. So much brain fog. I worked all day but I’m not sure I got anything done and I don’t know if I worked on the right things. Is it the weekend yet???

DD has a new teacher. Her teacher retired at the end of December so today was the first day of the new person. Omg so much more school. DD’s class hasn’t had to log in for the afternoon session all year; it was ostensibly used for reading groups but DD’s reading group always seemed to happen in the morning. She hasn’t had homework all year. And now: BAM. First day back: School after lunch and homework. All kids on mute on zoom. No zoom backgrounds allowed. Daily reading log required. I know it will be an adjustment but I am v. happy.

[mommyatty]

supertrooper1- nothing good can come out of an exit interview where you’re leaving the job pissed off.

[k3am]

I did my exit interview. I know you’re supposed to just phone it in and check the boxes, but I was very honest and blunt. Also 99% sure that they’d never hire me again, which was.. good. I mean the cease and desist letter they sent me for “stealing client lists” from them solidified that. (It was.. my PERSONAL contact list, since they kept my cellphone. I had stripped out all client/prospect contacts from it.)

[mommyatty]

k3am- my current employer will be a client. So I can’t burn it down. And they would not like anything I have to say.

[waverly]

I overheard a very loud exit interview where the employee rightfully lambasted her supervisor for being a bully.

It did nothing. But when my boss came to me to talk about her next victim of harassment I finally got her fired. He had sooo many meetings with her staff and never did anything.

[k3am]

Vent: I emailed DDs teacher about not receiving her report card and asked her to resend. She “can’t find it in her email” and we should check ours... my guess is we can’t find it because she didn’t send it. She says the district doesn’t let them pull report cards except in grading periods, but she doesn’t think DD got any 1’s (the only grades are 1s or 2s), but if we wait until the February report card, they will also show the first period and we can see it then.

I want to scream. I can’t imagine that the report card has anything substantial in it - this is the teacher who claims she doesn’t need to assign work to tell how the children are doing, so my guess is reviewing assignments and report cards mean nothing to her, but I’m pissed that we don’t have one.

On a scale of 1-10, how mad is it rational to be?

[sandandsea]

k3am I’d go to the principal and ask for the report card and say you never got it. That’s ridiculous.

[vasc]

k3am Contact the principal or the front office personnel in the school building, they should be able to pull it. If the student information system is anything like ours, she very well might not have access to it after the grades are stored and the marking period ends.

[k3am]

Against my better judgement, I told her we’ve searched our emails already and asked her to escalate with the school or district as necessary in order to get us a copy now vs waiting another two months. Let her try to fix her own problem and then I’ll go to the principal if she can’t.

Is there anyone who would be like okay teacher, we don’t need to see a report card, don’t worry about it?

[waverly]

k3am , nope. We all had zoom parent teacher conferences in November and then report cards were in the mail that week. I can't imagine just not getting one for the first marking period.  I do think the school admin mailed the report cards rather than the teachers though.  We did not receive them through email. 

[mustardseed2007]

k3am , I would loose my shit if I didn't get a report card.

I wouldn't be able to handle my kid being in this class TBH. This teacher absolutely sucks.

ETA: I also can't imagine leaving it to a parent to figure this out getting one even if I didn't have access to it. I would be asking the front desk "how can a parent get access to a report card if it didn't make it to them?" 

 

[mustardseed2007]

My new work pet peave is anyone saying "well we have always done X" and I've worked here since 2007 and I know we've never or only occasionally ever done X.

[k3am]

mustardseed2007, my additional add on to that? just because a company has ALWAYS done something a certain way (whether always is true or not) doesn't mean that it's the only way or the best way to do something.

[186momx]

I got a response from the counselor at school and he is open with zoom meeting with DD. He also wanted to know how much we are communicating with 4th grade teacher about DD being bored and needing more. I responded with yes we have been talking with teacher and nothing has come of it and good times for DD to zoom. M-F 11-4 as she has class in the mornings.

Tried 1 more time with her teacher. DD struggled a lot yesterday. Between internet problems and her not wanting to go back in the 1st place. Fighting with i-ready for over 30 minutes in the afternoon. WPs she is a pro at screaming at the computer. I got a long rant email back from the teacher. Basically saying common core is the only way to do math and how it dates back to the 1800s and DD needs to just do it and if we could fix our wifi then she wouldn't have had such a hard time in class. I saw red after reading it. DD read it and said she is never going to school in person with this teacher that she hates her school and everything about school. I'm glad we are talking with the counselor. I'm trying to decide if I need to forward this email to the counselor or admin. I'm not the principle favorite parent due to PTO stuff. DD said she was going to talk to 1st and 3rd grade teachers by email today as they will listen to her.

[mommyatty]

There is nothing wrong with common core math. But good God, that wasn’t your point. Your point is your kid is checked out, struggling, and hates the teacher’s class.

Though I would say not to share this stuff with your daughter. It doesn’t help for her to think it’s a war with sides. For her long term good, she needs to believe you and her school are partners in helping her learn and grow.

[sdlaura]

I wrote in a peer review that one of my colleagues, who I've worked with for 12 years and leads a committee I sit on, can sometimes come off as "mansplaining." And he just called me to discuss what I meant....ugh. I know that's not his intent, but that is the way I know some people perceive his comments.

[k3am]

sdlaura... I've never done one, so I can't understand how non-anonymous peer reviews are expected to work. I would imagine that they would be either very topical or lead to hurt feelings.