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Monday, April 29, 2013

The Aunt is Back Whining

Longtime pixies may recall hubby's Aunt Silverware Rearranger. She's come for another visit.

She is a lovely person, caring and willing to come visit us once a year. She pitches in and leaves little gifts for us to find later.

But. There is the borderline obsessive tidying and cleaning. My strategy is to leave some obvious things undone, as to distract her from the silverware drawer. It's helpful that my strategy complements my laziness so well, don't you think?

What's happening at your house/school/place of work this week, pixies?


46 comments:

esperanza said...

Ugh. I wrote this post yesterday and scheduled it for today.

In the meantime, we have:
Mini, with fever and sore throat (not strep), and unreduced energy levels
Sweet, with no fever but puking and extra whining

Mama needs a break

JenR said...

Ooh! I have an idea! Redo the silverware drawer before she comes to match however she usually does it. It won't save you from any extra work, but it will answer a burning question - Will she leave her own arrangement alone?

kathy a. said...

Aunt Silverware! Gotta keep her busy enough to stay out of the undie drawers, that's my motto.

Poor Baboos...

JenR -- that reminds me of my old boss, who actually would look at a second edit and change things back.

kathy a. said...

My cat Spottie has a great many opinions. My SIL is -- still really something. Tonight is quiche night. It can't be all bad with a lovey cat and quiche. Although maybe I should have done the baking before it got so darned hot.

esperanza said...

JenR, that is a great idea...but she's already here, so I'll have to save it for next time. That would be hilarious.

Miranda said...

GF's mom was good enough. She and I are on the same page on a lot of stuff. Lines were not crossed. Yay!

My big whine is IEPs/Section 504 plans, oh my! It is a constant struggle with the schools. They never seem to do anything unless I demand. I hate the whole process for being needlessly adversarial.

My other big whine is My Big Fat Work Albatross. I need help but the files are in such disarray that I need to buckle down and fix this mess of my own making.

Liz Miller said...

Whine: they don't need my group for jury duty tomorrow. I was looked forward to a day of reading on the government dime.

Liz Miller said...

Looking, not looked

kathy a. said...

miranda, yay about the mom! good luck with the work albatross.

liz, my daughter has to go back to jury duty today. there is no parking near this courthouse; weird.

kathy a. said...

SIL saga continues, now with bonus mania! She wants to move back to the foreclosed house, right now; she doesn't want to turn off services there, even though she moved a month ago; she doesn't like this care place and doesn't have a big enough bathroom; yadda. The mania means she talks all day and much of the night about whatever is on her mind, usually complaints.

Over the weekend, we got a 10 p.m. call from the caretaker -- SIL had an urgent concern about whether she needed to "dress up" for her brother's visit the next day. The next day, the owner of the care home said she really really needs her meds changed. The med thing is complicated because of her disease. Etc.

Also, SIL is currently convinced that she can get her first ex to remarry her, which is not remotely possible (even if he wasn't currently remarried), and it freaks him out -- to which I say (to myself) "karma's a bitch" because he has spent the last couple months promising her all this stuff that cannot and will not happen, hoping she'd just forget the promises. Ha.

Giant AW: some really good and patient friends have peeled me off the ceiling and helpfully reminded me to breathe.

I am in turn trying to talk my beloved along. This is not going as smoothly as it could, and it will likely be worse for a while before it gets better. We are definitely the fun couple, jangly bags of exposed nerves, both. He's doing a lot of physical labor; I'm doing a lot of cooking and netflix.

Sue said...

esperanza - good luck with the Return of Aunt Silverwear (The Sequel). Hopefully there will be another opportunity to try out JenR's great idea!

Sorry about sick Baboos.

Miranda - Yay for GF parental visit. Sorry to hear about the work stress, especially the Big Albatross. Ugh.

Liz - a day of reading would be nice. Next time...

kathy a - hold on to the good things - the cooking and the netflix and hubby - and hopefully soon the tidal wave of awful will ease up.

W: Secretary woes - again. Very delicate situation. Her work performance is beyond terrible, but I really can't say much of anything to anyone. She is a member of our congregation. For future use - BAD IDEA to hire from within.

AW: I've become very good at fixing the recorded minutes of meetings before they are sent out.

W: Not. My. Job.

Wow. I'm crabby today. I need chocolate. The virtual kind is fine.

Sue said...

Edit - Aunt SilverWARE.

Duh.

kathy a. said...

Sue -- depends on if the aunt gets into the undie drawers... :)

Sorry about the secretarial woes. Sending chocolate, STAT!

esperanza said...

Oh, Sue, I've been there in the Church Member is the Secretary situation. Not good, not good at all. Just about no recourse, unless it's something illegal. Ugh.

Aunt Silverware is on her way home, after a short car-related delay. She was pretty mild this time and brought us ice cream, so I shouldn't complain.

Mini is completely better. Sweet is in the whiny phase but is keeping food down. Hopefully, dear Lord, please, they can both go to school tomorrow.

Whine of Anticipation: there is no school in the summer.

esperanza said...

oh, kathy a, hugs.

Miranda said...

(((kathy a))

Chocolate for Sue. Is Ghiradelli okay?

Miranda said...

My big whine for the summer:

I will be paying the retainer to make my divorce legal. I haven't lived with the ex for over two years and he lives two timezones away. It is bloody fireplacing time but I feel so angry and sad about my squandered youth. A friend, the only one to whom I have confided my angry feelings, reminded me that I have a good future ahead of me. This is true and I will be so relieved not to be legally bound to that man any longer but I am still crying and I wish this part were over.

esperanza said...

((Miranda))

kathy a. said...

((( Miranda ))) xoxox

Liz Miller said...

(((Miranda)))

Sue said...

(((((Miranda))))))

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Hey everyone! I haven't been around here in years, but at 5am, after gas had awaken the baby every hour (day 8 of side effects to the rotavirus vaccine; only two days to go!), and then milk filled the tube of my breast pump and I had to clean everything, and then I burned my hand on steam while getting the sterilizer bag out of the microwave, I thought to myself, "This is a classic Wednesday Whine, and it is technically now Wednesday. I wonder how those folks are doing?"

Anti-whine: gas is better than rotavirus, and apparently our hospitals have seen a drastic drop in the virus since babies started getting this in November. And she's done her two doses now, and is having an easier time with this dose than she did with the two month version.

Hopefully an anti-whine: we're seeing a physical therapist today, and I anticipating more of the usual: "Wow! I was expecting your baby to be tiny and have a bunch of developmental problems, based on her case history. She's fine, although her head's a little funny-shaped!" I do enjoy surprising medical professionals. Thankful for my miracle baby.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Hey everyone! I haven't been around here in years, but at 5am, after gas had awaken the baby every hour (day 8 of side effects to the rotavirus vaccine; only two days to go!), and then milk filled the tube of my breast pump and I had to clean everything, and then I burned my hand on steam while getting the sterilizer bag out of the microwave, I thought to myself, "This is a classic Wednesday Whine, and it is technically now Wednesday. I wonder how those folks are doing?"

Anti-whine: gas is better than rotavirus, and apparently our hospitals have seen a drastic drop in the virus since babies started getting this in November. And she's done her two doses now, and is having an easier time with this dose than she did with the two month version.

Hopefully an anti-whine: we're seeing a physical therapist today, and I anticipating more of the usual: "Wow! I was expecting your baby to be tiny and have a bunch of developmental problems, based on her case history. She's fine, although her head's a little funny-shaped!" I do enjoy surprising medical professionals. Thankful for my miracle baby.

kathy a. said...

Ghirardelli for everyone! My sisters were devastated when my BF (now husband) left his job doing quality control for Ghirardelli, a few decades ago.

Miranda, you are a great person and have so much ahead. This feels sad and terrible now, but it won't always. It's OK to cry, too. xoxo

purple_kangaroo said...

Hugs to all.

Things are plugging along. Pictures of the baby and consultations next week.

Long-planned trip to R, Nev this weekend . . . any pixies in that area? I'm attending an event and won't have my own vehicle along, so not sure if I'd be able to do coffee or whatever anyway, but it's a fun thought.

Sue said...

Yay for the Ghirardeli!

PK - Oh how I wish I could be in Nev on the weekend! The forecast here is for more snow. ~sigh~

Enjoy!!!

kathy a. said...

Snow? In May? That's just wrong.

PK, have a great trip!

esperanza said...

Snow? That's...that's...that's...I'm spluttering. We are supposed to have record lows this weekend as well.

PK, have a great time. Alas, nowhere near Nevada.

Sue said...

Yes, snow. If I think about it too much I will retreat under my covers and miss the five minutes of spring that may happen.

I'm getting my snow tires off the car on Monday, snow or no snow.

W: I now despise my winter coat.

kathy a. said...

Sending sunshine vibes to the snowy regions!

Liz said...

(((Sue))).

A joke for you from my sister, who lives in Vermont.

Q: What do folks in Vermont do in the Summer?

A: If it falls on a weekend they have a picnic!

[rimshot]

Liz said...

BTW, Sue knows this already, but the bookclub post is up.

Anonymous said...

((((Miranda))))
(((Sue))))
((((Kathy a.)))))
((((esperanza)))))
(((any other pixies in need I might have missed...)

SOmetimes the world just needs some good hugs.

--Neighbor Lady

and chocolate

esperanza said...

Thanks, NL. Hugs and chocolate are good.

Two Baboos attended school today. I'm going to have to watch Sweet for the next 13 years. Rule now is: if you aren't puking or running fever, you're going to school. She is sneaky.

Sue said...

Yay for school!

Thanks NL and Liz. Jokes, chocolate and hugs!

esperanza said...

Two Baboos for sale or rent. Included with sale: bizarre refusal of Baboos to agree with anything an adult suggests (unless it's Daddy). Warning: may be repossessed at any time without prior notice.

kathy a. said...

Sounds like time for Daddy Duty. Then the Baboos will only agree with Mommy suggestion. (Trust me. This is a universal rule.)

kathy a. said...

Although, it would be super-cool to borrow a couple of Baboos...

esperanza said...

Daddy day is tomorrow.

kathy a. said...

So far today, after a fun-filled night of the same -- at least 16 calls about SIL, plus some email. And more to come, because ~~ sputter, blah, sputter ~~ the SIL's EX needs a severe cluesticking. I administered a couple rounds today, but this super-genius apparently needs high-test. The universe might need one, too, because ~~ sputter, blah blah, SERIOUSLY?!?!

Passing some nice slaw with celery, cabbage, pears + light dressing with a little bleu cheese. Passing cute fans for the heat and angst, and breaking out the emergency thin mints. This is definitely thin mint weather.

esperanza said...

Cluesticks at the ready.

And I'll be happy to trade you weather. In the 40's tonight! in May! In Texas! This is ridiculous. I keep washing the Baboos' jackets, thinking surely *this* is the last time they'll need them. I've washed them about 8 times.

kathy a. said...

daughter was thanked and excused from jury duty -- after 4 days of driving the heck out to the county seat.

AW: this has kind of gotten her back on a decent sleep schedule! and she's all perky! she spent down time using the court wifi to find job openings! and today, back to the volunteer job, with cheerfulness!

Sue said...

Sleep! With bonus cheerfulness!

Definitely Anti-Whine goodness!!

W: Our local weather reporter sounds like Eeyore... (head down, sad voice) "It's snowing again today." I think the poor woman needs to go to her happy place.

kathy a. said...

yay for cheerfulness!

the weather woman will be happier when there is no snow. it's may! this is unacceptable weather behavior, and all the other weather people get to report things like "spring." s'not fair.

esperanza said...

aaaahhh, Daddy day a success. Plus a meeting in which I used my brain, talked with smart people, and had fun. Caught up with some friends. Spent time in the library (aka my happy place) and got some work done.

Awards tomorrow. Whine on till then.

kathy a. said...

yay for daddy day!