School starts for Sweet in a week. She is "a wittle shy" about kindergarten, so much so that it is keeping her up at night, worrying about it.
Mini is whining because (a) she doesn't get to go to kindergarten this year; and (b) *her* school doesn't start till after Labor Day.
Mama is whining because she is the only person in the household who thinks it might be a good idea to start getting up and ready earlier than, say, 10 AM. Looks like it's going to be cold turkey on Monday morning instead. :(
Daddy is whining because chunky situation is not resolved, people are unhappy, and no one is talking directly to him about it. Things have eased up, but it's still yucky.
What's bothering you this week, Pixies?
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Honest-to-goodness conversation between me & Mr E last night.
Me: Thursday is Sweet's Meet the Teacher Day. If you want to come with us, we need to coordinate.
Him: Who's her teacher?
Me:....
(((Esperanza)))
Yesterday, on the way to a phone bank, I got into a car accident. I am completely unharmed but my sweet reliable lovely car may be totaled. She did exactly what she should do, and crumpled up in the engine compartment. Her radiator is probably kaput, and since she's from 1998, that fix will be more than she's worth.
Sigh.
The folks in the other car are also completely fine.
So I'm grateful, and will not repine for my sweet reliable 1998 Toyota Camry.
Is the meet the teacher one-on-one, or everybody comes for a preview at once?
Here's hoping those butterflies go away, and Sweet replaces them with excitement. Eventually, if not sooner. ;)
Oh, Liz. So sorry about the accident! And the car. Glad nobody was hurt.
W: Daughter is in a grand royal blue funk, the kind that makes people yell and stomp off for a drive at 11:30 p.m. A lot of this has to do with her job ending, and no new job yet.
W: I'm depressed, which has made me waste a ton on Remembering Bad Things About Someone, which I hate.
AW: Met some newish neighbors yesterday! Nice people. The guy and my sweetie have a lot in common. The funny part is that we have at least 25 years on them, so I'm sure we looked ancient.
((kathy a)) That's a lot. But new neighbors sound fun.
Liz, so sorry about your trusty car. Glad everyone is ok.
Meet the teacher is from 8-5, come when you can. So it should be somewhat one-on-one. They used to do it all in a couple of hours in the evening, which apparently was Complete Overwhelming Chaos.
Oh, good about Meet the Teacher! Mini might feel less anxious once she sees the classroom and her cubby, starts bonding with the teacher, etc.
Know she's a wittle shy, but would she like to take a small something to the teacher, maybe a flower? Giving the teacher a chance to thank her might go a long way. ;)
I meant SWEET, not Mini! xoxo
(((esperanza))) You're juggling so many things. Do take care of yourself in the midst of it all.
((Liz)) so sorry about the accident, but glad you're okay.
(((kathy a))) Depression sucks in every way.
W: Slight glitch in plan to go to Magic Accessible Cabin with hubby this week. He's sick. So, we'll see about trying to go tomorrow.
AW: It's raining and cold here today so it's no huge loss. We're having a quiet day.
Hope Hubby is better soon, Sue. I like the sound of Magic Accessible Cabin. May their tribe increase!
A gift to take to the new teacher is a great idea, kathy a! Thanks.
As esperanza said, about the Magical Accessible Cabin! Fingers crossed for hubby's return to health.
AW: Have a clunky old laptop, been meaning to unload it. Instead, donating it to a fellow traveler on the support website for people dealing with my SIL's kind of dementia -- her husband keeps trying to "upgrade" her computer, wreaking all kinds of havoc and wondering why she isn't grateful. W: Trying to remove traces of self, and strip it back to "factory condition." I'm congenitally unsuited for this kind of task.
OMG! Got my stuff off the old puter, and *finally* got the special sauce of button clicks for a full restore to factory specs!
*Cheering for kathy a's newfound computer skills*
Sue, I really hope that Hubby is well soon enough that you can go to the Magical Accessible Cabin.
(((esperanza)))
W: my face hurts SO MUCH. And it's the strangest thing: this morning, E (accidentally) hit me hard with my old tin whistle, right by the inside corner of my eye. I put ice on it, right away. But either the impact on my sinuses, or all the cold compresses on the same, have caused all of my sinuses to flare up badly. Suddenly, I have sinusitis symptoms. My face is a wonder and a mystery.
QWP, would heat counteract the effect? That is strange. And ouch.
W: seriously, universe. Mr E texted earlier with a message from his oldest/most high maintenance in all kinds of ways brother--there is a mass on his lung, still doing tests. If I were a nicer person, I would be compassionate. But I'm just whining about how he only contacts us when something is wrong and he needs help. And I'll also whine about how Mr E really, really doesn't need this right now.
AW: since y'all are here to listen to all that, maybe by the time Mr E gets home from work, I can be compassionate after all.
Oy, Esperanza. What is it about more bad news coming at bad times??
Thinking thoughts. xoxo
OK, it's still early, they don't know anything. He had fungal pneumonia (ew) last summer, and it could easily have left scar tissue in his lung. Thanks for the thoughts.
QWP, ouchie! Hope the swelling goes down. Would steam help? xoxo
Esperanza, hoping it is something minor.
Found out today another colleague died -- this is the 4th person from my old office in the past year. Lot of blows to our community. He was brilliant, devoted, and hilarious, someone who stood out. Like the others, the last time I saw him, didn't know it would be the last time.
W: Bug. In my bed. 3 AM. Took forever to find it. Then wide awake, feeling imaginary bugs crawling on me.
Eeewwwww ew ew ew! Bug in the bed wins. Ick.
AW: Daughter has a second interview! W: Now she says she doesn't know if she wants this to be a "career." IT'S JUST A JOB; you need a job. Sigh. (not yelling out loud; but jeez looueeeez....)
AW: My son came by with another car problem -- bad battery -- and we found the mutually happy solution of me loaning him cash, and him installing it at his own house.
He thought it would be easier if I used my credit card, and then I could see he was shopping for value, but I'd rather poke out my own eyes than go comparison shopping for a car battery.
kathy a wins for computer ninja skillz.
Sorry about the added stress of Mr. E's brother's troubles.
Eeeeek!!! (sympathy shriek of terror for Bugs! in Bed!) Award-worthy, no doubt.
QWP - Ouch. My sister the retired physio ALWAYS advises ice. Ice, ice, ice. For everything. My two cents? If heat is soothing, go for it.
W: Well, Magic Accessible Cabin will wait for next year. Hubby is feeling a bit better, but I can see he as the strength of wilted lettuce.
AW: At least the weather isn't mocking us by being warm and delightful. Today is cold and rainy like yesterday.
Next year.
AW: I'm reading really good books on my vacation. Yay!
Oh, Sue! So sorry the stars did not align for the fab cabin. Hope your sweetie feels less like wilted lettuce. xoxo
psssst. daughter has a tentative job offer! full time, decent pay. knock wood. WOO!
Hooray for job offers!
Boo for not being able to go to MAC. But glad the weather is being yucky so you're not missing good vacation weather.
*Cheering any daughter's job offer*
I'm so sad that Sue and Hubby can't go on their magical vacation!
AW: potty training progress!
W: Mr. Q goes back to work on Monday, and Li'l E will only sit on the potty for her Daddy.
You guys. We're days away from summer vacation being over. It feels like it just began!
W: Oh, and everyone else is on vacation, and is trying to make all their plans with us now, plus SIL is moving far away for school, and needs to spend time with us, but the plans are getting elaborate, and my dad's birthday approaches. Can't we just have some quiet time at home?
Extra whiny: I'm definitely coming down with something, just in time for Mr. Q to be away all day for the next two days, getting his First Aid recertification.
All petty and whiny whines here.
QWP, an announcement: any potty training whine, of any depth or variety, will win prizes from me. I do not dispense potty training advice, just prizes.
Hope you feel better soon.
Sue, I hope hubby feels like crispy lettuce by morning.
We are also trying to balance "quick! it's the end of summer! Let's do all the things!" and "let's all relax this week to get ready for school" and "Let's figure out how not to drive mama over the edge this week."
"I hope Hubby feels like crispy lettuce" for mullet!
Esperanza, is it just me, or is potty training ridiculously time-consuming and tiring?
It's not just you.
hugs and prizes for all potty training parents. We had a nightmare of a time with it back in the day. Thankfully, our children love us anyway.
Yay for daughter's job possibility kathy!!
W: Call from a parishioner tonight. Dang. They're usually so good about leaving me alone on vacay, but this person said "I'm not so much calling you as the minister, but as our friend." Gah!! Not so much... love these folks, but they are parishioners. That's just not the same thing as a friend.
Anywho, I gently directed her to call the retired clergy person covering pastoral needs and said I would be thinking of her and will be in touch first thing after vacation.
AW: She was cool with that.
QWP and esperanza, condolences on everybody wanting to plan plan plan things in a tight space of time.
Yes, prizes for potty training! My uncle the dentist actually bribed his kids with M&M's. My grandmother claimed she potty-trained my mom by 9 months, which was plainly a lie but might explain some things. We took a lower-key approach involving a lot of pull-ups and less permanent scarring. I think.
Sue, glad you got the "friendly" call re-directed.
Ridiculous story:
AW: hooray! It turns out that my #1 choice, inexpensive and highly-rated stroller is still for sale in Canada, but under a different name!
W: But it's only being sold in bright green and prominently featuring the logo of a major tractor company!
I'm not going to spend an extra $60 to buy my #2 choice, just because of a tractor logo. And at least I'm surrounded by farmers and should be able to find a new home for the stroller, when we're done with it. But this is ridiculous.
Never too soon for E to learn that girls can drive tractors. Alternatively, I bet you can figure out a way to cover the logo. And, since when did green move into a "boys only" category? This would be a real problem if the only one was a PINK stroller, because isn't the pink aisle bad enough?
Kathy a, I would definitely be more bothered by a pink stroller, and don't see green as being only for boys! I'm just getting over my pride about how it feels a little dorky to get one with tractors, after looking at all these sleek, black strollers.
Along the same lines...small victory in the Baboo department today. Sweet agreed to get a new outfit for kindergarten (I'm grasping at straws to get her excited). We went to small local department store, with a very limited number of choices in her size. I asked her to choose between identical shirts, except one was pink/white stripes and one was blue/gray stripes. She chose the blue! I verified several times, and that's the one we came home with.
Being stuck with a pink stroller would be yuck.
Yay, Sweet!
I LOVE the tactic of presenting two choices -- it makes an answer so much more achievable. (Which is also why shopping in general is such a huge pain -- who can choose when there are ninety-eleven choices? Your average cereal aisle gives me apoplexy, and I'm a grownup.)
Exactly. That's why I chose that store--slightly higher prices, but fewer options makes for a less overwhelming experience. We almost *never* go shopping, because I detest it so, so it was a pretty big deal to both Baboos.
My brother has spent some years out of the country, and he says that's one of the most shocking of reverse culture shock when he comes back--the sheer ridiculous number of choices on inconsequential items.
And another shopping-related AW: Mini did not put up a fuss over not getting new clothes, after I explained that starting kindergarten was a special day, and when it was her turn for kindergarten, she would get new clothes. Not another word from the very wordy Mini on the subject. Proud mama.
As predicted, Mr. Q is ridiculously pleased that we're getting a tractor-branded stroller. (For context: when we moved from the prairies to the West Coast, nine years ago, I purged his wardrobe of all the farm implement-branded merchandise, to keep us from looking like country bumpkins. Now we're back on the prairies, and this makes him feel like he won. He's sitting at his first aid course, giggling up a storm.)
Go, Mini!
QWP, for ten years, Mr E had been requesting a minivan. I refused. For ten years. After ten years, when we were expecting Sweet, I gave in. He claimed to have "won" the argument. I disagreed, citing the timeframe.
I lost the minivan argument that began once kids came along, but we managed without one. I won the dog argument for 10 years, but then I was the one who found a scared stray injured dog; it was all downhill from there. And so on -- thousands of negotiations and compromises.
Esperanza's right about time frames. And if your spouse has a tractor tendency, there is not much that can be done, aside from REALLY drawing the line at not having a personal home tractor.
I could use a home tractor to bulldoze all the stuff I need to organize before school starts again. Wah!
Am having anxiety dreams about back-to-school. In one the principal expected me to know how to play the lyre. At least I think the thing was a lyre. At least I was fully clothed.....
And yes, QWP, the summer DID just start! ANd I am NOT ready to do this again.
wahhhhhhh
--Neighbor Lady
p.s. I am putting all our schedules on the master calendar on the kitchen wall, so we can then put them on our various electronic devices.etc.
ugh.
overwhelming
and, I am about to have to tackle the cereal aisle too. wahhhhhhh
((( NL ))) limit yourself to 2 choices, assuming you can find them on the cereal aisle. You'll continue to be a great teacher! And this year, fewer surprises.
Old Skool: the little rod that holds the TP roll, it fell on the floor and shattered.
QWP - laughing out loud about the green stroller. It will be fine, and it's not pink (that would be bad. Barb!e bad - with apologies to fans of her blondness).
Go Baboos for a successful and happy shopping trip!
((NL)) You are a great teacher and you will hit your stride once the school year is underway. As for the dreams - I SO get that!! Every year after my month-long vacay, I go back in a panic thinking "Whatever made me think I could do this???" The panic does not last as long as it once did, but it still happens.
I like to think of it as a healthy appreciation for the importance of the work. Either that, or I'm just a scaredy cat. :)
Advice needed, please.
Do I try to get a used Camry-like car, or do I see if I can get a new 2014 car because of the model year-end sales? Or do I lease?
Well, I'm a person who likes a good warranty because there isn't a single person among my family and friends who can do even small fixes on a vehicle. I like the fixes to be someone else's problem - especially when they're covered under the warranty. But that's just me.
I gather the year-end sales are fairly good.
On the other hand, if you know someone who can vouch for a good used Camry, that would work too.
Liz, I'm helping some friends figure out the same thing, and I have no idea what's the right answer. But the year end deals seem pretty sweet.
W: I'm operating on two hours of sleep (thanks, cold medicine I took in the early evening!), and Li'l E has obtained wind chimes.
AW: my mom spent part of the morning here, because of my bad night, and so I got a little rest while they went for a walk.
Liz, I always go for the used car, and hubby always goes for the new one. I'd avoid the lease, just because at the end of the term, you either have to pay lots of $$ for a x-years old car, or have nothing to show for your payments.
AW: Meet the Teacher went very well. We met her regular teacher, who seems very nice, and the resource teacher (special ed), who will pull her out for 1 hour/day, at least initially. Both for individual instruction and introvert break. Sweet wanted to show Mini the whole school, which was cute. Sweet talked to her teachers and even another students. This is big for her.
W: my stress is now about the car pickup line. Up till this year, parents have been able to park, get their child, and walk back to the car. No more. You have to wait in the line. So I'll be stuck with a restless Mini (who undoubtedly will need the potty) in a line of exhaust-spewing SUVs. The line will just have to wait while Sweet maneuvers the seatbelt. She is actually still in the 5 point harness in the big kid carseat, which she can manage, albeit slowly. She's big enough and old enough for a booster seat/adult seatbelt. We were waiting till Mini was big enough too. We'll go ahead and switch to the single seatbelt so we won't hold up the line as much. You see how parking and walking could alleviate so many problems? I'm grumbly about this, but I'm sure it will work out.
Thanks everybody!!!
We're going to go with the 2014 option, but are still looking at buying vs. leasing (through the business).
Esperanza, do they not have school buses where you live? If not, can you go to talk to the office re: Sweet's still being in the 5-point harness, and you don't think she's ready to move to the shoulder belt yet and you hate to hold up the line and could you just park and walk?
yes, but you have to live 2 miles from the campus to be eligible for bus service.
I don't mind switching her to the shoulder belt, and she's been asking to do it. I really resent being told I have to wait in the car line.
I understand that completely.
The car line sounds absolutely terrible, esperanza. I'm glad that Sweet is ready to switch to the booster, but the car line sounds awful nonetheless. (And the thought of it makes me feel justified about how I take advantage of Mr. Q's parking spot at his school, and will continue to do so when E starts there. If course, that's unhelpful for you, unless your husband is up for a career change.)
YAY about the meet-the-teacher success!
I cannot stand car pickup lines -- such chaos, so temper-fraying. Ugh, and the exhaust...
The reasoning was for student safety--with the crowd of people at the gate, it was difficult to make certain that a particular student was picked up by a person on the approved list for that student. The car line is more orderly, in that it is s.l.o.w.e.r. I think the personal pickup could be made more orderly, but strangely enough, no one asked me. We can still walk them into their classroom in the mornings.
The exhaust of car-lines is awful, and I too resented being told I had to wait in them. However, I will say that I did find that what with all the crowds of people trying to do pickup at the same time, there was really no parking available a lot of times. Which would have left me driving around getting increasingly frantic about not being able to find a place to park to walk in and pick up. So, in the end, I liked car lines more than I thought I would. Hopefully, it will not be too awful for you.
Glad the teacher meet-ups went well! Yay Sweet!
--Neighbor lady
AW: Really excellent, productive meeting this morning; also coincidentally featuring some of my favorite people!
WWWWWW: My stupid credit card company AGAIN put a hold on my account for "unusual activity," consisting of a partial payment on the window replacement -- which I told them last time I had authorized, and that there would be more charges. Bonus questions, concerning my activity: train ticket, sending a box at the post office, groceries at a store I visit frequently. Plus, I got cut off TWICE during the attempt to clear this up.
That is aggravating, kathy a. Really aggravating.
Um, that was clearly a whine of privilege. Just annoying as all get-out.
grrr...kathy, that is awful. Really annoying.
esperanza, I hear you about the car line up. Ugh.
I'm glad meet the teacher went well!
(As an aside, our boys always called it Meet the Creature Night - no offense NL or Mr. Q - every year they thought it was hilarious.)
My elementary teachers always called it Meet the Creature Night!
Kathy a: oh man, we're on our way with cluesticks.
We have a Meet the Creature night too-- goes from 6:30 to 9:30 after a full day of teaching (and is in October). By that time of night, Meet the Creature is about right!!
:)
NL
Oy, NL! It's hard to be "on" in that way after a long day already!
If they're waiting until October, why not a good old-fashioned Open House, with the walls plastered with stuff the kids have done so far? You can't possibly have substantive discussions with parents when it is a group thing in the evening.
OK, so this is weird. I complained to the bank; got an inadequate response; was told to contact the fraud unit. When I explained that I wanted to not have a hold when the next window payment comes up, they gave me "multiple choice questions from public records."
Which county have you lived in? 4 choices; the correct one was 30 years ago. Which business have you been associated with? 4 choices; the correct one was over 25 years ago. (Roofing? are they serious?) Jeepers. But they won't shut my account down the next time.
We've had those weird questions, when someone had accessed our online banking. They are trying to prove that you are the rightful owner of the account.
On a related note, does anyone else have to silently run through their whole social security number in order to give the last 4 digits? (I do the same thing with alphabetizing, but with the musical accompaniment.)
No on SSN, but yes on alphabetizing.
Yes on SSN. And on alphabetizing.
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