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Monday, January 5, 2015

Last Minute Whining

I know the post isn't last-minute; rather, the whining is about last-minute decisions.

Mr. E and I had kicked around the idea of us hosting dinner tonight for the Personnel Committee and the newly-hired Youth Director. But, you see, the final final interview and decision wasn't till yesterday. So we wouldn't want to be hosting a celebratory dinner for something that wasn't happening after all. Decision put off.

9:00 last night, he texts me to say, yes let's do supper. For 15. Okey dokey. Commence Esperanza's mind racing madly, trying to figure out what to cook and how to make it all happen with Baboo assistance today.

This morning, I ask how certain the 15 number is. He says, "oh maybe plan on 20 instead."

You know what this means: paper plates, Mr. E has to clean, and he owes me a dinner out.

What's going on with you?

(Embedded in that above whine is that the Baboos don't start back to school till tomorrow. We are all thoroughly sick of each other's company. Wah)

79 comments:

kathy a. said...

20 hours notice, 15-20 for dinner, kids don't have school. AAAAACK! Heck yeah, you get dinner out!

What are you cooking? I'd probably go with spaghetti, or maybe a giant lasagne. Sadly, it is probably not BBQ weather even where you live.

Development du jour with SIL -- her brother visited yesterday, and she isn't depressed! Instead, she is really excited because her first ex-husband is coming to take her to Hawaii, and they are getting MARRIED!!!!1!!!1 (not true.) Also, she cheerfully informed everyone (repeatedly) that "the cops are coming at 10:00 and they are going to arrest" all the caregivers at her place.

The desire to remarry the ex is a familiar theme. The threats to have everyone arrested -- that makes me nervous about her possibly getting manic again. (And it probably does not thrill the people taking care of her to hear that all day long.) Whee!

kathy a. said...

OK, I am *seriously* impressed with SIL's team. I emailed the neurologist yesterday with a report and concerns; she emailed the PCP last night; the PCP talked to the director of the facility and the neurologist this morning, before calling me at 9 a.m. They are changing up her meds gently, in ways that make sense.

Miracle, no?

esperanza said...

It wouldn't be too cold to BBQ for QWP, I'm sure. It is finally sunny, which makes it seem bearable

We're going with King Ranch Chicken (the same group went out for Italian yesterday at lunch, so I nixed the lasagna idea), black beans (crock pot, already done), salad, and cake.

And hooray!!!!! for SiL's team.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

That sounds like a good plan for dinner, Esperanza, but Mr. E really does owe you a dinner out, after this!

Kathy a, I'm glad that SiL has such a good team, because those are really concerning developments with her.

W: coughing. Endless coughing. I've now taken an antihistamine/decongestant, because I've had a couple of coughing spells that left me weak, which means that I'm not being enough air. This happened to me fifteen years ago, and my doctor then told me that my allergies were keeping me from getting better, and at that time an antihistamine helped a lot. But if I keep having these coughing fits that make me dizzy, I'm going to need to go to my doctor and see about getting an inhaler.

Whiiiine: also, our car won't start, even though we had the block heater plugged in, which means we need a new battery. Good thing we just spent a ton of money on living room furniture!

AW: my new couch is heaven. And, because it arrived with a tiny snag on the back, the store is sending a technician to fix it tomorrow, and they're giving us $50 back.

kathy a. said...

Esperanza, I forget there are casseroles besides lasagne -- that sounds great.

QWP, that coughing is no good! You're sure it isn't something bacterial in your chest, like bronchitis or pneumonia? Yes, an inhaler will definitely help -- and possibly antibiotics, and if it is really something like asthma, there are good preventive meds nowadays. Worth checking on all of it. xoxo

yay, couch! boo, car.

esperanza said...

QWP, if you're looking for a DIY for the not breathing, there's hanging your head over a steaming pot of water. Or possibly, if it's not too severe, an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen might help a teensy bit (but make sure it's not already in the other stuff you've taken). But I say if it continues, especially since it's already lasted so long, a visit to the doc is in order because of the above-mentioned bronchitis and especially pneumonia. Either one are no joke, and better to catch them early.

In any case, that medical advice is worth every penny you paid for it, and I hope you feel better very soon.

kathy a. said...

I'm also a fan of the steam, which you can also do by running a hot shower in a small room and closing the door. (Closing the door! You don't have to be actually in the shower, so long as there's a lot of steam. We used this for son's asthma and other lung maladies.)

kathy a. said...

Cup of hot coffee might also help (not for kids) -- because of both steam and the stimulant. Stimulants quiet the lung tissue. Coffee's a lot gentler than epinephrine, is all I'm saying.

Miranda said...

QWP - so sorry about the coughing. I do hope you're better soon.

Esperanza - I'm pretty sure your denomination doesn't have them, nor does Mr E's, but you are a saint. Hope your dinner is going well tonight AND your dinner out is splendid.

Kathy A - it seems like the new place is so much better. I'm relieved.

Whine: I've been in a local mother's group for nearly 13 years and today I quit because the clulessness about relative privilege took an ugly turn. It's a very sad day.

AW: Social justice is taken seriously here and I appreciate that this has always been a welcoming space.

AW: I still see friends on the book of visages so it's not the end of the world but 13 years!

AW: Newly Teen Son made me homemade biscuits from scratch tonight. And we leave Thursday for a mother son weekend in The City With Wind.

kathy a. said...

((( Miranda ))) Well, that just stinks about the mother's group. Cluesticks! I hate that connections fall apart over this and that, when the this and that amounts to intolerance. But it is OK to shed those who get ugly and irrational.

Jealous about the home made biscuits! And the weekend planned with the new teen. xoxo

esperanza said...

Miranda, I am super impressed with the homemade biscuits. I'm a from scratch kind of girl, but I cannot make decent biscuits without the mix. Kudos to Newly Teen son, and have a great weekend with him. (and no, neither one of us have official saints, but I'll take it).

Pixies, I am tired. But dinner was fun, and it was tasty, and someone came early to help with the last minute flurry and she also washed dishes.

esperanza said...

AW of the ages: Baboos are at school today. House is quiet.

AW: several kindergartners were in tears this morning, but Sweet was not one of them. (I guess it was just all too much for them).

Liz said...

(((QWP))) Get thee to the Doctor ASAP.

(((Miranda))) Sorry about the group, but so glad about the weekend with your teen!

YAY Esperanza!!

Kathy, I'm so glad about the care team.

W: Today is a special election that a friend of mine is running in, so of course it's snowing fit to beat the band. I hope my team does a good job of getting people to the polls.

AW: I, meanwhile, am in Puerto Rico where it is decidedly NOT snowing. I haven't posted that on Twitter or the Book of Faces, so please keep it under your chapeaux.

kathy a. said...

And Esperanza finally gets a peaceful house!

Liz, how exciting!

esperanza said...

~swoon~ Puerto Rico. Sounds blissful.

Liz said...

It is, indeed, blissful.

Sue said...

Just catching up on whines and anti-whines after returning from the big city a few hours ago. This will be quick as I've had some mild/moderate vertigo since early this morning. You know that thing when you get out of bed and it feels like you're at sea? Ya, not great. Even less fun on an airplane. Bleh.

Anyway, good to be home. Appointment went well.





Queen of West Procrastination said...

Oh, Sue! I'm sorry about the vertigo! Does this usually happen when you get treated by the Magic Migraine Doctor?

Liz: warm vacation! How wonderful!

Miranda: hugs about the group. Serious cluesticks for them. But that Newly Teenaged Son is a good one!

AW: I'm much improved today. I started acting like I had a touch of bronchitis, as the result of the flu, and so I took ibuprofen in addition to my decongestant. It worked so well. I'm still coughing some, mostly in the evening and after I eat, but it's nothing like it was before. Today, I made it through the day without a nap, and had enough energy to clean and make supper. It's been nearly two weeks since I could last say that.

W: so, we're booked to get a new car battery tomorrow. But the car wouldn't start after a really cold night, and after Mr. W used the battery charger on it, it still won't start. (And it did say the battery was dead before he used it, and it now says it's full.) I really hope it's not the starter too. My father-in-law is coming to try to boost the car tonight. So worried about this lemon of a car, and the potential for extra expenses.

esperanza said...

QWP so relieved you're feeling so much better. Hooray.

I have no car advice, but will cross my fingers for just the battery.

Sue, hoping the vertigo departs quickly.

kathy a. said...

Sue, boo on the vertigo -- hope it is gone soon. xoxo

QWP, so glad you are better! But don't let that go 2 weeks again! Got nothin' on the battery.

There was a small kinda panic when the pharmacy said SIL's insurance didn't cover her meds "for 2015," but that turned out to be because they need the new card. Whew. (Sorting that out took 2 phone calls, searching the "carp we haven't dealt with yet" pile, and a fax.)

And in other news: SIL finally let her favorite person dye her hair (she had been waiting for a hair stylist of some years ago), and pixies! The first ex is coming in a LIMO, and her favorites at the place will go with her and the ex to HAWAII for the WEDDING! Everybody else is still getting arrested. Anyway, it was good to have this chat with the favorite person at her place; they seem to be taking it in stride.

esperanza said...

Warm fuzzy for the day: we received some delicious homemade pralines at Christmas. I tried to make pralines three times, with differing but never good results. So I called the maker of the pralines to ask for her recipe today. She is elderly-ish, and was totally flattered that I wanted the recipe. In the conversation, she says, "oh, [husband] and I always make candy together at Christmas. We've done it for years. We have a lot of fun doing it." So. Cute. (Perhaps you may surmise that Mr E and I do *not* make candy together, nor would we enjoy doing so)

W: on the other hand, one of my favorite old church ladies is in the hospital in Big City with 25% kidney function, for which no doctor has been able to determine the reason.

Sue said...

(((Miranda))) Sorry about your mom group.

esperanza, that's a great story about making candy. Wouldn't happen in our house either, mostly because I would end up at the hospital.

Sorry about your church lady. :(

AW: Gr@vol helped the spins. It doesn't usually happen after my visit to the magic migraine doc. I think I'm just overtired and a little stressed. Another 1/2 gr@vol and a good sleep and hopefully I'll be good to go to work in the morning.

kathy a. said...

Oh, yay for the candymaking couple!

I'm so sorry about the lady who is in the hospital. Sending good thoughts. xoxo

AW: someone who helped me on this thing a couple/few years ago showed up out of the blue today -- and she's willing to help me with a piece where I can really use help right now. Right Now.

esperanza said...

Sue, definitely not recommended for you :) I've burned myself while making candy before, and it is not funny. Sleep well and non-spinningly

Liz said...

My friend won!!! Yay candy! Boo spins!!

Miranda said...

Yay elections that go well!!!

I hope you feel better soon Sue.

Sorry about your friend, Esperanza. I hope they can find what is wrong.

QWP, how are you feeling today?

Thanks for the hugs. The moms group stuff spilled onto FB. I'm ready to unfriend people. :(

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Miranda, I'm sorry that you're now going to have to unfriend people. Hugs for you, and cluesticks for them.

I'm continuing to improve, today. I still have a touch of a cough, but I knew I wouldn't get better overnight.

AW: the car started when boosted, and is now safely at the shop, getting a new battery! I just hope that's all that's needed.

Sue said...

AW: Managed to fall asleep on a somewhat more calm sea. Turning over was an adventure, but at least some sleep.

W: Only slept until 1:45 am when the security company called to say the alarm at the church had gone off and the police had been dispatched. So, in -38C weather, I bundled a few more layers over my pjs, added my warmest boots and coat and drove to the church. The lovely young officers said they were responding to plenty of false alarms - mostly due to wind.

This was the case with us - our front door had rattled hard enough for the system to think it was someone breaking in. I really need to get my name off that call list....

AW: Left a note for office admin saying I was not going to the office today. I did get back to sleep, so that's good.

kathy a. said...

Liz, yay about your friend winning!

Sue, hope you are feeling better today.

Miranda, maybe un-friending is for the best, if people are behaving badly. But the whole thing stinks.

QWP, glad you are better and that the car started!

Grumpies -- I sent a package to my nephew about a month ago; had to send it to his parents' house, since I'm apparently not allowed to have his address at college. He hasn't responded to recent emails, so I ended up asking his mother if she could tell me whether he had received the package. And she said, "X usually prefers to speak for himself, but yes, he did get your package just before we left town."

Trying to take the high road, even though this sister does not really speak to me. And I guess, either does her son, but he's a kid. Don't think it should be a state secret, whether or not he got the package. This sister has always known how to reach her niece and nephew; she would be flamingly irate if I had declined to share that info at any point. /end rant/

kathy a. said...

Obviously, my real gripe is with this sister, the one who said I am not allowed to talk about SIL; the one who sent a condolence card to my husband ONLY when my MIL died; the one who is perfect, and if you are not her, you are not.

Do my best to avoid engagement. Keep trying to let it go. But it is still painful

Sue said...

((((kathy a)))

Your sis needs a serious cluesticking. And, honestly, so does your nephew. He's old enough to detach himself from his mother's issues and simply be gracious for receiving a gift (he should have thanked you already). He's allowed himself to be so influenced by his mother that he's just being rude to you. That is not okay.

esperanza said...

dammit. My little friend with the fireplacing cancer has had a relapse. New lesion in his brain. Dammit.

kathy a. said...

((( Esperanza ))) Fireplacing cancer! I am so sorry. Especially when you say "little friend." xoxo

esperanza said...

It's Waylon. You made him a quilt. He's about to turn 7, same age as Sweet.

kathy a. said...

Oh, my. There is love in every stitch of a happy quilt; and his had fabric from other people who just wanted to spread the love. Waylon has been fighting this a long time now, no? More than 3 years.

I don't know what else to do, besides send the love. The cancer does its thing, the doctors do theirs, and we make life as good as we can, while we can. Please pass along hugs to Waylon and his family. xoxo

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Oh no, esperanza. I'm so sorry about your little friend. I'll be thinking about little Waylon and his family.

esperanza said...

On the AW front, Sweet is a different child when she's in school. Happy, bouncing, getting along with Mini, no meltdowns every 10 minutes. Aaaaaahhh. Now, if only we could get year round school instituted around here. As if.

Miranda said...

I wish for year round school as well. Newly Teen Son had a miserable time on winter break and kept asking to go back to school.

Pixies, his fashion sense is too much these days. He likes jeans, a blue plaid shirt (he has many), a dark blazer, and a festive tie of some kind. It is the most unlikely look for a 13 yo boy. He likes his hair shaggy too. He likes to comb through the thrift shops for his ensembles. the look is unique - like him.

I am not remotely ready to go and I need to leave in 2.5 hours.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Classic Toddler Whine: I finally got my act together and fixed E's teddy bear's torn head. E is now crying because she can no longer pull stuffing out of Teddy's head.

Sue said...

(((esperanza))) (((Waylon)))

Fireplacing cancer.

Miranda, my youngest discovered thrift shops in high school and also had a unique look. He also taught his friends the savvy ways of finding the best bargains!

AW: The high seas (aka, my bed) was almost calm last night, so I got some sleep. Yay!

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Miranda: you should have seen me in high school! All polyester and fortrelle from the thrift shop and family attics. I honestly wore a leisure suit to school one day. One day, I wore a t-shirt and (my sister's) jeans to school, and everyone was so confused about it that my English class took time to discuss their feelings about it. My mom spent a lot of time shaking her head about me, but was relieved that clothing me was so inexpensive.

Sue said...

QWP, thank you for my giggle of the day!! The image of your English class discussing your wardrobe is wonderful.

My policy around clothes and hair was that as long as the clothes covered their bodies, kept them warm, and wasn't offensive, good. Hair colour (blue! pink! green!) washes out. No harm, no foul, and some important self-expression.

kathy a. said...

Oh, I had the same attitude about clothes and hair. Although my hair philosophy also included "it will grow out," since the boys in the punk band did a lotta stylin'. You know how you start making up rules that you never even contemplated? "No Cl0r0x on your hair -- buy a hair product!" and "Sorry, you boys are not leaving until you vacuum the hair off the floor and clean the glue off the counter."

kathy a. said...

Whining works! Nephew sent a thank you email last night. Order restored to the universe, more or less.

My daughter is 26 today! Don't know how that happened... This was the first year that I did not recite the story and observe the exact time -- she was born in Japan, and my family actually heard when it was still the 7th in the U.S. She remembered, though, and gave me a hug last night, saying she was already 26. And, "thank you, Mommy." Keeper, she is.

Sue said...

Yay kathy a!!! Order in the universe is a good thing. Happy B-day to your daughter too!

W: I fell in the parking lot at the church today. A light dusting of snow covered up a nasty layer of ice and down I went. I hit my knee and stopped the fall with my left hand which is quite ouchy at the moment. Nothing broken, but swollen and sore.

AW: After a rough day at the office (one of those days when I think I should have been a librarian) - I arrived home to a lovely delivery of flowers from someone in the congregation. The card said "Just because you're special." Ya. Tears.

kathy a. said...

omg, Sue! Sorry about the ouchies, but sweet sweet sweet about the flowers!

KLee said...

So far (and cue drum roll here), I have no real whines this week!

It is cold here, about 23 degrees. Yes, I know that is downright LAUGHABLE to some of you, especially those who are quoting negative temps, but you have to remember that it was 80 degrees here on Christmas Day. There were literally people sunbathing on the beach on December 25th. Our school had a one hour delay today, but it was borked beyond all belief. No one knew what they were supposed to do, breakfast lasted until 9:45, and then my kids turned around and went to lunch at 10:45. Parents were acting like it was Snowmageddon, and we had not one cloud in the sky, much less snow. Really dumb decisions, all around.

Offspring turns 19 tomorrow. She is back at school, so we did most of our celebrating before she left, but I ordered a big basket of treats to be delivered to her at noon tomorrow. She texted me a pic of the basket, and "Thanks, Mom!" at noon today. Don't know why they sent it a day early, but I'm glad she liked it. She plans to dig in after dinner.

School is going well, though I am still hoping to get that other job. Am hoping to hear about an interview soon. (Their office was closed for the holidays until 1/5, just like school was, so that's why there has been no word.)

Health is better. Still not 100% completely well, but I just finished my antibiotics yesterday, and any remaining symptoms are (I feel) due to the back-and-forth weather. 80 one day, 45, the next...no wonder we al stay sick!

So sorry to hear about Waylon. I hate cancer. Hope he is able to rebound again.

A wedding in Hawaii, hm? Sounds good to me! Seriously though, I hope things level out for her.

Liz, Puerto Rico? Que bueno!

Everyone have a good week!

KLee

Andy said...

Hi everyone. How's everyone been?

Me? Well, let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Sometime around June or July I went into a drastic downward spiral. By August my house was a biohazard, and my friend Jeff came over and cleaned it almost single-handedly, which was a two-week process. He also moved in, and now acts as sort of a live-in maid. It is working out.

Now his girlfriend is also moving in, and she is going to pay me rent, which is very wonderful. She's extremely quiet and spends the entirety of her time in their room, so it's like she's not here at all. Plus, she was already staying here about 3 days a week, so really I'm just getting paid for it now.

So, I've shaken off the post-divorce fog and am functioning much better now. I'm regaining my piano skills that had lain dormant for 7 years and I'm closing in on my best 5K time from high school.

Also, I donated my hair.

Now then, the whines:

My Diesel dog voided in my slipper. It's pretty gross and smelly.

-I threw out my old slippers in the cleaning phase, so I have zero backup slippers available.

--The tag in the slipper specifically warns against using detergent on them and says to spot clean only. I've scrubbed them with a rag two days now and I'm not convinced they are clean yet.

---My mom got me some amazingly comfortable and warm new slippers for Christmas, but they have a tear in them and I want to exchange them.

----Every time I attempt to exchange them at Walmart, they don't have my size in. So I have to wear my tennis shoes around until I become convinced that my slippers are clean enough to wear.

kathy a. said...

KLee, sounds good, except the fake-snowmageddon! Hippo birdie to your Offspring!

ANDY! You should write more often! Don't even know where to start, but getting past the divorce and the biohazards are good. And donating your hair, that's just great karma. Sending virtual slippers, the kind w/o dog poop or tears. xoxo

Sue said...

Yay KLee - sounds like things are looking up! Happy Birthday to your Offspring!!

Hi Andy! Sorry to hear you've had such a rough time. I"m glad your friend has been there for you. The running and piano will always help to boost your spirit! Unfortunate about the slippers. :(

esperanza said...

KLee, I'm with you on the cold weather whine. Only a tiny bit warmer than that here. Crossing guard wearing his hunting coveralls!

Andy, so good to hear from you.

W: Waylon's news is not good. Six new lesions in his brain. MRI tomorrow on his spine. They are making tough decisions about quality of life vs. further treatment, which you should not even have to say for someone who is only 6. Doctor is saying months, not years. I can't even imagine. I don't want to imagine.

kathy a. said...

Esperanza, I'm so sorry. It's unimaginable for someone so young.

My adopted nephew died way too young of brain cancer. I'd be glad to talk with you about some pieces of grace in that heartbreaking story, should things continue going south. Sending so much love. xoxo

kathy a. said...

~ sneak sneak ~ I snuck a chocolate mousse cake into the restaurant, as an after-dinner surprise. :) Just waiting for the birthday girl, who hopefully will arrive before the reservation.

Liz said...

Sending love and gentle hugs to everyone who needs it, and especially Waylon and Andy.

W: Last day here. Returning to the real world tomorrow.

AW: This was a terrific vacation.

kathy a. said...

The dinner was so nice! But this weird thing happened -- we were in a room separate from the rest of the restaurant, and this woman came to the doorway and just stared at us for a while. Then she wanted to know what I was drinking, and she asked for a taste! I said no, we were having a private party, and she wandered off to inspect the other customers.

This woman was nicely dressed, middle aged, well groomed. She actually reminded me of my SIL; the kind of dementia SIL has just destroys social judgment. (She left a few minutes later.)

Sue said...

I'm so sorry to hear about Waylon, esperanza. It's unimaginably sad.

Yay for a great dinner kathy!

Liz, I"m glad you had such a nice vacation!!

kathy a. said...

What a great vacation, Liz!

esperanza said...

Yay for great vacations and birthday dinners and no-occasion flowers! (I was thinking about sending Sweet's kindergarten teacher some flowers, and now that I see how happy it makes the recipient, I think I'll do it!).

W: distracting myself from Waylon's situation with work on a project that is rapidly becoming one of kathy a's albatross projects. We were directed to think outside the box and propose something new. So we did. And now, predictably I suppose, people are scared to change the status quo.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Oh, esperanza. So many hugs. That's such sad news. (And considering that I know that the "further treatment versus quality of life" decision is hard in the case of a beloved 85-year-old in my life, I can't imagine how hard it would be with a child.)

Andy, I'm glad that your friend and his girlfriend are helping make things better in your home (and I'm glad to see you around here). But oh boy, the poop in the slippers is definitely award-worthy.

KLee, any place that was 80 on Christmas Day gets a pass for whining about that drastic of a temperature shift. I confess that I chuckled about NYC people on Twitter acting like 19F was the coldest ever (that's the perfect temperature for playing on the snow!, but that's because I expect places in New York state to handle SOME snow! Their homes are heated! Upstate New York gets more snow than Saskatchewan!

Liz, it sounds like you've had a wonderful vacation.

Sue, is your knee okay today? That's really concerning, even if you did break anything.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

W: of COURSE the day that I spend the morning trying to figure out how to survive until naptime will be the first time in forever that the toddler has trouble falling asleep for her nap. I was very close to giving up, when she (AW!) finally fell asleep. You guys, remind me to ignore Mr. Q when he suggests I make changes to anything connected to E's sleeping. At his suggestion, I experimented with leaving off the blackout cover on her window, and just used the venetian blinds and curtains. ("She needs to learn to be able to sleep with a little light!" No. I just need her to sleep.) I put the blackout cover back up, and even though it took her another twenty minutes, it finally worked.

AW: my landlord is the best landlord. He's going to put in blackout cellular blinds in the bedrooms, because the venetian blinds are useless. He came down and measured our window, as soon as E was asleep. He's also bought some LED lights to install under our cupboards in the kitchen.

kathy a. said...

Not saying that sleep adjustments are easy, but my husband made a horrible no good very bad decision to put blackout shades in our then-teen daughter's room, and that let her get completely off-the-map with sleep patterns. Even after she returned from college! So although I'm normally a fan of "whatever works," blackout shades are the work of the devil. IMO.

xoxo

kathy a. said...

Sorry, QWP! I just developed very strong feelings about this, being the one coping with the sleep mess-ups in teens and 20's.

Videos work for soothing and gentle distraction at E's age! Which I know is a plan with which some people disagree, but it is better than Mommy's head exploding. xoxo

esperanza said...

Here's the situation you're both describing: Person Who Does Not Spend Majority of Time Parenting makes decision/suggestion/promise that Person Who Does Spend Majority of Time Parenting then has to cope with the consequences, unintended though they may have been. *That* is the part that gets my goat. Ahem.

Sue said...

W: achy today and aware that I am not a young woman.

AW: no major injuries. My wrist/hand is swollen but fine. My knee isn't swollen anymore, just bruised and sore.

kathy a. said...

Glad you are Ok, Sue, but ouchie!

Old skool: the wire thingy in the icemaker that makes it stop when the tray is full? It pulled out, somehow, and so the icemaker keeps doing its thing, and there is a lot of ice. And I feel bad, so haven't fixed it.

Queen of West Procrastination said...

How much excess ice are we talking about? I have this vision of the freezer making endless piles of ice, Sorcerer's-Apprentice-style.

AW: E ended up having a really good nap, and it rescued our day. It's strange: logic tells me there should be a little light in her room during naptime, and then dark at night, but she sleeps perfectly when it's sensory-deprivation-level dark in there. She naps for the right amount of time in the afternoon, and goes right to sleep at night. She's always had trouble sleeping with any light in her room: our old apartment had massive south-facing windows (and we were on the top floor of an apartment building in a treeless area in the sunny prairies), and even with her massive blinds, there was so much light in her room. Once spring arrived, she had SO much trouble sleeping. It's the thing I've been trying to get through to Mr. Q: she was already like this. We just adapted to her preferences. (Actually, she loves the dark. Her favourite spot is the back of her closet.)

So, I'm really excited about the cellular blinds my landlord ordered. They should be a good balance between Sensory Deprivation and Mom, My Curtains Are Glowing! I'm Never Sleeping Again!

(Wow, that's a whole essay on toddler sleep. Guess what occupies all my thoughts?)

esperanza said...

I am amazed/surprised/impressed at how in tune to natural cycles our kids are, Mini in particular. She sleeps WAY WAY WAY more hours in the winter than in the summer. They arise naturally at sunrise, adapting throughout the year. I think I'm missing out or ignoring some cues from nature.

kathy a. said...

My comments about the evils of blackout shades may be totally inapplicable to people not yet teens. Or to some people altogether! Ahem.

It was a lotta ice. I saved many cubes, cleared a lot that had overflowed to the bottom of the freezer, and tossed probably 2-3 gallons into the sink -- it was necessary to run hot water over the mess to get the wire thingy free. Mr. Fixit fixed it -- my arms aren't really long enough to get to the right places, anyway.

Liz said...

Muffin Man used to need complete darkness to sleep, then he changed to needing a nightlight, now he can sleep in any level light conditions from complete darkness to bright noon.

esperanza said...

I need someone to fix the thing where Baboos whine all week about getting up at 6:00, then on Saturday wake up at 5:45 all on their own, ready to start the day. What fixes that?

kathy a. said...

The memorial for my good friend's wife is today. It is across the country; won't be able to make it. Sigh. I think they are sending a DVD of the photos and music, which is really sweet.

Liz said...

W: three words, "10 degrees, Fahrenheit"

Toto, I think we're not in Rincon anymore

Liz said...

(((Kathy)))

Esperanza: Nothing fixes that. But setting out self-serve breakfast snacks and videos you don't let them watch at any other time buys you some time to sleep in.

Liz said...

For videos I recommend the tried and true Tom & Jerry, Loony Toons, classic Disney cartoons, and movies you can't stand watching yourself one. more. time (like fireplacing Aladdin).

Queen of West Procrastination said...

Esperanza, I think the Baboos and E are in cahoots. On Friday night, Mr. Q said, "It'll be nice not to have to wake up at 6 tomorrow morning." I reminded him that we have a toddler (who woke up just before 6 on Saturday morning). And my parents did tyre same thing Liz suggests: self-serve breakfast foods, and the rule that it can only be quiet books and toys until everyone is awake.

Kathy a: my sister deals with the same disputed sleep phases as your daughter, particularly since she moved into a basement. What ended up working (except for when she gets a migraine and ends up sleeping it off, and then has trouble sleeping at night) was melatonin at bedtime and a SAD lamp first thing in the morning. I also use a SAD lamp (both because of seasonal depression and because I also live in a basement), and even when E sleeps in, I can't sleep past 7am anymore.

Liz, I'm heartened to hear that MM's need for absolute dark was just a phase.

(((Kathy))) It's really tough having to miss a memorial. (I've had to do that a few too many times, especially when I lived far from home.) Is there any mutual friend that you could chat with, and talk about your memories about her? Or some small memorial act you can do? It would be really nice if you could see the DVD.

kathy a. said...

Thanks, QWP. I wanted to be there for her husband, who is a good friend, but it was not possible. When she was first diagnosed, the prognosis was grim -- like, 30 days if the surgery didn't work, and not a lot in the way of known treatment options; but she lived 3.5 years, and most of that was feeling decent. I sewed a happy quilt when she was first sick, and hope that brought comfort.

Her husband and I have had a 3-way email conversation with another lawyer for years, and that included all the ups and downs; they kept it private for a long while. I really admired her so much for the amazing work she did, and she was a lovely person. We'll keep talking, and get together again when we can.

esperanza said...

Y'all keep on chatting and whining.

Awards are likely not happening, but hugs to everyone.

KLee said...

I mentioned on the book of faces that a neighborhood kitten that we had sort of adopted was a little under the weather -- goopy eye and sneezing. I asked for help on how to treat her at home since I can't afford to take her to the vet. Several people chimed in with ideas. I had barely gotten started on treating her when she disappeared.

Unfortunately, my husband told me that when he went out this morning, he found the kitten, who we'd named Pumpkin, on our doorstep in pieces. He thinks that maybe she had gotten up into a car and been torn apart by a fan.

He didn't want to upset me, so he didn't want to tell me, but he knew I would keep worrying about her and looking for her. He knew I'd be heartbroken by her loss, and he was right.

I wish I could have done more for her. I know that she isn't hurting anymore, but that really isn't a comfort. Just so sad.

Liz said...

(((KLee)))