I have been writing this post for THREE DAYS! How does that happen? Things are busy and, and it has honestly been a little hard to find positive things to write about, but here we are! At least I made an attempt.
AVOIDING CONSEQUENCES. I dropped one of my (relatively new) AirPods Pro into a bucket of water earlier this week, but after 24 hours of drying time it still works! I also got pulled over on Wednesday, but they let me go without a ticket. (I got pulled over for doing something dumb even though I KNEW a sheriff was in front of me! I had just gotten off the phone with my husband about the bad thing that happened Monday, so I was super distracted.) I am VERY THANKFUL for avoiding serious financial repercussions both times.
PRESENTS. I believe I’m done buying presents. I got a couple of stocking stuffers this week and I feel pretty good about where I am. I still need to wrap everything, but I always do that a couple days before Xmas. I even thought of something I actually want for my parents to get us. They will get us something regardless, so I appreciate having them get something I would have gotten anyway.
WORK: Last week was my last five day week of work in 2024. Thursday was the last horrible Thursday (and boy was it a doozy). All my 7/8th grade classes took assessments and I ALREADY SCORED THEM! The 8th grade classes actually got their group books read and are planning their movie trailers and should be able to film them next week. It’s only supposed to rain on Monday, so they should be able to be outside to film. I got all the classes to where they need to be before the break, despite losing a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I really appreciate when my plans at work aren’t totally thwarted.
MARRIAGE: My marriage has been a pretty lonely place to be lately. My husband is very unhappy at work, exhausted all the time, and going to bed early most nights. I feel like I have been walking around on eggshells lately, and it’s hard to give myself permission to ask for what I want and need when he’s struggling to much. But I’ve kept asking! And this past week we’ve had some talks and things seem to be getting better. Last night we actually hung out!
KIDS: The other day my husband remarked that it feels like the kids are demanding a lot more than they are giving right now and I couldn’t agree more. We took them to see Let’s Glow on Friday night and they spent most of the outing complaining for various reasons. By the end they decided they had had fun, and I’m sure their memories will reflect that, but it didn’t leave a lot of room for anyone else to have fun. And yet, watching Silo with the 14yo has been so great. And having the 11yo at sparring has been awesome too. I think at this age the highs are so high and lows can be frustratingly low. But I’m trying hard to focus on the highs.
CHECKING BOXES: Getting things done on Sunday still counts as getting them done, right? And that is what I’m doing today. I FINALLY took the three heaping bags of clothes to the Salvation Army drop off center. Tomorrow night we’re putting the fridge out for pick up on Tuesday morning. I downloaded the three receipts I need to put in my last child care reimbursement. I’m feeling pretty good about December’s goals. Which is good because…
MAKING PLANS. We just (like two hours ago), rented a cabin near the snow to take the kids for a couple days before Christmas. So now we’re leaving Saturday and getting home Christmas Eve. This may seem insane, and sometimes it feels like it’s a nuts idea, but I think it will ultimately be good. Cons: We lose days with our decorations before Xmas; I need to have all the presents wrapped before we go; the 14yo won’t go to physical therapy until the end of break, instead of the beginning of it (I’m hoping to fix that tomorrow when I call to see if anyone else is available before Jan 2nd); someone has to cover my Teens class on Saturday. Pros: I have Friday off and no one else does, so I can wrap all the presents and pack us up before we go (this is the only reason I even considered this); the final days before Christmas can be interminable and this will definitely help distract the kids; the 11yo is getting a PS5 (lord helps us all) and we’d rather he be away from home before he gets it, rather than afterward; I won’t have an opportunity to do any last minute shopping for presents I absolutely do NOT need to buy.
I really am happy we made these last minute plans. I had been wanting to go somewhere, since we had A LOT of days to burn, and we wanted to go to the snow this year, so now we’re killing two bird with one stone. We just go to play in the snow, and should be enough up there for our needs. The kids are excited by the proposition, and I think we’ll have a good time.
I’m glad you didn’t get a citation when you were pulled over! And goodness, I hope the time in the snow is quiet and relaxing. Those teen years can be so hard, I remember a lot of complaining, and I feel like my kid was pretty easy on the whole scale of easy – difficult. Hang in there, and I’m glad you are finding bright spots.
Thank you. You lifted my spirits.
They needed lifting.
You get so much done in so little time. Glad the grading got done and your kids got to see the lights! Snow time sounds great and being holiday ready is lovely.
Proud of you!
Glad you avoided dire financial consequences and have all your presents bought! Sounds like things are stressful right now, but there are definitely bright spots.
You mini vacation sounds GREAT. And, good timing- once your son gets the PS5 he won’t want to leave for a cabin in the woods. You’ll also have a low-stress leadup to Christmas which will be nice. My last few days before Christmas are jam-packed, so I’m envious.