Changing the cats’ food. We have been feeding the cats the same thing for 2.5 years. We’ve always had to monitor their meals because Serval (the fat cat) always finishes first, and wants to help Panther (the skinny black cat) eat the rest of her food. That has been annoying, to say the least. This week I’ve been trying to slowly change Serval’s food so that he’s eventually eating entirely Urinary Care c/d prescription food, ideally mostly wet food. This has been hard because Panther is VERY interested in the new foods, so I’ve been giving a lot of it to her too, even though it’s expensive prescription food that she doesn’t need (but can eat, it’s fine the vet said). Serval is finally eating all of the prescription dry, but will only eat the prescription wet for a day or two before he starts refusing it. This is bad. because he needs to eat some wet food for his chronic constipation, not just his urinary issues. It’s been so stressful and so annoying and I’m so over it. I’m also over cleaning up throw up, which is still happening every other day (when we attempt a new wet food). Boo. This sucks and I want it to be over.
Keeping track of deliveries and returns. A lot of Christmas presents are coming in, and a lot of things need to be returned. But it’s hard to keep track of everything, and to make sure I have the correct items, packaged in the correct ways, being returned to the correct spots. I’ve even had to return a bunch of cat food this week! It’s just a lot, and it’s stressful, and I’m frustrated that I made so many mistakes in my ordering, so that all this returning is necessary.
Managing the kids’ (and husband’s) expectations. Everyone has expectations during a break, and they don’t all line up! As is always the case, I feel like I’m the cruise director in charge of managing everyone’s wants and needs during this week off. Unfortunately, when friends are involved, there is only so much I can do to ensure we’re all getting quality time with our preferred people. It doesn’t help that I’m also tasked with limiting screen time and requiring chore completion. All in all, it’s a pretty demanding, and thankless job. Yay for being a mother!
Managing my own expectations. I knew going into the break that I was not going to accomplish all I set out to do, but I’m still feeling bummed out by how few big ticket items I’ll be able to cross off my to-do list at the end of the week. I really wanted to steam clean all the upstairs floors, but with the constant cat throw up, I’ll need to table that, probably until the winter break. I could still do a deep clean downstairs (the cats don’t go there), but I’m not sure when that will get done. I keep reminding myself that the upstairs bathroom did get done. The Christmas tree is up, the lights are on, and it’s been affixed to the wall (good thing too, because Panther already climbed up into it). And the main calendar is done, I just need to make copies and edit it for my parents and the inlaws. This isn’t nothing. But it also feels like not enough.
I’m even falling short of my NaBloPoMo posting and commenting expectations. I want to be so much more involved and present, and I am definitely failing at that. I’m lucky if I comment on four or five blogs a day, and eek out a post before midnight. Blerg. Where is all the time I was supposed to have this week?!
Spiraling about winter break (and sring 2026). Like last year, we’re not doing much this year. I was struck, when I created the calendar, that besides the trip to the snow during last year’s winter break, all our photos were basically from the summer. We just didn’t really do anything memorable during the rest of the year. This year is set to be more of the same – except our snow trip is in February (that I am not personally excited about)- so nothing at all will happen this coming winter break, or really at all until next summer. The husband went to Amsterdam in October and is going to Berlin in two weeks (both for work) and it feels like I have nothing to look forward to. It’s kind of bumming me out.
I know we’re very lucky to do the traveling we do do in the summer, and I know many families don’t get to travel at all. I just feel like I need something to stand out, and even attempts at smaller trips have fallen flat. I tried to plan a trip to visit my friend in New York over Spring Break (I am off the week after my kids are this year), but she only can take on day off that week, so it feels like it wouldn’t be worth it for such expensive flights (she lives in Albany, not NYC, so it doesn’t make as much sense for me to be there while she’s working). I was trying to figure out a road trip to LA over the winter break, but even that doesn’t really make sense with our friends’ availability. My friends and I have been trying to plan a weekend away for over a year, and now a few of them have family complications that make anything for the next six months impossible. Right now Christmas break, and all the months in 2026 before summer are just stretched out before me, a big block of monotony. It doesn’t feel great. I need to change my mindset to be sure.
Cat vomit … UGH. Very best wishes!!!! Much sympathy. Changing cat diets is HARD.
Cleaning is ongoing all of life, a constant issue. Lots of support and it takes huge patience and repetition to teach the younger generation. Do think deep clean while dealing with ‘cat issues’ does best if postponed til Christmas break especially as it will come very soon.
Managing other people’s expectations ON TOP OF YOUR OWN WISHES AND DESIRES is huge. Give yourself a lot of praise for owning your own and good luck re everyone else’s cause I think that is basically a no-win reality thing. Hope they acknowledge your efforts to blance desires and realities and tell you thank you. (Yes, I do dream impossible dreams.)
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WRITING ALL MONTH. YOU ARE SO MUCH APPRECIATED AND ADMIRED!
Ah thanks (blushes). I talked with the husband more about the travel stuff last night and realized that it would help if we had more solid plans for when we want to do some major trips with the kids (Hong Kong + Japan), maybe Puerto Rico at some point. If I knew when we hoped to do those big trips, it would help me to quiet down my wanderlust in the near term.
Hi! I mostly lurk here but feel compelled to ask if you would consider taking a solo trip? Maybe 1-2 nights at a hotel or airbnb within driving distance. Would give you something to look forward to without all the difficult of planning around other people’s schedules. I am the default parent and do an annual solo retreat and find it really helpful to my mental health!
This is such a busy time of the year. I don’t blame you for feeling like you’re managing everybody’s expectations and not meeting your own.
Don’t beat yourself about falling short of your own NaBloPoMo expectations. It’s a lo to blog every day AND keep up with everyone else. As you can tell, I also batch comment (mostly on weekends) because I just don’t have enough hours in a day during the week.