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Post by August Blooms on May 10, 2020 11:51:51 GMT -6
Happy Mother’s Day! I’m at work so I won’t see everyone until later this afternoon, I plan on grabbing the kids and doing a sidewalk/porch visit with my mom when I get home. DH said he preplanned and got me a gift, I have no idea what to expect.
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Post by August Blooms on May 10, 2020 11:52:59 GMT -6
danvers We are doing a ton of laundry but also potty training and the kids are wearing PJ’s a lot. It should offset but it’s not 🤷🏼♀️
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cythe
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Post by cythe on May 10, 2020 16:01:46 GMT -6
Happy mothers day, ladies! We are also breaking quarantine and going to see my mom for mothers day. Unfortunately H cannot travel outside of 50 miles from our home so he has to stay here. I'm not looking forward to 6 hours in the car tomorrow. SEND HELP.
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Post by duskymonkey on May 10, 2020 23:52:03 GMT -6
Just wanted to pop in to wish everyone a happy mother's day albeit a tad late. I think I may have posted this last year but I really love this from DS last year. This year he drew me a cake with mommy written on it all on his own! Hope everyone had a great day
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Post by CoachTsWife on May 11, 2020 8:32:26 GMT -6
Happy Belated Mother's Day, O17! I hope you all had an enjoyable day!
We had already added our parents to our germ circle so we went to see my Mom Friday night and Saturday. She was tickled to have us stay overnight and the extra time with me since when she comes to help us, DH and I are always working and I work downstairs away from everyone so we really don't get quality time together when she's here. We also got to "see" my grandma. We drove to the nursing home, called her, and she drove her wheelchair to the 'visiting window' and we talked to each other on the phone while looking through the glass. DS2 could not understand why we couldn't go inside. He just kept saying "I want to go see her!!".
We had a really chill day at home yesterday, which was nice.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on May 12, 2020 7:37:57 GMT -6
Happy belated Mother’s Day O17! We had a nice day over here - I received a handmade card from DS1 and DH got me flowers. We ate my favorite breakfast (which DH and DS1 prepared), and then just had a nice day at home. danvers Yes - the locals celebrate Mother’s Day in August. It’s even a local holiday where everyone gets a day off from work. We tend to not celebrate it for me, but for our nanny - who is a mom and is really good to our kids. So we always take her out for a nice meal or do something special with her and her daughter on that day. Sounds like everyone had a nice time celebrating! August Blooms - what did your DH end up having planned for you? cythe - how did the car ride go? CoachTsWife Glad you were able to have some quality time with your mom, and that you could at least see/chat with your grandma. That is bittersweet. duskymonkey - That poem and hand print is so sweet and thoughtful. I love it.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on May 12, 2020 16:33:40 GMT -6
Taitai Thats so sweet you celebrate your nanny for Mothers Day there. I bet your boys are very close to her - a bit like extended family maybe while your on the other side of the world. Our girls go to a large center so drop-off staff is different from classroom teachers is different from nap and lunch teachers and so on. We love the center but aside from the nursery staff (who dont change) we haven’t gotten super close to any of them.
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Post by duskymonkey on May 12, 2020 22:22:18 GMT -6
August Blooms that's super great that you're almost PT! We're getting some poops in the potty here too, more than in the diaper so it's a start; it's with some fights and bunny marshmallow bribes though but I'll take that. It's also been hard since DS has been home, lil fella has been holding it in and constipating himself so convincing him to go potty has been an ordeal with trying to homeschool DS and trying to keep to a schedule. I've also allowed the kids to be in PJs but that backfired cos they're wearing out their PJ bottoms and I've been having to patch them up so now they changeout their bottoms in the morning LOL! They're generally pretty good about not getting food on their clothes plus they still wear bibs! I also hope you and H are doing well. This whole situation just makes it so much harder in so many aspects. danvers, we're only doing laundry 2x a week as opposed to every other day however, I am mopping the dining area 2-3x a day and cleaning the toilet every other day if not everyday since DS seems to not aim right ugh! so I am going through cleaning supplies and nervous that overtime I go to the store the shelves are empty.
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Post by duskymonkey on May 12, 2020 22:48:22 GMT -6
cythe hope your ride to your mom was uneventful. CoachTsWife, I am glad you got to see family. Hubs and I were talking and how even we're feeling the isolation too even though we're very much home bodies and aren't social. Just being able to run out whenever we like to to get soemthings or take the boys out to the playground and just stop and chat with neighbors. As the weather is getting to be nicer, we also like to take the boys on short hiking trips but the easy trails close by has been been reported to be packed and DS cannot be trusted to not run up to people. The good thing with all this is that we've become so much more appreciative of each other as partners and we feel so fortunate.
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Post by duskymonkey on May 12, 2020 23:02:06 GMT -6
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Post by CoachTsWife on May 13, 2020 7:53:38 GMT -6
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Post by duskymonkey on May 13, 2020 9:31:27 GMT -6
I’m pretty sure I can endure any form of medieval torture better than trying to teach the kinder how to write a sentence 😖🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ danvers teachers are incredible warriors!
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Post by duskymonkey on May 13, 2020 9:44:02 GMT -6
CoachTsWife WTF right!! Crowded plus no one is wearing masks and kids running around. I am sorry for those people putting their own selfish needs ahead of the well being of their children. Shame on them.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on May 13, 2020 10:36:33 GMT -6
I’m pretty sure I can endure any form of medieval torture better than trying to teach the kinder how to write a sentence 😖🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ danvers teachers are incredible warriors! Kindergarten teachers are a special kind of miracle worker. Seriously. Ten year olds are where it’s at because they know how to read and write and do basic math and they’re still cute and funny and little. Kindergarten though 😳😳😳😳 I will be very sad for DD1 if Kindergarten is online in the fall. Like, not sad because we are stopping the virus and saving peoples lives — that’s all well and good and we should definitely do that! Just sad that she gets cheated out of such a big kid type experience. Yes there will be other school years and whatever - I know. I just, I can’t imagine what it will be like to teach online my own students and try to have a kindergarten experience for DD1.
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Post by August Blooms on May 13, 2020 12:23:20 GMT -6
Taitai He ended up getting me a Kate Spade wallet and a steak dinner. I would have been fine with the steak but the wallet was a nice surprise. duskymonkey This whole situation has actually made things a lot easier on our marriage. We are lucky that we aren’t overly stressed about finances or overworked, no crazy commutes or feeling that grind, and we actually have time to spend together. With all the noise gone, we figured out we still actually like one another lol DD2 was getting constipated from holding it in but the one time she successfully went poop we gave he a ton of jelly beans and that seemed to have worked. I’ve pretty much tossed homeschooling out the window, we try and get one or two things done a day and it’s usually a fight. I have an easier time letting her use the iPad to learn Spanish or learn to draw from youtube. Luckily the schools are relaxed but I feel bad for the teachers doing all the work and not sending back anything in return.
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Post by CoachTsWife on May 13, 2020 13:39:31 GMT -6
August Blooms I'm so happy to hear that things are looking up for you and your H!
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danvers
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Post by danvers on May 13, 2020 19:08:29 GMT -6
I just need to vent and suggestions: My 5 year old is making me crazy. Whining over everything, crying whenever DD2 touches anything of hers. Easily frustrated,, complains H and I never spend anytime with her, and just recently she started to stop sleeping well.
I know a lot of this is stemming from 7+ weeks at home. Her little extroverted self never met a stranger and now all she has is us.
We've tried: - 1:1 time with her - special car trips, whether just to drive around or an actual “errand” like getting ice cream at the DQ drive thru - FaceTime friends and family - time to play alone somewhere without DD2 nearby - ???????
It’s really wearing on H and I. We try to tag in for the other when needed, especially in the evenings and nights when it seems the worst. She was our child with golden behavior and now!?!?!?!
What are you alls tips for 4/5/6 year old age range? Our state is slowly lifting restrictions but we don’t feel great about sending her to daycare again, libraries and playgrounds will be closed for another month or so... and I’m just at a lost.
*DD2, who used to be more of an handful, is living her best life now. Her little introverted self could not be happier to be home with just us. She’s so helpful picking up toys, very silly, loves to cuddle, and will play for an hour+ by herself.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on May 14, 2020 7:06:23 GMT -6
August Blooms Yay for the late spade wallet and a steak dinner! I’m really happy to hear that things are improving for you two again. That’s fantastic news. danvers So sorry to hear about your DD1 - for what it’s worth, my DS1 is 5 and he can be quite emotional/disruptive too. He’s always been that way though, so I guess we’re more used to handling it. Do you have any friends that are good about social distancing, and who you would feel safe regularly having play dates with? One of the awesome things for us has been that the kids on our compound are able to play with each other through this COVID thing (as we all rarely leave and the transmission risk is very low within our little community). DS1 has a girl who is in his same grade, and they get together every day. It really helps to mix things up and give him some diversity/outlet for imaginary play with a peer.
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Post by duskymonkey on May 14, 2020 23:04:57 GMT -6
August Blooms I am so happy to hear things are looking up for both of you. Marriage is hardwork with lots of bumps and with kids....oh man! honestly hubs and I argue mostly about the kids and around the kids. Hubs vacuumed the house last Sunday without me even asking and this is huge to me lol! For us it's the little things. Thumbs up for the KS wallet and dinner! danvers, I remember a year ago, hubs and I were saying how DS cries and whines more than lil fella? this could be a phase and likely made worse due to an abrupt change in her routine? He is improved since a year ago and a little kinder to lil fella. One thing we did was nightly when tucking him into bed, we chatted about his day and especially his behavior and what he can do to be better etc. It helped for us - I think? Big hugs.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on May 15, 2020 8:50:53 GMT -6
Thanks Taitai and duskymonkey - I hope it’s just a phase for her. We are planning on seeing my parents at the beginning of June (who have super strict about SIP) and my mom is trying to plan some 1:1 stuff for her so I’m hopeful it helps. I ran away to get H’s oil changed today. The guy just came to apologize and tell me if will be another 20 minutes before I even get in because of something or other. Poor guy doesn’t know how nice it is to sit her quietly and mess around on social media. No one is talking to me or touching me 😂😂😂 It will be lunch in a few minutes too so I may swing by Chipotle before returning home.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on May 18, 2020 19:45:02 GMT -6
Suggestions on good places to get wide toddler shoes? Preferably with free shipping?
We go with Stride Rite currently but they aren’t cheap. DD2 is growing like a weed and shoes are the one thing that’s been hard to pass down from big sister to little sister because the girls are so rough on them. She’s got fat little toddler feet (in the sweetest way) that make it hard for me just to search Amazon.
Good brands or stores online I should check out?
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on May 19, 2020 7:38:01 GMT -6
danvers I’m not much help on the shoes, but have you tried pedipeds? My DS1 has wide feet, and they work for him! Both DS1 and DS2 live in crocs 99% of the time though, but going that route is risky! To borrow from Star Wars, “Once you start down the Crocs path, forever will it dominate your shoe destiny!”
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on May 19, 2020 7:41:02 GMT -6
They are opening up more things here now, which has been really nice. The pool at our building is now open - 1 family per 1 hour reservation slot. The playground equipment is still off limits everywhere, but the parks are now open, as are restaurants malls/stores. Some beaches and resorts are slowly opening up too. No borders opening yet, which is probably for the best. Where we live is a really popular tourist destination, and I think opening those flood gates is too risky at this time.
I am still working from home though - and the kids are still doing online school. Pretty sure they will finish out the school year online. Bummer.
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Post by duskymonkey on May 19, 2020 23:28:11 GMT -6
danvers I just popped in to add that I forgot to mention around 5 & 6, I remember talking to a fellow mom about big emotions. Everything is a BIG deal to them at this age. We're also a SR family and I've managed to actually get all of the boys shoes for under or around $27 from amazon. I keep an eye out all the damn time for deals. I did get a squeaky shoe Ikiki from amazon link
You can switch off the squeak and lil fella loves it. They are great for fat toddler feet and so easy to get them on cos you know getting them dressed is like wrestling with a honey badger! They're also a hand me down from DS. I'll look at size comparison to SR shoes. PreCV isolation, I saw that Target has a line of See Kai Run shoes and they were reasonably priced so that could be another option. I hear they're good shoes. I just haven't veered from SR due to not knowing sizes with other brands compared to SR. Also have you looked at SR site? They run sales all the time with free shipping or have B2G1 etc. Another site my sister cruises is 6pm.com. Most of our shoes are hand me downs from my sister so 4 boys! however as they get older, my nephew is destroying them lol! so I've been having to buy when DS was 4 yrs old.
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Post by CoachTsWife on May 22, 2020 12:30:57 GMT -6
IDK why but this week has really gone by fast. WEIRD! It's been really gloomy all week and it's really affecting me. We've had an incredibly cool and cloudy May and everyone just wants sunshine and warmer temps. Together with DH's brother's family, we purchased MIL a group family photo session for Christmas. We were supposed to do it in April but are finally doing it this weekend. My ILs have been in our germ circle for a bit but we haven't seen my husband's brothers family for months. Not sure if is the right thing to do - to expose us to their family - but they have to travel 2.5 hours to come to us for the pictures, making it more difficult to schedule, and we were actually all free this weekend, so we're going for it. MIL is incredibly excited; I hope we get some good shots.
I hope everyone has a happy Memorial Day weekend! We're going to my Mom's on Monday and will go by the cemetery and place flowers on my dad's, my brother-in-law's, and my grandparents graves. I have fond memories of traveling to tiny, country cemeteries with my parents and grandparents to pay respect and place flowers on graves of relatives I'd never met. It's an important tradition that I don't want to let die.
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Post by duskymonkey on May 22, 2020 22:58:09 GMT -6
Gosh this was the last week of school! I am not sure if I should celebrate or what!!?? This week felt like such a rough week and I felt totally like the SNL skit below. Meh!
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Post by duskymonkey on May 22, 2020 23:26:56 GMT -6
CoachTsWife, it's just so strange to not be able to just do stuff IYKWIM and you're not alone in feeling just out of sorts. I know I am even though as hubs and I keep saying that it makes no difference for us cos we don't really socialize much or even go out all that much but just the fact that we feel so anxious to just even go out for necessary things - just food now, that it just feels so strange and I am still at this point the only one running out for items once a week. Hubs finally went out last Sunday to HD and Lowes to get some landscape fabric because he tried ordering it for curb pick up and they kept bringing him out the wrong stuff even though he ordered the other stuff. I also finally got fed up with ours overflowing fruit bowl that I bought a 3 tiered fruit stand and it almost gets all the fruit contained. Weather is still cool here but finally warming up so I've not had to keep hauling my tomatoes in and out every day. I will be putting the basil and peppers out tomorrow. Usually by this weekend, I would be getting some annuals to fill my front porch and back patio but I don't want to go out and have to stand in line with the herds. There's a local greenhouse I would go too but they don't open on the weekends and I am not comfortable draggingg the kids with me. Gah! Also I love that tradition of visiting the cemetery and honoring family. In my culture we actually have a specific day in which we do that and it's usually around April/May annually where families would gather and clean ancestral gravesites and offer food and prayer. My cousins still carry on this tradition since they live there and one day I'd like to be able to bring the boys home if possible. Every time I go home, I would go back to visit my grandparents gravesite and offer prayers.
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Post by duskymonkey on May 22, 2020 23:30:52 GMT -6
So since this thread is May Flowers, show me your bloomin fleurs! It's been crazy windy here this week and today was no exception but I managed to snap these 2 beauties I have currently in full bloom.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on May 23, 2020 8:16:17 GMT -6
Happy Memorial Day weekend O17! duskymonkey Beautiful flowers! I’ll try to go out to our garden and snap a few shots of the frangipani trees/flowers we have all over the place. I am sure they’ll remind you of “home.” CoachTsWife I think that is a lovely tradition to visit the graves of family members on Memorial Day. I’m so sorry your dad and BIL are no longer with you, that must be hard. I hope the photo goes well with your ILs! I understand the internal struggle on that one, but it seems like it’s important. As long as everyone is healthy - I’d go through with it. Especially if the photos are outside.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on May 23, 2020 8:21:47 GMT -6
Things are opening up here, but it just feels really weird with all of the social distancing, sanitation, app scanning to access places, masks required by law, and measuring markers everywhere to make sure people don’t stand too close together. The economic toll is now becoming even more apparent - lots of small businesses, cafes/restaurants, and even stores in the mall are boarded up/shut down. And that is only after a 2 month lockdown. I really wonder what is in store for us as we continue with the closed borders (tourism accounts for about 20% of the economy here).
In happier news, new cases have been in the single digits for the past few weeks, yesterday 0 cases. We’re starting to see some friends and have the kids play with their school buddies at various homes. DH and I also went out to a restaurant for a date night (lots of social distancing practices in play of course), and it was great to get out. Still weird, but awesome to not be at home with our kids for a few hours!
Monday is not a holiday here, so normal weekend for us.
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