I am still pretty low. The upcoming presidential election is well on its way to being fully compromised. And apparently we are going to have a do-over of the whole “a non-white political candidate must not have been born here” thing. The United States Postal Service, which I love, is in serious jeopardy. And Congress…went on a break? I guess? See you later, folks! Don’t worry about us!
Meanwhile, our school system is still planning partial in-person school, and they do have a remote option but the remote option is that they MIGHT have some teachers teaching only remotely but they don’t know which teachers will be doing that or which classes will be available, so if we want to we can make our own separate plans, homeschooling or classes through a different online high school, and can we please let them know right now which way we are going to do it. WE CANNOT MAKE THOSE CHOICES WITHOUT MORE INFORMATION. Whenever I feel like going into a full freak-out about this, I remember most of us are in the same boat: there just ISN’T the information we need. Wringing my hands doesn’t result in the creation of more information.
Also I have gone back on keto, which I was reluctant to tell you about because of how I would have felt when I was off keto if someone had said they were going back on it. (PRETTY BAD.) It was a combination of two things, and I hope those two things will relieve your mind: i.e., that you will be able to think “Ah! Yes, perhaps if I had those two things, I too would go back on a diet during a pandemic, but I do NOT have those two things, and if Swistle had not had those two things, she would not be on a diet either, so we are still on the same page.”
The first thing was the much smaller thing, so I will mention it first, and it’s that I hit a weight-gain level that felt less worth it. Up until that point, I’d felt shruggy: I could not feel it was important enough to worry about during a pandemic. Also, I have a pretty wide range of weights I feel comfortable at, and I was still comfortable. But I FELT myself go past that mark, and I was no longer comfortable. Still, if it hadn’t been for the second thing, I would still have been shruggy about it: yes, I’d prefer to be a different weight / more comfortable, but it is not important enough to justify the actions that would need to be taken to achieve that right now.
It was the second thing that really mattered, and it was this: I stopped feeling the thrill of the unrestricted food options. For MONTHS, I would wake up feeling bad in one way or another (discouraged! angry! anxious!), and then I would remember I could have a bagel or cereal with breakfast, and/or sugar in my coffee, and I would perk right up and go humming into the shower. Mid-day I would remember I had to make dinner, and then I would remember it could be something delicious and I could eat it too, and I would perk right up and start looking through my recipe file to see what I might like to eat. After a delicious lunch (with potato chips! and/or coleslaw! and/or potato salad!) I would have a cupcake and I would RELISH it and feel so lucky and happy. And all of those things stopped happening. I still ENJOYED the food, but if the thrill level had been at a 10 for all those months, now it was at about a 2. The situation went from WELL WORTH IT to NOT well worth it.
Also, many of the practical/logistical considerations had cleared up: eggs, meat, and cheese are no longer restricted or hard to acquire. I’ve gotten accustomed to shopping less frequently, and I’ve become less stressed about it. I don’t feel anymore that cruising-for-disordered-eating feeling of needing to dramatically reduce how much I eat of the precious supplies. And Paul went on a diet, which first of all thanks I hate it, and secondly means I felt pretty resentful to have gone off my restricted foods list in order to make grocery shopping simpler and less stressful, and then have him make it more difficult and stressful again.
I thought about it for awhile, wondering if it was something I actually wanted to go back to, and then I got to that magical and hard-to-manufacture point of Feeling I Was Ready To Do It, and then I did it. It has been a rough week. When I was doing keto before, I could even take off, say, five days for a vacation, and then go right back to it with maybe just a slight Low feeling the first day. But after more like four and a half months, it was like starting all over, with the queasiness and exhaustion and everything, and feeling like there’s nothing I want to eat. Well, I remember it from last time, and I remember it stopped being like that and then it just felt normal, so I am leaning on that memory.
And it might not TAKE. I might do this for a couple of weeks and then think NOPE: too hard to shop, too hard to cook food I can’t eat, too hard to cope with the news without kettle corn, too hard to handle five kids doing school at home if I can’t start the morning with a bagel and end lunch with a cupcake. Or maybe I will be on it until the next time I feel the desperate need for the support of delicious unrestricted foods—in, say, November. We will just see.
Sorry again for talking about dieting during a pandemic. I know it can be discouraging to hear about. Even when I AM dieting during a pandemic, I find it discouraging to hear about other people doing it. But also, I don’t feel right when it seems like I’m keeping something secret from you, and I can tell that’s happening when I go day after day after day without writing anything: it’s like I have to tell you the thing first. So I thought, let’s get it over with, and then we can go back to normal.
Let’s talk about something else. Tell me something that’s on your birthday/holiday wish list.
This is all very relatable. I am edging toward being ready to do keto again as well. I just feel… bad about myself, and uncomfortable, and like I might need to shop for new clothes, and I don’t like any of those things. So I am fully with you. I am starting to hate cooking with a passion, which I think may be level 1 of “not feeling excited about eating everything and anything I want to.” Like, if I can’t even get a little delight out of making pasta then… why am I doing it? If I’m going to feel lackluster about whatever I eat, it might as well be about a hotdog or a plate of eggs. But I am still enjoying a bowl of cracklin oat bran for dessert, so I am not all the way there.
Your school situation sounds so frustrating. I hope there are more actionable details soon!
The school situation – I just want to bang my head against the wall. I can’t even deal with politics right now. One thing at a time.
Our school district put out an all remote option and a hybrid option for 7th-12th. PreK-6th are every day school with reduced hours. We had to sign up in late July for what we wanted. School was supposed to start this past Monday. Then, they delayed it until the 20th. Now it is delayed until September 10th.
I’m homeschooling my two middle schoolers since the hybrid option for my 8th grader involved sitting in a classroom with a “learning coach” watching his classes on his chromebook two days a week. The school assured me that he could make an appointment with his teacher if he needed help. wow. thanks.
My high schooler with AP science and math is going to be attending school, whenever they get around to going. I feel so bad for him. So bad for everyone. The only comfort is that everyone is enduring this dumpster-fire.
There was a brief request from parents in the district to consider streaming classrooms as part of the hybrid model and the teachers said (politely and with specific supporting details): Oh hell no. That is the worst idea we have ever heard.
I’m in the UK and the schools here are opening; and if you don’t send your children you’ll be fined, same as normal times; so the kids are going back at the beginning of September. I don’t feel great about it but cases are low round here and they’re older so I know I can trust them with the handwashing etc. I don’t know. It is helpful not to have a choice, if that makes sense? The school will be open, everyone is going back, that’s what’s happening. So we just get on with it.
My birthday isn’t until December but I want a larger set of watercolour paints, I bought a small set a couple of years ago when I started doing more drawing/painting and I just realised recently that I definitely use them enough to justify a larger, nicer set. So I’m having fun doing research and deciding which ones I want.
Ooo, I would be interested in hearing what kind of smaller set of watercolors you bought, and if you’d recommend them. Elizabeth is very into art, and I’d like to get her some watercolors to try. (Don’t worry about shocking me with the price, if they were expensive. I bought her a small set of acrylics this summer and feel I have shifted into a new understanding of What Decent Art Supplies Cost When One Is No Longer Shopping the Crayola Section of Target.)
I am 100% not an expert, and I am about to recommend something that is not actually watercolor, but: Derwent Inktense is *AMAZING* and you/Elizabeth should know about it. (And also only buy it when it is on sale, because it is a yipes price.) The colors are so intense, and also they are permanent (aka: no later muddying), and you use them like watercolor pencils.
But: not watercolors. But you must know about them! :-)
*takes fervent notes*
If I may suggest, I have a SketchBox subscription and I get all sorts of lovely art things to try that I would never think to buy myself and I’m guessing Elizabeth would LOVE it.
Oh, what a fun idea. I’m adding it to her gift-idea list!
My husband gets these as gifts and loves them too!
I like Angora watercolor sets. The colors are intense and not chalky like the super cheap sets you can get at Staples. I think they’re classified as student grade, so not super pricey.
Ooo, thank you, adding to her gift idea list!
I just have a Reeves 12-colour set, I don’t think they were even £5! They were fine, nice to use, but I was spending a lot of time mixing colours, and then realised I could just BUY more colours. When I have made a choice of a nicer set and tried them out I will report back. I will also second the person below who recommended Derwent Inktense – I have some of those too and they are very good, nice strong colours. You colour with them first then paint over with water.
I have a Sakura Koi 24-color travel set and it’s great! It’s all contained in its little case, with a water brush, tiny sponge, and palette. The colors are so nice and bright. My 13 year old niece who is very artistic tried them out this weekend and was in love with it.
Just chiming in to add that I got my daughter a subscription to “Let’s Make Art!” which she didn’t seem to much care about, and then I realized that *I* love watercolors and I have been watching these videos/painting with watercolors pretty regularly. The videos are free even if you don’t subscribe, but you can also subscribe and get a packet of watercolors and ideas every month. At first I found her to be a little annoying but when I realized the cameraman is her husband, it made more sense and now I find the two of them to be adorable. All this to say: watercolors are on my Christmas list.
I got my daughter a small set of Winsor Newton Cotman watercolours and she uses the heck out of them. I’ve already gone ahead and bought the big 45 half-pan set for her for Christmas. Kind of spendy, but she has plans to sell some of her paintings so she needs good quality. And it’s not like we’re going on a trip this summer, so I have some extra money this year.
It is helpful not to have a choice. Exactly! It seems like everyone is tip-toeing around trying to make the choice that makes everyone happy. But, there is no such thing. Make a decision. I will complain about it – no matter what – but then it will be made and we can all get on with our lives.
Omg – this! I am a preschool teacher in a public school. K-12 is remote until at least October 16. Preschool is … waiting? We may be in person after Labor Day, or later, or never, but currently there’s no online option at all, but maybe they will decide to create one, or not, or maybe the Yellowstone volcano will blow and take us all – who knows?!? There was a rumor that the superintendent was meeting with her team and we would hear on Friday. We did not. I am off to buy more ice cream.
I was so relieved when our state mandated that public schools in our county start online only for now, not just because I think it’s best given our case load, but because it took the choice away. This is what we’re doing, we don’t have to pick. We started online this week, and it’s been challenging but mostly okay so far (my kids’ teachers are AMAZING). When schools DO reopen, though, I don’t like our options. The distance learning option will definitely result in our kids getting assigned a new teacher, possibly teaching a completely different curriculum (both kids are in mixed-grade programs, where the same social studies and science topics are taught to all the students, and rotate year to year). It might also result, if we should want to go back to in-person at the start of a new trimester or semester, in us having to switch teachers AGAIN if our school doesn’t have the space to take us back. We could end up in yet a different class, or even a different district school altogether. For a total of three different teachers/classes, potentially in the space of three or four months. Ultimately, my husband and I made the decision to maintain consistency for the kids as much as possible – they’ll stick with their school/program/classroom whatever it is doing (in-person is supposed to only be two days a week, at least). I am worried, since I feel like our district is eager to resume in person as soon as the governor decides in his nonexpert opinion that it’s safe (he already caved to business pressure and blew it once in our state, yipee). But having made what feels like the inevitable choice to go along with whatever our school is doing, I can sort of pretend we DON’T have a choice and it makes it easier somehow.
Yes I totally hear you! Feeling as though the expectation is that the kids will be in school and have the UK will bring in other restrictions if necessary before closing the schools again is… restrictive in a good way? It’s the path laid out in front of us to follow, at least for now. My kids are the opposite end of the age spectrum, my daughter is about to start in reception. And I just can’t imagine how home schooling her while I work would possibly go for her. I can’t teach her to read! (Imagine an emoji of my brain exploding)
I’ve never done Keto but I have done Slimming World sporadically over the last 5 years. Meh. I should probably go back to it again, but I’m still breastfeeding the baby so all my clothes have to have boob access anyway, and I think the joy is still slightly outweighing the ‘can’t fit into my skinny jeans’ frustration. But I’m edging towards some ‘healthier’ choices and my alcohol consumption has dropped right down again, so we’ll see.
I was putting perfume in a shopping basket online last night. I enjoyed it very much, a peachy minty scent called Miss Marisa (by Ebba) at luckyscent. It smells like the most perfect Herbal Essences or Fructis peach shampoo.
I didn’t buy, but choosing it felt good!
I relate to all you said about being off Keto (or low carb) and then feeling ready to circle back and being back on again. I have done all that- I am about a month ahead of you time-frame wise. Definitely feeling much better. Not shooting for perfection and just chugging along as best I can.
I’m keeping a Google Doc of snacks and things that keep me on track, especially when others in the family are making me feel envious. Happy to share some of it with you if you like.
That would be awesome to share! Thank you :)
Ooh I would love to see that list as well!
Dooooooo ittttttttt
I have a fall birthday and that, coupled with Christmas is always a struggle for people to give me gifts. There are always a few Hallmark Snoopy ornaments that I will put on my list. This year there is Snoopy in a hot air balloon that says Snoopy for President 2020. Definitely yes! I also have a phonesaop and a professional jewelry cleaner on my list. Not because my jewelry is particularly dirty, but because you can use it to clean your glasses! Game changer. I am going to need to get serious about adding more things soon.
Would you mind sharing the jewelry cleaner? Glasses here as well and my jaw just kind of dropped.
Mine did as well! This is the one I put on my list. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007Q2M17K/?coliid=ISH52AOZHCAU2&colid=3959AHU8BBQ73&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Fascinating, thanks. Starting wearing glasses full-time after 30 years of contacts and the smudges drive me insane.
Funny you should ask. My birthday is tomorrow, and I want a hot air balloon ride. As my 3yo has told several people in my hearing, I get a new cooking pot. I’m pleased with that too. It is probably enameled cast iron.
If anyone needs a great, designed-to-be-online math course, check out the Art of Problem Solving for middle or high school and their Beast Academy for elementary. Stellar stuff.
Also, Smart Pre-Algebra ($20 on Amazon) is great for students doing prealgebra at home.
I turn 40 on Thanksgiving Day this year. I was expecting a literal goddamn parade courtesy of Macy’s…
That eyeglasses jewelry cleaner thing looks good. I just put it on my Amazon wish list and I bet my mother in law will get it for me.
I didn’t realize that you and I were on the same school district! Maybe not really, but gah they made us choose between: regular school, completely online or hybrid. They released a really bare bones list of what was offered online and then we HAD TO MAKE A DECISION within 48 hours. We have no idea if the one kid is going to have her two classes back to back or not. We know band is 4th hour but will her other class be right before or right after? Or first hour? And we didn’t actually get to choose the online courses so we have no idea what she’ll really be taking.
As for presents, I have a few books because my library probably isn’t ordering anything new and I want a Dodgers t shirt or jersey because they a) have a minor league franchise nearby us and b) have a player who shares my maiden name.
School started Monday for us, but at least we had a pretty good distance learning option. I have a fifth grader, which is pretty much the sweet spot for this type of schooling. I also have a Kindergartner which… is not. We ended Monday absolutely exhausted. And then my mother called me an hour later to tell me that what her doctors had thought was “not cancer” was, in fact, cancer. My resolve to just do what we can and let this year be what it will be is strengthened. A year of less than ideal school is not going to be life changing. We can and will make up for it later. Also, 2020 is a dumpster fire.
I’m so sorry. My mom had the same experience this year. Wishing you both all the best.
Oh, Cara and BSharp, I’m so sorry.
Yippee! Birthday/Wish lists, always good for ideas for myself and others. My birthday is December 31st, so it is always a struggle to come up with ideas. But, this year the #1 thing on my list is a Brown Betty teapot from the UK. So pretty and classic. Hopefully I will be able to host some tea parties with my grandchildren in 2021!
I have lost an amount of weight since the pandemic started that is immediately noticeable. It’s…embarrassing to discuss? Maybe? Or just weird. I’m deflecting like, “We will see if I gain it back soon. Ha-ha-ha?”. So I am feeling you on the conversations about diet. It started because I needed a way to feel more positive and in control–it had only a little to do with my actual size.
School choices are a disaster. There are simply no good answers. When speaking with parents (I’m a school admin), I harken back to Swistle’s baby naming advice–You are not going to be able to find the perfect fit. You simply have to choose an option that is the most serviceable for your family. Every choice has trade-offs.
On my wish list is an outdoor outdoor futon and egg chair for the cabin we frequent (owned by in-laws but mostly used by us). I’m unsure whether those hanging egg chairs are as comfortable as they look.
I have an egg chair and I love it, so much that I’m thinking of getting another one for indoors. I find it very comfortable
My birthday is in November and I would like a new president, please!
That would be a great present for all of us!
An air fryer, the Revlon hot air brush, a Bacj Huddy massager tool, a milk steamer, and Stet!, the grammar board game based on Benjamin Dreyer’s excellent book. Also Chrissy Teigen’s cookbooks.
I started WW a few weeks ago. I’ve had good success with it in the past and only put on weight because I had four kids. I’m 10 weeks postpartum with twins, in a pandemic… sure why not. It’s going ok except on the days where I’m so frustrated with my kids that I want to eat my feelings.
Back Buddy… thanks, autocorrect.
Bacj Huddy has a certain je ne sais quoi that Back Buddy lacks, I think they should consider changing their name.
I loved Benjamin Dryer’s book. I listened to it amd it was SO GOOD. I like him. I bet I can buy the game and use it as “homeschooling”
Speaking of school. Nothing is good. My East Coast school district also did the “you have 28 seconds to decide between these not at all well mapped out options! GO.” But, seriously, I can change whenever. What are they going to do to me? Nothing. That’s what. I can’t decide to go to school out of the blue but I can decide that the “remote” option isn’t working and we are fully homeschooling, which is the plan here. We are a small town and keep getting case spikes after the 4th, then the high school HAD to have a graduation- so, I’m refusing to be a part of the “we just HAVE to have children i. School experiment, thanks.
The political, larger, USPS picture sends me DOWN regularly. What the ever loving hell are they doing. Tampering with the mail is a FELONY. Start acting like it.
I am a school counselor so I am part of a team that is trying to sort out a virtual schedule and an A Day/B Day schedule for in person students. It is an absolute nightmare. I had to physically delete the perfectly balanced schedules I made in the spring. Then, I had to go through and move my virtual students out of the rotation and into another computer system, which I have never used and apparently am not going to be trained on, and now I am working on assigning kids to A or B day, looking at a 6000 line spreadsheet of siblings who are at other schools, contacting those schools to make sure all of the siblings with different last names can be placed on the same day, etc. Then I have to figure out how to schedule kids with no more than nine to a class. I lost weight when we went home for the quarantine last spring, but in just the first week back, I can feel the stress eating happening again. Also not sleeping because I am waking up with my brain still working on the Giant Logic Puzzle on a Rubik’s Cube that is this schedule.
Whew. Anyway, good luck with the Keto diet again. It’s good that you are making decisions based on your own internal motivations. I feel like it is more successful that way. I wish I knew how to advise you to cope with the giant storm cloud of the election, but there isn’t a good solution to it other than to wait it out.
Oh crap, I just saw the last line about talking about something else. I really want a TV for my bedroom now that I am divorced. I will probably buy one for myself on black Friday or something and Santa will give it to me for Christmas, which is something I really enjoy doing.
Chrissy, I’m just going to say thank you because what you’re doing is important and difficult and I’m sure that not nearly enough people are thanking you profusely enough.
We were just talking about this the other day – what a whopper of a logistical problem. We are using it as a balm to our frustration that our rising freshman doesn’t have a schedule yet. It’s a good way to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, thinking about how impossible it must be to schedule all that. Good luck! I think M&Ms are brain food?
I am SO glad that I don’t have children in school (although, technically I do – Man-Child is a PE teacher/coach) – our school district, from what I’m hearing, has sent next to no information for the elementary students – who start on MONDAY. Our first nine weeks are supposed to be online and, it appears no one knows where to log in, have a link, etc.
Man-Child’s school district started last week with teacher work days and the children will be in school on A/B days starting Monday. I wasn’t too concerned last week; because they were adults and theoretically took precautions. When the kids show up on Monday is when I’ll be nervous because, realistically? How are you going to keep kindergartners in masks and away from each other?!
It’s a really hard time right now. All very relatable. One of my wishes right now is for a really nice vacuum. No cord, not heavy, good suction. I’ve never been able to justify the expense…. but I think I’m getting closer.
Dyson Cordless. If you can wait for Black Friday/Cyber Monday they have had really good deals on them then in the past.
I would get the Dyson Cordless too if you can afford it. However, I recently purchased the Bissell AirRam (cordless, it’s green if that helps) and I love it. It’s a splurge too, but cheaper then the Dyson.
I’m having trouble coming up with a list for my birthday this year. I’ll probably ask for another pair of Rothy’s shoes for work.
If anyone is looking for a gift for themselves, I bought a small and quiet but very effective fan to keep on my bathroom counter to keep me cool while I dry my hair/ put on makeup in the morning (I’m one of the few people in the world still showing up to an office job every day.) It’s a “Vornado Classic Vintage Personal Fan” — a little pricey but it’s my new favorite thing.
ADDING IT TO MY WISH LIST RIGHT THIS MINUTE
I have one, we call it my Menopause Fan. Highly recommend. Clip on Fan with Night Light, USB Clip Desk Personal Fan, Table Fans, 4 in 1 Applications,Rechargeable 3600mA Battery Operated Fan, Portable Quiet Fan (if you’re willing to visit Amazon).
The other thing on my wish list right now is embroidered flour sack kitchen towels. I find them so charming. YES I could make some myself but that’s hardly a gift to me now is it? I’m just not sure where to find them.
I am a teacher. Blaaah.
My daughter’s lovely daycare closed and I have to find a new one. Grrr.
But! For Christmas I would like The Bob Ross painting kit! I think it would bring me so much joy. And I really enjoy the anticipation of getting it. I also choose to believe that by the time Christmas rolls around, we’ll have a newly elected president and a plan to get this jackass out.
We are on week two of virtual school and it has been great. Really. The school upgraded some technology, the teachers really embraced what is possible and obviously put a ton of effort into understanding how to do distance learning. I wasn’t sure if the kids would learn this fall, but I no longer have any reservations. I’d do this all year if we have to.
I have three kids in school, all elementary and one has an IEP for reference. Balancing everyone’s schedule was hard ( I also have a newborn and am actively looking for a new job). I expect that will get better as we get used to it. I set up school stations with oversized tray tables by outlets. Also got everyone headphones.
Challenges : keeping the kids from zooming the messy parts of my house since they like to move around (this is very stressful to me although I bet the teachers don’t notice.) Also even with the headphones zoom picks up background noise so I’m pretty sure a gym class heard my husband cuss about a work disaster. And maybe an argument about him not helping around the house. Also my one kids like to take off the headphones but doesn’t mute himself so i expect more embarrassment over the course of the next few weeks.
This fall is our 20th wedding anniversary. That trip we planned isn’t happening. I really want a significant piece of jewelry but don’t feel like we should spend the money because of my job situation. And it feels wrong to ask for something so frivolous in a pandemic and recession/depression. We don’t really give each other gifts – I say our house and life together is the gift – so my engagement ring and earrings for our 10 year are the only nice jewelry I have. First world problems I know. I can wait until my 25th I guess. I also want an insulated gallon water bottle to refill water bottles at kid sport things. More practical and good for the environment.
When I see Low in the title of the blog posts, I assume you’re talking about one of my favorite bands, Low. But, I’ve been feeling the other kind as well. Because of that, I’m buying my birthday presents now.
I just bought a skirt and a blouse from a local designer who makes everything in her shop. It’s surprisingly not that expensive (think Anthropologie prices) but felt like a real treat. The clothes are comfortable enough to wear at home. It takes a few weeks to receive them, so it’s something to look forward to.
I also recently purchased this outdoor light that changes colors and it is a real mood lifter. https://www.target.com/p/allsop-glow-12-6-wander-outdoor-table-lamp-white-mooni/-/A-53271853
Almost two years ago, I had what I consider to be the best birthday of my adult life for my 40th. (Small family weekend away on the central California coast, with multiple trips to the beach and, on the last day, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, for which my parents joined us. Then we drove to my hometown to enjoy a shortened Thanksgiving week with my family, and stopped to visit close friends we rarely see on the way home to SoCal.) Since then, I have a bit of “Well we can never re-create the magic” malaise around my birthday. But I also feel like These Pandemic Times are the perfect circumstances for something very simple to bring me great joy – like camping in the backyard, or finally going to the beach after all these months, or just having my husband remove the children from my presence for 24 hours.
MrDrPusey and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary next week, and my Mom really wanted to buy us something nice. I honestly could not think of anything that was a) actually purchasable (the things I want most are not something my Mom can buy, like…um a functioning government )or b) something both spouse and I could actually enjoy.
Finally, she said she would send us a See’s gift card (still love See’s, and I need to go back and reread every one of Swistle’s See’s posts). And I asked if my parents had any family heirlooms that were packed away and they themselves did not have out and were enjoying. They have a bunch of boxes still from packing up my grandmother’s house after her death that they have still not gone through. I am hoping for something that I remember from my childhood that will make me remember either set of grandparents.
My recent treat to myself was a subscription to Universal Yums, so I am now looking forward to getting a little box of weird snacks from around the world every month.
My sister and I subscribed my mom to Universal Yums for mother’s day, and she loved it! I am now itching to gift it to someone else.
My son was teasing me this morning saying “I need more information” – which is apparently my catchphrase these days. Because I am trying not to over freak out about everything before I know all the info. Like the scholl district said the kids had to wear masks and that they would provide them. A week later they said you can bring your own. Now they are not even opening. So that initial freak out was pointless. I’m currently trying to decide if I want to do virtual school for my 4th grader through his elementary school or if I should try to enroll him in the local already-well-established online school and then a friend e mailed about another online school elsewhere in our state that apparently is good and they even have a page on their website about dyslexia, which is very encouraging! But I need more information!!!! Waiting to hear what the elementary school virtual day will look like and waiting for the 2 online schools to call and/or e mail me back.
Not sure I have much on a wishlist. I had my birthday in June. I bought myself a cross stitch Q snap frame but haven’t used it. Looking at my Amazon wishlist I did add “This is Us” DVDs because we don’t have Hulu or whatever it’s on to rewatch it. But not exactly sure when I would actually have time to watch it anyway. I guess I’d like some nice shoes, but also not enough to actually pick out shoes or go to a store and get some. (Extra blah feeling these days.)
Where I live (within Canada) our city school board has created a separate online school program for those who wish to keep their kids at home. If you sign up for it you are committing to stay with the program until February. At that point you can make the decision to return to the school or keep doing it online. It requires a good chunk of dedicated time a day for students and parents. The teachers in this online school are not those doing in person classes and enrolled students are grouped by area of the city (and obviously grade level). The deadline to register is one week before in person school starts. My issue right now is that principals will not be communicating specific school details until after they know numbers. Of course that makes sense for them to plan but it also makes it harder for us to make decisions when we don’t know what class sizes will be like. Anyways, I agree with the person who said there are pros and cons for every option.
Hi Paola! You and I are in the same city methinks!
Maybe Beth! Have you made any decisions? We’re sending our kids back but are lucky in that it’s a small school and there’s low community transmission in our area :)
Yes – we’re doing the same. Low rates in our area, too, and any other option would be hard to swing for us because of our family circumstances in the fall. Go Flames! (are we in the same city?!). Take care of yourself :)
Absolutely haha thanks, you too! 🔥🔥🔥
Just wanted to add my sympathy over Husband Diets. Mine announced out the blue one day that from henceforth he was going strictly dairy-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free. It was not a pleasant adjustment. I have 4 children to feed as well, who definitely want all the dairy, gluten, and sugar options.
And thanks to his highly restricted diet, his mother is sure I’m not “feeding him right” and so I have to deal with her comments on top of all the convoluted meal planning. Aaaargh.
Oh man! Yes, my husband decided a few months ago he was going vegan which makes it hard considering we have 2 very picky young boys. I sometimes end up making various different meals which is too much work. So now he’s basically in charge of his own food if he can’t eat what everyone else eats.
Maggie, I am seething over here for you. DH takes care of his own food and also tells his mother to leave you out of it. She can take her concerns about his eating directly to him.
I saw you mention on Twitter the lack of fun Harris/Biden gear. I’ve bought a couple of things through this company (Ragey is on my way now) and they are donating 15% of their profits to the campaign. I think these shirts are fun!
https://www.bonfire.com/vote-vote-vote-1/?productType=b2ffe678-62bc-415a-be70-acc2e9b75bbc
https://www.bonfire.com/vote-53/?utm_source=mailgun&utm_medium=initial&utm_campaign=buyer_new_campaign_launch&utm_content=BUYER
I LOVE those! I wish they had women’s shirts: unisex fit looks dumb on me.
I’m feeling the lows, too, and it’s hard to pin down why. Too much sustained catastrophe since March? We’re doing the figure-out school routine here, too, and feeling likewise stymied about lack of information but need to make choices. We have five in school (10th, 9th, 8th, 5th, and 2nd), plus two at home (4 yo and 1 yo.) I’m not looking forward to managing their school work again, even though remote seems the obvious and safest answer.
I’m also getting ready to go back and teach (I’m a professor), and again! I’m all online, which is a godsend, but my lord!! Trying to plan engaging and challenging courses that are flexible enough to accommodate the stresses and uncertainties of a pandemic. Holy cow. I’ve burned down my syllabi and built them back up several times already.
I feel like I should be soaking in the warm summer weather and possibilities before the dark days of cold winter get here, but it’s just so hard.
In good news, my husband bought me a yellow hooded sweatshirt unexpectedly last week, and I love it. I would have never gotten it myself, but it is absolute perfection.
I am terrible at making birthday/Christmas lists. One of the delights of being a grownup is that if I want something, I can buy it, and it will be the right version of the thing on my list.
Possibly related: This week I got a six-cup Bundt pan, and it is delightful. Not if you’re doing keto, I guess. But I’m not.
I SO relate to really not wanting to hear about people going back on a healthier eating track when I’m not in that headspace. My husband seems to casually decide to start eating healthier and if I’m not there, I find I dig my heels in and need to eat mooore junk food. I always try to capture/realize what that turning point is in my brain when it does happen, but can never seem to control it or force it to happen sooner than I’m ready.
Your second point about not being thrilled by the treats anymore really hit home for me – even though I didn’t realize that it was the case for me before reading it! So I think that actually just helped start turning the gears for me…hopefully! Thank you!
Do you have any specific things that have helped you in these transition times? I read that it’s helpful to focus on cutting out carbs at first and not worrying about fat or calories until you’ve broken the carb/sugar cycle.
Birthday list…a mountain bike and a heated blanket. Definitely torn between active/cozy and looking forward to fall but not ready for summer to end (uh, mostly because I haven’t done anything summery!)
YES. And in fact, I don’t worry about fat or calories at any time while doing keto: it’s one of the upsides of the diet.
Some of the specific things that help me in the early days, let’s see. Powerade Zero, assorted flavored seltzers, fun teas, a variety of diet sodas: it’s important to drink a lot of fluids, and these are more fun/interesting for me than water, and for some reasons “choosing a tea” or “choosing a seltzer” from a nice big variety is emotionally helpful. Chicken broth, which seems like it wouldn’t help as much as it does: if I am feeling really crummy and have a mug of broth, I often feel MARKEDLY better afterward. Hard-boiled eggs and cheese sticks and beef jerky (CHECK LABELS: some have way more sugar than others) and smoked almonds and baked-cheese crisps (our grocery store has them in the deli and also with the croutons) for eating something quickly when I am feeling bad and don’t know what to eat. A quarter-cup of plain whole-milk Greek yogurt with a few blackberries/raspberries/blueberries in it, for when I’m sick of savory and/or I’m feeling queasy. Lily’s chocolate chips: I mix them with a bowl of pecans or almonds or peanuts when I’m sick of savory (I like about three mini chocolate chips per pecan or almond, one mini chocolate chip per peanut). Potassium/magnesium supplements.
Some people say they have better success if they cut out artificial sweeteners as well as sugar, since those keep your mouth expecting the taste of sweet—but especially in the early days I find artificial sweeteners very helpful and soothing. If I am feeling SO SICK of meat/cheese/eggs/nuts, and I have, like, an orange-vanilla diet Coke, I feel emotionally restored. AND OH! I ALMOST FORGOT! REBEL ICE CREAM. It’s sold in pints, and I was disappointed by the first couple of cartons (the chocolate chips are like baking chocolate, and the texture is not really like ice cream) but then I adjusted to it (actually started relishing the bitterness of the chocolate) and since then have TREASURED it. The emotional lift of EATING A PINT OF ICE CREAM on a bad evening CANNOT be overstated.
And treat yourself very gently, especially the first week: it hits a lot of people emotionally as well as physically, kind of like terrible PMS. If you feel like everything is terrible, remind yourself that it’s the transition. I take the first week and basically act as if I’m sick: I don’t try to do a lot of exercise (unless it makes me feel better, which this time I find that it does, but just nice regular walking, nothing vigorous) or housework or whatever. Take a nice little break.
And if there’s anything about the eating plan that appeals to you, such as you love butter or you love processed meats, really lean into that, even if you don’t want to do it as much long-term. Maybe long-term you don’t want to eat so many hot dogs, but for the transition I recommend having as many as you want; maybe long-term you want to cut down/out artificial sweeteners, but for the transition I recommend having as much as you want—that kind of thing.
I’ve homeschooled my kids since almost the beginning, so I have very little skin in the game with respect to schools opening and so I don’t think I get to express any opinions on the matter at all except to say it’s all very fretty, and it stinks for everyone. Grateful doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel that I have the privilege, the time, and the inclination to teach at home. I am NOT suggesting that anyone or everyone should homeschool. What I will say is that if the idea of homeschooling gives you even a little relief from the anxiety, then there are people and resources who would help you try to figure out how to make that work for you.
Yes- I never would have thought that choosing to homeschool would be a form of anxiety relief, but here we are. I had previously registered my daughter for Kindergarten, and the frantic, constantly changing emails from the district were stressful. Now I’m off the list… and relieved.
And, Swistle, you go for taking charge of what you can. You are so thoughtful and honest on your blog and you owe us ZERO apologies for doing what is right for you. Enjoy your keto treats!
Yes, this is why we chose to homeschool – anxiety relief. I just can’t anymore with the constant emails, phone calls, changing plans, etc. I’m still doing it, a bit, for my high-schooler, but we are in the “he’s going to school no matter what” camp for him so it is much easier to go with the flow.
I have not read through the majority of the comments because I stopped when I saw you asking for watercolor recommendations for Elizabeth so I apologize is this is a repeat. I love the Let’s Make Art kits. You can purchase a full kit online (paints, paper, template) OR you can print the templates FOR FREE and watch the YouTube lessons FOR FREE and then all you really need is liquid watercolors.i bought a set of those and some nice brushes and paper and my 10 year old artsy daughter and I like to watch the lessons because the woman painting and the camera man are so delightful. They have endearing banter. Even if you aren’t painting, they are enjoyable to watch. It would be good to view while you have a coffee and “little something” or instead of that now, because keto.
So funny, I commented the same above before reading down to your comment!
I really want a light table! I remember them as these big bulky things from art class in high school but now they are small, thin, LED, and affordable on amazon. I don’t draw as much as I used to but I have a particular sewing project that would make one really handy. If Elizabeth does lots of art she might really like it!
This is the one I’m thinking of getting:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F147VF6/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A3D8WK2JR3RVJC&psc=1
I bought one for my mom for Christmas a few years ago (this one: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M26S3VY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1), and she LOVES it. She had one of the big bulky ones that finally bit the dust. She quilts, and the light table helps track more complicated designs.
As someone with a birthday 2 days before Christmas (and one of 5 kids), growing up I only remember 2 birthday celebrations-one being a Christmas party at my grandparents-but my grandma put a sign over the kitchen door saying “no children allowed, only Maureen!” which almost 54 years later, still is a highlight of my life! Luckily I married a very talented gift giver, which has made up for that lack! I think this year I am going to ask for a Cuisinart ice cream maker. We love ice cream and it has gotten so expensive where I live. We’ve talked about it for several years, but I think this is the year to “treat yo self!”.
On the weekend I went back through some of my very old journal entries, and found one from when my son was about 3. He was playing with his dad at the inlaws’ house, and at lunchtime came inside to announce to my mother in law , “Daddy wants a cheeseburger and a fuckit”.
Which sounds like a perfect lunch to me 17 years later, though I’m not sure it’s keto.
I want this for lunch too <3
My birthday is in a few weeks, and I am hoping someone buys me the Tony Hawk 1&2 remaster. My brothers and I played a ton of the later games and loved them so much. I live alone and trying to complete the trophy list for that game sounds like exactly the type of time suck I need.
I have also enjoyed buying Marvel kitchen stuff from Boxlunch, because I’m home all the time to enjoy them.
I sent a friend a picture of a sweatshirt I’m considering ordering (this one: https://inkwellthreads.com/products/one-more-chapter-sweatshirt-dark-heather). She offered to order it for my birthday present instead of what she had planned, but I decided I need more surprises right now.
Low here too so I would enjoy talking about my wishlist. Fancy blender. I don’t know what kind but I have to add more liquid to mine than I like for blending frozen fruit. Also want an outdoor clock/thermometer for the patio, and maybe a starter sewing machine. A subscription for virtual piano lessons if that is a thing? At the ripe old age of 32 I have become the mom who asks for household appliances for my birthday. Ack.
One thing that I have been doing lately to help with my Lowness is going on a walk whenever I feel like I’m overwhelmed. I feel so lucky that we moved to my in-laws’ in the Suburbs, because I still wouldn’t feel safe enough to walk in the city.
My birthday/holiday wishlist basically consists of the Anthropologie website – their stuff is so pretty! But also mostly duplicative of things I already own, so not likely to buy for myself. I keep filling my cart and then talking myself out of everything. OR I’d love to get gardening paraphernalia !! It’s a new-ish hobby and I keep drooling over cute trowel sets and watering cans, butterfly puddlers, seed saving kits, gardening journals, oh my! Again maybe not the most practical stuff, but that’s what makes it such a good gift!
My birthday was the 8th, so I’ll tell you what was on my list. I wanted someone to go to Trader Joe’s for me and get all my favorite snacky things: meringues and dried mango and weird chips and mochi ice cream and jelly penguins, etc. Most grocery shopping is totally back to normal but we still have a long slow line to get into Trader Joe’s every time. I would pay for everything! I just didn’t want to GO.
The other was new loops for my Loopy Case, aka, the BEST phone case. I needed more but I was having a hell of a time justifying the cost/shipping when I only wanted loops. And my 13 year old, knowing I have parental access to her email, coordinated shipping to her father’s house so she could surprise me. Reader, I wept.