If you’ve been wondering, yes I’m still alive. It’s just been super busy the last few weeks. December and May seem to always be the busiest months for teachers and parents. It’s kind of a relief to not be juggling both anymore.
I did finish my 30 days of writing for November, but I haven’t sat down to write on that story since. Instead I’ve been working on a story and that will go with a present I am making for someone. I’d love to share it, but on the off chance that the person actually knows about this blog (I don’t think so, but you never know with the internet), I don’t want to spoil the surprise. I can reveal after the gift is given.
This year our family decided to do “Santa” a little differently. My kids already know all about Santa, so it really seemed silly to keep up the charade. Instead, the five of us that live in the same house (mother-in-law lives with us) drew names and we are being Santa for that person. We’re still doing presents under the tree for each other, but the special Santa present will be from the person that drew our name.
It’s supposed to be a secret, but I have to confess that I figured it out pretty fast, based on a comment two of the family members made right after we drew. And I happen to know my kids told each other who they had, claiming they didn’t know it was a secret. I reminded them that if they know who doesn’t have them, that will make it easy to figure out who does. Granted, I know who they each have (one of which is me), but that was accidental. No one told me.
Just to document so no one can say I didn’t know, here is the breakdown:
L has B
B has N
N has K
K has me
I have L
I love how beautifully that worked out, to be honest. The kids were selected by their parents, so they should both be pleased with their gifts. I had to sneakily help L out with B without letting on I knew who they had. I sent a text to N, K, and L giving a suggestion for “whoever drew B.” Low and behold, L told me they knew what to get that very afternoon. Convenient.
On Monday I picked the kids up from school and took them to the mall. I sent them both off on their own to shop. This is the first time they have ever gone off on their own in a mall. Target is one thing, but a mall is huge. I think they were nervous at first, and L had to come find me to help shop because I didn’t have much cash to give (K has a debit card, which made it much easier). L only managed to find something for N and expects to purchase the rest online yet has done nothing toward that end. I guess it’s a lot to ask of a teenager. K has plans to make presents for everyone, but I know still has several to complete. Again, ADHD teenagers have focus issues. I suppose I should be happy they are trying.
Speaking of ADHD teenagers, on Saturday K was signed up to volunteer at the zoo. Part of their uniform is a name tag, which she realized that morning that she could not find. She was in a panic. When she looked at the information in her volunteer packet it said that she would need to contact the volunteer office to get a link to order a new one. She did not want to make the phone call, but knew she had to. I was amazed she didn’t ask me to do it (L would have), but we discussed what she would say and she made the call. She had to leave a message and almost forgot to give a call back number. She also sent an email as backup. As we were on our way out the door she realized that she’d missed a call from an unknown number (their phones only ring for numbers that are in their contacts). The zoo office number is in her phone, but apparently it comes through as the generic zoo number. Thankfully, the person had emailed the link and we were able to complete the transaction on the way to the zoo. Crisis averted. On the way, we talked about phone anxiety and I told her how proud I was of her for doing it because I totally understand how hard it is.
And then there’s the other ADHD teen. Tonight is L’s band concert. Yesterday, as they got off the bus, it was discovered that there was a hole in the pencil bag that contained the mouthpiece for his tuba. Convinced that it would be there when he got on the bus this morning, he thought I was being ridiculous for worrying about it. After the bus had left I texted him and asked if the mouthpiece had been found. It had not. He asked me if I could go buy a new one. I told him I didn’t know, then started looking online to figure out who sold them locally. There were so many choices (and prices) that I decided it would be good to enlist the help of his band director and private teacher, so I emailed them what had happened. The director wrote back and said he can borrow a mouthpiece for tonight and hope that his turns up. Now I’m debating on buying a new one for him or making him buy it with the money he’s trying to save for a VR headset. I hate to “save” him all the time, but I also don’t want to deal with the fit he’s sure to throw if we make him pay. Why does parenting have to be so hard?
Leave a Reply