tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 29, 2023 9:36:18 GMT -5
I talked to my brother for over an hour tonight. He needed a good vent convo. He has 2 DDs. His oldest DD is 10 (11 in June) and is having stomach/digestive issues but can’t figure out why. She’s had blood work and other tests done to try narrow it down, which comes back with “can’t find anything”. On Tuesday, she’s getting a scope done and a colonoscopy. Hopefully something will give an answer. Basically, there’s a lot of stressful things going in but ultimately, his oldest DD isn’t feeling great and he doesn’t know why. He just wants to know why them go from there. Any chance your niece’s stomach issues are related to anxiety?
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 21, 2023 16:11:00 GMT -5
We have 2-3 skating rinks in my county, and each kid has been to at least a couple of skating parties, and/or summer care outings. My big pet peeve is that at least 2 of them charge you to enter, whether you skate or not. I’m not leaving my 6yo alone at a skating party when she’s only been once or twice, and I don’t know the parents well. I’m likely to take the entrance fee you charged me just to cross your doorway and buy myself a drink or snack, but on principle, now I won’t. Ugh. Still annoyed about that and the last skate party she attended was last August. She’s going to another one in a couple of weeks, so I’ll get to experience it all over again.
I do appreciate that the rinks here have the PVC trainer things, as those have been helpful for both kiddos.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 16, 2023 19:57:18 GMT -5
They have a decent # of electives at the middle school but if you do music or a foreign language you don't have room for much else. PE and health take up slots and are required. Ds only requested ones were orchestra and yearbook and he didn't get yearbook, but did have art and architecture. This is what I’ve noticed for our middle school electives, or at least for 6th grade. C wants to stick with band, so that took up 4 of his 6 elective choices. Same for choir or orchestra kids. And if you want to do band or orchestra plus choir, that’s all of your choices as they’ll let those kids just do two quarters of choir.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 13, 2023 23:15:38 GMT -5
How was Hail Mary? I really really liked The Martian but was disappointed in Artemis. I go back and forth on reading Hail Mary. I really enjoyed it! That said, I haven’t read the other two you mentioned, so no idea how it compares.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 12, 2023 21:57:01 GMT -5
Less than 3 months into the year, and I’ve met my 2023 Goodreads goal of books read, which is crazy. My goal the past few years has been 36 books - most of the time I barely make it, but as aforementioned on a previous post, I’ve been trying to be more intentional about reading, and so far it’s working. I’m only going to list the ones I’d more highly recommend.
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood (so far, I’ve loved everything of hers I have read) Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 12, 2023 21:47:31 GMT -5
I know there are a few people here in the general Midwest/plains states area. If you or your kiddos are interested in space, the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS (basically middle of nowhere - about an hour from Wichita) is really cool. We took the kids today, and I was impressed. I’m pretty sure I went once in high school, and DH had also been in high school, but neither of us had been since, and the kids hadn’t been. It’s been seriously upgraded since then. They have the Apollo 13 command module Odyssey, Liberty Bell 7 Mercury spacecraft, Gemini Titan Rocket, an SR-71 Blackbird, and so much more.
The only downside was DH is the typ of museum-goer that likes to read **every** single placard and sign, so the kids were more than done by the time he was ready, lol.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 11, 2023 22:06:57 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing the different nurse staffing situations in your areas. We had a school nurse at our local elementary school pre-Covid and still have one. I also know when she’s out (sick or personal day), they bring in a substitute nurse. We’re in a pretty large district for our state, so guessing that substitute nurses can stay pretty busy if they want, and still only work when they want to.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Mar 11, 2023 14:06:07 GMT -5
I really wish schools still had nurses like they did when I was in grade school. You got sick you went to the nurses office, and unless you were running a fever or puking they would keep you in there until the end of the day if your parent wasn't coming. It's amazing how often I decided I felt better after 30 minutes of laying on a bed staring at a dropped ceiling as the only alternative. Now it's just an automatic go home. I would get so annoyed when I'd take vacation at work to haul a kid home to have them running around acting perfectly normal the rest of the day. Do most schools not have school nurses now? Our elementary does, so I’m assuming the middle and high schools do. It’s been handy the multiple times the kids have gotten bloody noses, lost a tooth, had a headache (she can and will dispense acetaminophen or ibuprofen with parent permission), etc. And when C broke his arm last year, we had to give her the paperwork with what he could/could not do in gym class, plus she could give him pain meds as needed.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Feb 22, 2023 9:53:16 GMT -5
Neither of my kids will play with legos outside of sets. I'm really trying to put the ones we have up for free on Craigslist. But I worry that as soon as I do one will decide they need them. This doesn't help you decide whether or not to get rid of them, but if you are getting rid of them, any elementary teachers that may want them? I know my kiddo's kindergarten teachers both could always use more Legos for their Lego centers bin, and I feel like at least a few of the 1st or 2nd grade teachers had Legos for an indoor recess option.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Feb 14, 2023 23:49:57 GMT -5
I’ve had a few work trips this year, and tried to be more intentional about reading instead of playing on my phone, so I’ve read way more than typical for me so far. Since my last post, I’ve read:
The Black Widow (Gabriel Allon #16) by Daniel Silva Falling for Your Best Friend’s Twin by Emma St Clair Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell by Taj McCoy Finding Me by Viola Davis The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas When in Rome by Sarah Adams Every Summer After by Carley Fortune Love at First Spite by Anna E Collins The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
Of those, Finding Me, When in Rome, Every Summer After, and the Love Hypothesis were my favorites. Savvy Sheldon, Chemistry of Love and Secretly Yours were my least favorite.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Feb 14, 2023 23:43:03 GMT -5
I just started listening to The Wind at My Back by Misty Copeland. I am on Chapter 3. She became the first African American Female Principal Dancer in the American Ballet Theatre in 2015. I think I will enjoy it, and it is only 5 hours so it should go quickly. This one looks good - I’m going to put it on hold at the library. I’m bummed that neither of the libraries that I have access to their e-books has an e-book version, but I can get the hard copy from my local library.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Feb 2, 2023 12:30:10 GMT -5
Welcome back, rae!
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 26, 2023 0:31:39 GMT -5
I’ve recently finished Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes, Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood, and Spare by Prince Harry.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 26, 2023 0:28:54 GMT -5
Just finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I enjoyed it as it was a fresh story and kept my interest. It’s been awhile, but I remember enjoying that one.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 26, 2023 0:27:53 GMT -5
No judgment on sleeping arrangements from me. M is also 6 and in first grade, and she ends up in our bed nearly every night at some point. She sneaks in while we’re sleeping and I rarely hear or notice her until I wake up, so yep, I get it.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 24, 2023 21:15:51 GMT -5
Hi all, haven't logged on in so long hope everyone is well! My Anthony is 6 and in first grade now, how did that happen - everyone's kids must be getting so old too! Good to “see” you! And time flies!
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 24, 2023 21:15:36 GMT -5
He has 10 electives to choose from, plus band, choir and orchestra. The 6th graders get to pick 6 electives, but if they pick band, orchestra or choir, that only leaves them with 2 electives left. So he’s going with band, and then they have to rank the non-music electives 1-10. His top 2 choices are space and engineering, and then an exploring world language option that is new next year. Either way, I’m excited that he’s excited.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 24, 2023 0:49:24 GMT -5
6th grade new parent meeting was tonight - Yikes! How did time fly?! I’m not ready for C to start middle school next year! He was super excited to get to pick out electives, though.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 22, 2023 0:36:29 GMT -5
I finished a couple of days ago.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 12, 2023 22:18:32 GMT -5
I somehow managed to get a copy from the library already, so I’m reading in it. So far my thoughts are he (or his ghostwriter) has a writing style I enjoy. And that while parts of his childhood were fantastic and full of privilege, it was also isolated and lonely, and lacked emotional closeness and empathy after his mom died.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 12, 2023 0:21:19 GMT -5
Mom win and mom fail this week, because hey, that’s life.
I took C on a mother-son trip to see my Alma mater play (really, get decimated, but oh well) I’m the college football national title game. Outside of how brutal the game was, we had a good time and it was fun to take a trip with this silly, awesome, funny kid that I adore who is growing up so quickly and will be out of the house before I know it in 7.5 short years. So yay, and mom win!
While I was gone, DH calls me at 5am California time (7am at home) to tell me that he thinks the head of M’s earring is now inside her ear and what should he do. I give him a couple of suggestions while trying not to freak out. He calls me back shortly later that those won’t work, so he’s now taking her to the ER. Some numbing crème later, they get it out, and she’s good to go to school. But I definitely am feeling a little guilty - not sure if it would have happened or not if I’d been there, but I still feel bad. But she was a trooper, and is now a one-earring kid. I told her that we can pierce her ear again (or both, if she decides to take the other earring out) once basketball season is over, assuming it’s all healed up by then and she wants to.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 11, 2023 19:56:00 GMT -5
Just read The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes - I liked this one, and enjoyed her story and perspective about how going from saying no to everything to saying yes to things that scared her transformed her life in a positive way.
I also read Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood. Cute romance story.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 11, 2023 19:54:07 GMT -5
I actually lowered my yearly total to 400 books this year. I read and will re-read favorites but I still end up reading over 500 books the past few years. I have been reading a series and slogged through Gideon. The book was not for me and I am not interested in continuing the series. I think so far I have read 11 books and started Sea Wolves.
After that I have Killers of a Certain Age. I also have Nancy Wake on audiobook /KU for a more biographical book on WW2.
I am in awe, snapdragon! That’s an impressive amount of books!
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 7, 2023 22:56:53 GMT -5
So far the year I’ve read: Drunk on Love: okay The Spanish Love Deception: utterly predictable, but I thought it was a cute and fun read All Grown Up: did not like; if it had been any longer, I wouldn’t have finished it
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 7, 2023 22:54:50 GMT -5
Does anybody have book/reading resolutions for the new year? I'm thinking of a goal of 26 books. I really need to read more. I set a goal on GoodReads each year. My goal this year is 36 books (which is what it was last year). I think I ended up with 37 last year - finished the final one on NYE. I’m off to a great start this year having finished 3, but it will slow down when I get busier again, so trying to enjoy it while I can.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 7, 2023 22:52:43 GMT -5
For those with kids, dc10 is enthralled with the Funjungle series by Stuart Gibb. This is the first series dc will pick up to read when there are "better" activities available like screen time. Thanks! Just put that on hold to see if DS will give it a try. He loves to read, but grabs the same books over and over, so always looking for something new he may try.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 2, 2023 21:12:27 GMT -5
It’s the start of a new year, which means I’m back to try, try again. Actually, 2022 didn’t end up being too bad overall with regards to decluttering and organizing (mostly concentrated in the first quarter and last quarter of the year), I just got busy with life and didn’t post here much. But there is still a ton to do.
Major goals for the year are to get my home office organized and purged and decluttered, and similar for the master closet. I’m also going to copy the idea of getting my house play-date ready.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 2, 2023 15:00:12 GMT -5
Unrelated, DH and I took our first kid-free trip since I was pregnant with DD(6). We went to watch my alma mater beat Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl this weekend and had such a good time. We had seats with a couple of my college friends, and enjoyed the no-kid time. One of the friends was my college roomie and her husband, and it was their first kid-free trip since her 16-year old was born, so I'm was super happy for her as well!
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 2, 2023 14:58:29 GMT -5
Happy New Year to everyone! Hoping that 2023 is a prosperous one in all the ways for each of you!
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jan 2, 2023 14:55:55 GMT -5
Here is my December 2022 update:
ASSETS: Checking/Savings: $217,790 House: $512,700 Retirement: $1,573,983 Brokerage: $37,483 529s: $68,454
DEBTS: $0
Total NW: $2,410,410
As usual, the list above excludes our cars, which are worth around $30k combined, but I leave them out because we're unlikely to sell, and need them to get to/from work, kids schools, etc. in the land of suburbia.
And back to moving in a negative direction - down a bit less than 2%.
Ditto everyone else who is ready to say by to a crappy stock market year in 2022. At the end of 2021, we were at $2,877.989, so we're down about 16% since the end of 2021. And that's after maxing out 401ks for DH and me, backdoor Roth IRAs for each of us, funding each of the kids' 529 accounts up to what we can deduct on our state income tax, and paying a giant 2021 tax bill. Fun.
On the positive side, I also took advice from this group and made sure we lived some, so we took some awesome (to us) vacations with our kids in 2022. Hoping they remember Grand Canyon/Saguaro/Petrified Forest and Yellowstone/Grand Teton trips as fun and memorable, plus Disney World. Cheers to 2023 and the adventures it brings!
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