2021, Art, Family, Food, Kids, Uncategorized

At Her Wit’s End

53 Comments

I was “that” mom – the one who threw the overdone birthday parties for her kid.  Themes, arts & crafts, fun food, take-home bags.  My theory was that I would only have a short window for this kind of silliness because as soon as Child hit 11 or 12, she wouldn’t stand for it any longer.  I was correct.

Fast forward all these years and I’m still having trouble letting it go.  YA hits 26 tomorrow and maybe it’s the pandemic and shelter-in-place talking, but I clearly want to celebrate more than she does.  After quite a bit of prompting I got her to “allow” Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Bars; I got sprinkles and a little decorating icing to pipe “Happy Birthday” on the bars once they’re done.  I also told her I would order take-out – she hasn’t decided what she would like.  I have a gift all wrapped up and I couldn’t help myself; I made a nice banner (photo above) to hang in the dining room archway along with two balloons (a big “2” and “6”).  I’m pretty sure this is all she’ll stand for but I’m looking forward to it.

Are you trying anybody’s patience these days?

53 thoughts on “At Her Wit’s End”

  1. I guess so but I’m not overly disturbed doing so. My former employer wants me back. The union pension allows 39 work hours in a month. I’d do that but the jobs are two hours away from home. I’m done with driving or living out of a motel. Besides, my birds need me.

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  2. happy bd ya
    26 wow!!!

    i know exactly the balloons you refer to
    i have a daughter who is a mini vs and she throws a fun shindig
    last year my wife turned 60 three days before my mom turned 90. we flipped the 6 balloon upside down and got to use it twice in 3 days

    am i testing anyone patience these days?… no that starts next week when i’m home from my warehouse life
    today and tomorrow out there should do it
    wish me luck
    door dash will be my go to pressure relief valve
    go drive and deliver food for 2 hours earn a fistful of cash and listen to the radio
    it’s mindless bliss but i need to get to my new business ventures once i can focus
    that will be the test
    can i find a way to sit in a chair. i’m yet to determine how but i am certain i will make it work. will i test my wife’s patience . only as long as she’s still alive

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      1. yes i’m driving door dash
        it’s like crack
        get in the car and turn on you magic button and 5-10 -20 dollars a pop starts popping up on your screen and you go to the restaurant and take it to folks and2 or 3 hours later it’s enough to get your attention

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    1. Which somehow made me think of this quote from Zorba the Greek: “Am I not a man? And is a man not stupid? I’m a man, so I married. Wife, children, house, everything. The full catastrophe.”

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  4. Rise and Shine Baboons,

    I am trying my own patience with myself. I found myself feeling so ashamed that our unit had a water leak. Good grief. I did not want the leak. All I can do is cooperate with the insurance and other people involved.

    So why do I get the full measure of shame while #45 feels none?

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        1. Here is a synchronistic experience. I listened to Brene Brown’s podcast tonight about Shame and Accountability. She posted it Wednesday after being barraged by emails from listeners about both issues and the insurrection. It strikes exactly at this topic we are referring to. She gives an explanation about how #45 and other problem systems use shame and dehumanization to make all this occur.

          Liked by 2 people

  5. Since I basically don’t have a relationship with anyone, I’m fairly confident I’m not annoying anyone (unless it is someone on this forum, which is possible). I’m apparently a more likable ex-husband than a husband. That’s a weird fact I could enjoy or hate. I choose to be flattered about how things are now.

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  6. I have a teenager, I am sure i try her patience. Also the dogs – who are only truly satisfied if I am providing them a lap to cozy up to or dropping cheese for them to eat. Possibly a few of my co-workers, but since they can put themselves on mute, I don’t hear them when they might be swearing oaths about me…

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    1. …also I, like you VS, have a high need to celebrate. i may not always be as elaborate, but I do miss the excuse of Kid parties to trot out matching plates and napkins and excessive amounts of balloons and far too many treats…

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      2. When I wore a tutu and cowboy hat into Daughter’s elementary school and her only response was,”that was fun – when are you going to do that again?” I knew I was really gonna need to up my “embarrass the kid” game. 🙂

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        1. As a kid, I taught myself a crazy way to skip. I had my upper body tilted backward and I hunched my shoulders as I went along. I thought of it as something Groucho Marx might do. When my daughter was about 12, I performed my Groucho-style skip for her. She said, “If you ever do that again, I’m disowning you for life.”

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        2. Pretty much every time I leave the house, YA looks at me with disdain and says “Is THAT what you’re wearing?”

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  7. I’m fairly certain that husband’s planned retreat to the Homestead near Ely is at least in part to get a break from being with me 24/7. I should probably add, that I’m looking forward to it, too.

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  10. I am frequently irritated by lots of people, and I am certain I irritate people, too. Daughter was very irritated with her dad over Christmas because his allergies lead him to regular honking, snorting, throat clearing, and nose blowing.

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  11. Lots of laughs today, baboons!

    No, I’m like Bill.

    But seriously, the only person I’m around often enough to get on their nerves is Husband, and he’s being quite tolerant lately. Luckily, there are a few times during the week where one of us is away for an hour or two, and the other has the house to theirself (I know that’s not proper, but I’ll bet you know what I mean.) At least, I know I need this periodically.

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    1. p.s. I’m glad you’re doing as much as you can, VS. We need to do these ritual things especially, I think, during this isolation phase. There has to be something to look forward to, and if there isn’t a birthday or something, I’ll make up an event – Wednesday was Trader Joe’s day, in Rochester…

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  12. OT: The night before last I had a short but vivid dream. In the dream, somebody knocked on my apartment door. I opened it to find about six agents from COVID 19 standing there. They wore hooded garments something like medieval monks used to wear. They were here for me, but when I explained I’d had a vaccination they looked disappointed and shambled down the hall.

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  14. OT: Sunday YouTube video suggestions. For several reasons, mostly because I have so much free time, I use YouTube to research issues about which I have interest but little knowledge. Although I spent too many years in college, I only took one class in art history, and it wasn’t very good. I have much to learn about art history.

    I recently discovered Peter Beard’s series on illustrators and the history of illustration in popular culture. He has many videos in this series; I counted about 90. Beard is an intelligent critic and careful scholar who writes exceptionally well. His videos are usually shorter than fifteen minutes, so even someone with my short attention span can get through them. To tell the truth, I’m mesmerized by the sound of a smart person speaking about almost anything. This one is typical:

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  15. YouTube was supposed to be a gloriously free space where all kinds of creative people could express themselves, something that would challenge the way mainstream media dominate cultural discussions. Although I spend vast amounts of time on YouTube, I have been taught by the excesses of the age of Trump to respect voices that are carefully researched and fact-checked. So I don’t celebrate anonymous contributors who think “common sense” can inspire them to speak the truth. Recent history has increased my respect for professionalism. I rarely click on videos from folks I don’t know, preferring to spend time with thinkers who accept the discipline of careful thinking.

    That’s one reason I click on videos associated with The Atlantic and The New York Times. If the topic interests me, I like to hang out with someone who does the hard work necessary to speak on complex topics. Both of these sources offer an astonishing variety of videos, so the ones I present below are not “typical” in any way.


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  16. Birthday update. The banner and the balloons are up, the card and the gift have been opened and as expected, the sprinkles have been wiped off of the rice crispy treats. I know she’s not crazy about sprinkles but I could not help myself.

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  17. Liberal churches, as they are called got on someone’s nerves. Threats were made against several church bodies including ELCA. My daughter got an email on it last night. She says anyone who thinks her two churches are too liberal need to do more research.

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      1. Conflict over doctrine, sometimes violent, is a long and venerable tradition. Otherwise, why would there be more than one Christian church?

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  18. Birthday update number two. She actually took a picture of the decorations and “party” set up and posted it on Facebook. And then tagged me. I think I’m in heaven.

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