Back in Chicago for a hearing. It's MINUS 29 DEGREES PEOPLE. MINUS. Even PLUS 29 degrees is cold. I have my hotel room up to 74 but the cold air is drafting in by the window and I'm still cold. I am wearing tights and socks and two shirts and a sweater. *** And I am still cold. How do people actually LIVE here? The blessing: we were not delayed in the flight and landed with only mild skidding across the runway sideways as the 40 MPH gusts blew that airplane around like a candy wrapper in a hurricane.
Tomorrow I get to wake up and walk a couple blocks to the courthouse - it's supposed to be a balmy 11 degrees. I think I'll wear shorts.
Meanwhile back at Casa de Next Door, I left the kids a note. Little Stinky had some surgery to remove the girly parts, so I knew Daughter and Son would be back and forth for pills and treats and such. Plus they just run back and forth all the time. Leaving the doors unlocked and the lights on and the place a mess. And they wonder how I know they've been there?
The kids have been asking me what I want for Christmas. I am a believer in presents for Christmas. They don't have to be expensive. In fact, I prefer them not to be. But they should be personal and thoughtful. I am so easy. I love smelly bath gels and funky artsy earrings. I love warm, fuzzy socks. All simple things to get mom. But they keep asking. And Son probably won't manage to put something under the tree again this year anyway. Which is another annoying story, but I digress. SO I left them a note that went something like this:
"What I Want for Christmas, by Mom"
What I want for Christmas is Help and Respect.
CLEAN YOUR ROOMS:
I have invested in expensive furniture and pretty/handsome bedding and decorator pillows for your rooms. You have asked for and helped me decorate your rooms. But the comforters are on the floor, the furniture is never dusted, the rooms are a disaster. I would like you to CLEAN your rooms and respect the time and energy that went into decorating them. Dust your furniture. Make your beds. Keep the junk off the floors. Respect the time and energy that we put into making your room a nice place to be.
CLEAN THE BASEMENT:
We have created what could be a really cool teen hangout in the basement. But there is GARBAGE on the new TV cabinet, garbage under the couches, junk all over the floors. There is no respect for the home theater or the pool table or the new furniture. Clean up the basement. Vacuum the rug and the furniture. Respect the hard earned money I invested in the basement so that you could have a nice place to bring your friends.
CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES:
You are 16 years old. I am a single, working mother. When you make yourselves a sandwich or cook something, clean it up. Throw away the wrappers, wipe up the crumbs, put away the food. Don't leave it out for me to come home after a long day and clean up your messes.
I would like to know that you respect our HOME and you respect the amount of time and energy it takes to make this HOUSE into a HOME. I need your help kids. And I need your respect. That's what I want for Christmas.
Love,
Mom
Yeah, with Ex moving away, things are going to need to change. So I thought I'd give this a shot. Before the split, they were required to do a lot more chores than they do now. Ex finds it simpler and more efficient to do things himself (he is Felix of the Odd Couple-Mr. NeatNick) and does not require the kids to do simple things like make their lunches. I think kids need chores and responsibility. Which is hard to enforce every other week. The good news - while my parents were here "babysitting" mom said the kids were very proactive at cooking, cleaning, doing trash collection and pitching in. Whew. At least they remember how. Now if they can just do it for MOM!
So yeah between work and kids and The News of the Move, I am having trouble finding Christmas. I am reading lovely posts over at BlogthisMom and the Hulagirl that are helping move me in the right direction....4 days left to find it.
*** edited to add: ha ha I just went back and read this. I'm wearing pants, too, people. Just in case anyone caught this...
11 comments:
I don't know how people live in fridgid weather either. It is a balmy 65 tonight and I have on a sweatshirt and jeans. I would die in chi. :0 that rymed. I missed the part about you not wearing pants...not very observant am I?
I love your wish list. I went over this today with my oldest. she wants to buy me something. I said I would be pleased as pickled punch if she just took care of her room better. and by better, I mean a little bit of clean would be good.
Ex moving to FL? wow. this is big news. What do the kids think? Glad you two are coming around and he is not scared of you anymore. That is a great thing for the kids to see!!!
ooohhhh, my word verification is suzznic. who is nic? I don't know no nic.
Aw, come on, it's not THAT bad! So what if your nose hairs freeze instantly when you step outside. Chicago ROCKS!!! The 50 MPH winds are part of its charm. DUH! It's called the WINDY City!! ;-)
Seriously, try to stay warm. I have the space heater going in the basement for my son and his friends as we speak, since it's a bit nippy down there! When I got home this morning (at 6 AM!!!) I misjudged the driveway and got my car good and stuck at the end of the driveway. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it was dark and I couldn't see, AND it was 6 AM!! My son tried to push it, then dig it out early this evening, but no such luck. Guess I'm going to have to break down and ask the ex for help, damn it :(
My word verification --- bellys. Yes, I have several, thanks. That's how I stay warm here in ChiTown!!
This Wench don't do cold! That's why this Wench is in Florida. Our temps have been up and down for weeks, and my allergies are kicking my butt. "Average" temperature is in the 70s according to all those tourism brochures. Sure, it's "average" when it is 100+ degrees in July and August, and in the 20s in February and March and other times speckled between November and April.
word verf? haner - Guitar Guy from Jeff Dunham's show and the guitarist from Avenged Sevenfold are both named Brian Haner. I blogged about that recently...
yep. DAMN cold here too.
just got back from walking the dogs in -11. brrrr
It's cold here but not "Chicago cold", thank God! Of course, you all got nice heaters in your houses that make everything all nice and toasty...we have nice kerosene fan heaters, but only in certain rooms of the house...the walk to the toilet, in the winter, can be a long one....but the seat is warmed, so that helps!!
Here it is, Monday night and Christmas spirit? Nope. not here. not yet and possibly not this year.~~sigh~~I wonder what happened? Me thinks that some "frozen concoctions that help me hang on" may be what I need!!
Nice wish list...let us know how they did finding something on it they could do!!!
Thanks for reminding me why I don't live in the midwest anymore! Although we are @#$%*@& snowed in here still -- since school was cancelled a week ago today, less a couple of brief expeditions between snow/ice storms -- since Portland doesn't move when it snows. Worst snow since 1968 or something like that, grumble, grumble.
And let me know how the list thing goes. After 7 days of enforced togetherness, I'm going to need to institute some some retraining. If we don't all go Jack Nicholson in The Shining here first...
Hope the escape from Chicago isn't as exciting as the landing.
Hang in there, and hope the Christmas spirit doesn't whumpf you on the head when it finally arrives!
Stay warm girly, and I hope all your Christmas wishes come true.
Funky earring are my favorite gift too.
Teenagers, teenagers, teenagers.
I'm sorry you're cold. I hate that.
I hope you get what you asked for from your kids for Christmas!!!
reader for a while...enjoying your point of view.
This morning when I went out to start my car it was brisk -30 with a windchill that made it about -41.
I'm not bragging or anything, just saying.
From Freezin my a** off in Alberta Canada.
My kids do a lot of chores and are pretty good about cleaning up after themselves. Of course, I routinely freak out on their a**es if they don't, so there might be a connection.
Get warm and stay warm.
I'm glad to see that your Christmas 'wish list' is just about the same as mine! Glad to hear you got most of what you wanted!
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