Where, oh where, has mmyrtle been?
Assuming, of course, any of y'all remember me... *wibbles mildly*
As my daughters get older, it seems I have less and less time to myself. For some reason, this comes as a suprise to me. I thought that once the kids were out of diapers (much less out of elementary school), they'd need and/or want me less and less.
Apparently, I was wrong.
It has been non-stop Mom-time here ever since Eldest Daughter and I returned from our great adventure in England. The girls' school years are winding down, which means lots of concerts, conferences, ceremonies, etc. The weather has warmed (finally!), which means lots of yardwork and gardening (*gags*). And an unusual number of my family members seem intent on travel, so I've been here even less than usual.
For example...
My 2nd dad (long story) came down the weekend after Eldest and I got home (I think ). Wow, has it really been that long since I've updated here? *is embarrassed* He's had a particularly unhappy year due to some bad business issues that were also bad friend issues, so we were glad to be able to spoil him for the 15 hours he was here.
Mom visited two weekends ago and we were actually able to keep her moderately entertained for the 30 hours she was here. She *loves* to do projects, especially of the home improvement/D-I-Y type. We *loathe* projects, especially of the home improvement/D-I-Y type, so many of her visits result in tense negotiations over what needs to be done (i.e., everything -- the house is nearly 20 years old and we've done precious little to it) vs. what she wants to do (everything, plus) vs. what we're willing to do (nothing) -- or let her do.
This past weekend, the girls and I drove up to Chicago (some 300 miles away) to surprise Mom's twin sister, my cousin (Mom's twin sister's daughter) and my cousin's son (I'll wait until you finish the diagram...) who were in Chicago for an important event for my cousin's son. Surprising was accomplished, much laughter and visiting ensued, good times were had by all ~ and we drove the 300 miles back yesterday.
Work has been challenging, but rewarding: I have been able to create a report that has made my boss extremely happy (go me!), but the report relies on some very complicated Excel macros which tend to be rather touchy. My boss has been incredibly generous with his praise (for me, that's better than money), but the macros are incredibly fragile, so I'm spending a lot of time trying to learn stuff I never knew and don't really understand. If you're an Excel Macro master, I would love any help...
Eldest... *sigh*. Eldest has spent an inordinate amount and effort to put as much distance between the two of us as possible, in whatever way she finds most expedient. On the one hand, I can understand and respect that: I don't always like my mom. But it still hurts my feelings. To be fair to her, sometimes I'm just too sensitive. To be fair to me, sometimes she's just rude. I'm wrestling with the thought that she may actually not like me. I would love to be mature enough to say that this would not bother me, but that would be a lie. As unreasonable as it is, I want her to like me. I'm not willing to swap the role of mother for that of friend, but it still stings to be treated as nothing more than a rather stupid and mildly offensive employee. Then, all of a sudden and from out of the blue, she'll wrap me in a hug and won't let go.
Middle Daughter has dived headlong into the emotionally turbulent waters of 13-going-on-14. This age was a particularly ugly time with Eldest Daughter and while Middle's temperment is very different than her elder sister's, it is shaping up to be no less distressing. Sadly for Middle, I think she's more traumatised by the vacillations in her moods than anyone else.
In other news, the blueberries, raspberries and lilacs I planted are thriving, my peonies are ready to bloom, and it looks like I've got a fair bit of alyssum from last year ready to return. I hate-loathe-detest-despise gardening... but I do love happy plants.
♥ my flist!
As my daughters get older, it seems I have less and less time to myself. For some reason, this comes as a suprise to me. I thought that once the kids were out of diapers (much less out of elementary school), they'd need and/or want me less and less.
Apparently, I was wrong.
It has been non-stop Mom-time here ever since Eldest Daughter and I returned from our great adventure in England. The girls' school years are winding down, which means lots of concerts, conferences, ceremonies, etc. The weather has warmed (finally!), which means lots of yardwork and gardening (*gags*). And an unusual number of my family members seem intent on travel, so I've been here even less than usual.
For example...
My 2nd dad (long story) came down the weekend after Eldest and I got home (I think ). Wow, has it really been that long since I've updated here? *is embarrassed* He's had a particularly unhappy year due to some bad business issues that were also bad friend issues, so we were glad to be able to spoil him for the 15 hours he was here.
Mom visited two weekends ago and we were actually able to keep her moderately entertained for the 30 hours she was here. She *loves* to do projects, especially of the home improvement/D-I-Y type. We *loathe* projects, especially of the home improvement/D-I-Y type, so many of her visits result in tense negotiations over what needs to be done (i.e., everything -- the house is nearly 20 years old and we've done precious little to it) vs. what she wants to do (everything, plus) vs. what we're willing to do (nothing) -- or let her do.
This past weekend, the girls and I drove up to Chicago (some 300 miles away) to surprise Mom's twin sister, my cousin (Mom's twin sister's daughter) and my cousin's son (I'll wait until you finish the diagram...) who were in Chicago for an important event for my cousin's son. Surprising was accomplished, much laughter and visiting ensued, good times were had by all ~ and we drove the 300 miles back yesterday.
Work has been challenging, but rewarding: I have been able to create a report that has made my boss extremely happy (go me!), but the report relies on some very complicated Excel macros which tend to be rather touchy. My boss has been incredibly generous with his praise (for me, that's better than money), but the macros are incredibly fragile, so I'm spending a lot of time trying to learn stuff I never knew and don't really understand. If you're an Excel Macro master, I would love any help...
Eldest... *sigh*. Eldest has spent an inordinate amount and effort to put as much distance between the two of us as possible, in whatever way she finds most expedient. On the one hand, I can understand and respect that: I don't always like my mom. But it still hurts my feelings. To be fair to her, sometimes I'm just too sensitive. To be fair to me, sometimes she's just rude. I'm wrestling with the thought that she may actually not like me. I would love to be mature enough to say that this would not bother me, but that would be a lie. As unreasonable as it is, I want her to like me. I'm not willing to swap the role of mother for that of friend, but it still stings to be treated as nothing more than a rather stupid and mildly offensive employee. Then, all of a sudden and from out of the blue, she'll wrap me in a hug and won't let go.
Middle Daughter has dived headlong into the emotionally turbulent waters of 13-going-on-14. This age was a particularly ugly time with Eldest Daughter and while Middle's temperment is very different than her elder sister's, it is shaping up to be no less distressing. Sadly for Middle, I think she's more traumatised by the vacillations in her moods than anyone else.
In other news, the blueberries, raspberries and lilacs I planted are thriving, my peonies are ready to bloom, and it looks like I've got a fair bit of alyssum from last year ready to return. I hate-loathe-detest-despise gardening... but I do love happy plants.
♥ my flist!