|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 11, 2020 19:18:54 GMT
That's great, Baz. So true, too! Our first responders are not getting the supplies they need, thanks to a moron who decided the virus was all a hoax, and made sure no one got any help until it was too late That's starting to change as local companies change over to making PPE items. Our governor has done a great job of pushing for supplies for front liners, and it's working. Hubby is happy for me, though he was fine with me being heavier. He's with me on the weight loss and exercise. He started getting old a couple of years ago, and understanding how I feel most of the time, so if our eating more healthy food, and doing more exercise, helps with the aches and pains, and general health, he's all for it
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Apr 12, 2020 11:20:57 GMT
That's great he's really supportive, but in a very accepting way - the perfect balance! Happy Easter to anyone celebrating it, either for religious or chocolatey reasons!
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 12, 2020 21:48:07 GMT
Yes, Happy Easter. We never celebrated Easter, growing up, but we had an Easter egg hunt. My mother would make Hardboiled eggs, and we would decorate them. Then our parents would hide the eggs for us to find. Weather didn't always cooperate. On a cooking show, this morning, the cook made what's basically Rice Krispies treats, but instead of a pan of bars, she rolled them into egg shapes, and the kids rolled the eggs in glitter and sprinkles. Great option, though I wouldn't want to make too many.
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Apr 13, 2020 6:24:46 GMT
We've never celebrated it in a religious way, but as it's a school holiday, it's always been a good time to get together with family (not this year, obviously!) and have some Easter themed fun. The egg hunts we did yesterday were fun - it was clear lots of planning had gone into them! The one my son did for my husband was the funniest as he'd added on lots of random physical challenges as well as puzzles and riddles - my husband was a good sport and played along with us all chortling away!
I was thinking yesterday about how we always used to have egg themed activities at school. Egg rolling and also decorating eggs (both done with real hard boiled eggs). Specifically I was thinking of one year when I spent ages decorating an egg for a competition at school (and I'm not artistic so that doesn't mean it looked any good at the end!) and my friend's mum decorated hers for my friend. It did look ace (it was a knight) and she won (despite clearly not being a 7 year old's effort!), but I remember feeling a bit miffed that my parents hadn't done mine for me to help me win the chocolate prize!
|
|
|
Post by amber89 on Apr 13, 2020 9:32:24 GMT
Happy Easter to you all! I do hope that despite the lock-down you managed to enjoy the day! For the first time in 8 years i did not celebrate the first Easter...i did no eggs, no egg hunt, no special dishes, none of the traditions that i have learned since i moved to Austria. I had a though i nice day, playing online board games with my hubby and his youngest sister. I also had a nice skype with hubby and his mum and siblings. So, it felt a bit festive. The people in the dorm also did not celebrate Easter in any way here. Either way, Danes don't dye eggs and also don't do egg tapping...which seams so strange for me. Some super good news from our side: hubby finished his first draft of the PhD thesis. The lock-down, the separation and the "writing parties" did their part and helped him push through and finish it. It was already sent to his Professor for comments. So, we are now again waiting I can't remember if i ever sent the update, but his second paper was also accepted and is already published. So, the end of his PhD is within his grasp. Now, it's only the lock-down that keeps us separated.
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Apr 14, 2020 6:44:26 GMT
Egg tapping looks fun! It's a shame that social distancing stopped you from being able to introduce your new friends to it.
Great news about hub's thesis! It's good he managed to motivate himself to get those papers written despite everything going on in his life and the world at large.
What's the latest on travel in your countries? Do you have any idea when restrictions might be lifted? I hope you two are continuing to find ways to keep in touch in fun ways until you can see each other again.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 14, 2020 20:00:10 GMT
Ooh, excellent for your hubby! I'm so glad he's making great progress, has gotten his article published, and is seeing the end of his PhD studies Does he know what he wants to do once he gets his PhD? You said you both wanted to stay in academia, which is usually very safe, except for now, with the lockdowns. Nothing he'd have to change any time soon, if he gets his PhD before the lockdown is lifted, right? I never heard of egg tapping, but I can imagine the kids loving it I'm glad you had a good Easter, despite the restrictions. You will all remember this Easter for a long time, and compare other Easters to it, as well as tell your children and grandchildren all about it
|
|
|
Post by bazookagoof on Apr 14, 2020 21:17:33 GMT
Just commenting on the crazy weather here- about a week ago or so it was in the mid-70's Fahrenheit, and we turned the heat off and opened the windows. Now, it's actually sunny and SNOWING! It won't stick of course, but more is expected on Friday.
It's spring break for my daughter, and not only is she stuck at home from social distancing, it's too cold to go outside anyway. We planned to put up the trampoline for her, but it's freezing outside and with more snow on the way, I'm not bothering to assemble it so soon.
(Some trampolines have a cover so you needn't store it, but this particular model is a tad too large to have a cover for it. It's not a bad thing, we have space to store it and it only takes about 30 minutes. It's also a nice time with my daughter, as she helps out.)
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Apr 15, 2020 6:51:36 GMT
Over here the danger of leaving trampolines out over winter is that if we have storms, they can lift up and fly off! Very few people seem to anchor them sufficiently.
I hope you can get the trampoline out soon - your weather does sound mad. We've been lucky to have some fine weather, it makes lockdown seem a lot less restrictive.
How's your daughter been coping with being stuck at home without the structure of school? Hope she's found things to keep her occupied. There's definitely been a less purposeful vibe here over the holidays, but everyone's remained in good spirits. I just hope they can get back in the swing next week!
|
|
|
Post by bazookagoof on Apr 15, 2020 16:24:50 GMT
Over here the danger of leaving trampolines out over winter is that if we have storms, they can lift up and fly off! Very few people seem to anchor them sufficiently. I hope you can get the trampoline out soon - your weather does sound mad. We've been lucky to have some fine weather, it makes lockdown seem a lot less restrictive. How's your daughter been coping with being stuck at home without the structure of school? Hope she's found things to keep her occupied. There's definitely been a less purposeful vibe here over the holidays, but everyone's remained in good spirits. I just hope they can get back in the swing next week! Ours is large, and tucked into a corner of our yard, where a strong wind would have quite a time lifting it up and out- it would get caught between the fence & the garage, likely. If there was an incident that convinced me otherwise, I have a set of stakes I can use, but so far that trampoline isn't going anywhere.
My wife is at odds with my daughter lately, since she stays up until 5 or 6 in the morning and sleeps until whenever. (She talks to her friends who also maintain a crazy schedule.) Yesterday we had a discussion with her about getting a bit more active, as she's been sedentary for a full month now. I gave her a list of tasks, some short, some more involved; we'll see if she sticks to it.
One task was that I wanted her to do was to rake the yard to pick up any dead grass, but right now that's impossible- it's snowing outside, and it's sticking! No green anywhere, all lawns have more than a dusting of snow everywhere!!!
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 15, 2020 18:44:00 GMT
I've been following your crazy weather, all of which has missed us completely. Either gone south or north of us. We had some heavy rain and wind, but even the gale force winds went south of us, along the coast. Not a good time to be responding to the 70F weather other than opening the windows. Still really windy here, but the rain is missing us completely. Obviously, only you and your wife can parent your daughter, but while a trampoline is nice, just bundling up and going outside to do anything constructive is better than nothing. When the quarantine started, and it's not as strict here as where you are, I decided to take it as a challenge to find new ways to alleviate any boredom. I'm amazed at the number of people who are seeing the only challenge being how to do everything they always did, without being able to do everything they ever did. This is the time for new things. Time restrictions on screen time, as Bean does, and getting the family together to do things in the yard, if nothing else. Set up a stake for a game of horse shoes, or a waste basket for one of those bean bag toss games. We've been discussing these things with our daughter, who daughter is also home, and despite having a big yard and a great play house/swing set, still gets bored. She wants to spend all of her time on her phone or tablet, and seems unable to come up with anything else to do outside, without someone telling her what to do. Maybe it's just being a kid. I'm not sure I remember that far back, lol. Anyway, we've been thinking of easy games to create in the yard, or even in the house, that granddaughter can do. She's got quite a belly on her, and if she spends all of her time on some screen, it will just get worse. She needs some organized activities, and since she can't play with other kids, she needs to entertain herself. One thing I do remember doing as a child was bouncing a ball off the side of the garage. We did it off the side of the house, but the incessant thumping of the ball against the house almost got us turned into burgers by our mother. The garage was separate from the house, so we could do it out there. It was a game of accuracy, tossing the ball against the wall, and catching it whichever way it went. We also played Jack, though I never got above 4s. Again, games we could play by ourselves, challenging ourselves, not having to be challenged by someone else. Interesting how easy it is for adults to find something to do, even if it's not entertaining, but kids can't seem to do the same thing. Not at all sure what your daughter might like doing, but I don't blame your wife for being tired of your daughter doing nothing. If anything, Setting a regular bed/rise time again, might help break the cycle. If her friends are also staying up till all hours of the morning, she can't talk to them all the time, as she'll be in bed. Perhaps being awake during the day will help get her motivated. Just suggestions we've given to our daughter, when she asked. The advice is free
|
|
|
Post by bazookagoof on Apr 15, 2020 19:31:24 GMT
One thing I do remember doing as a child was bouncing a ball off the side of the garage. We did it off the side of the house, but the incessant thumping of the ball against the house almost got us turned into burgers by our mother. The garage was separate from the house, so we could do it out there. It was a game of accuracy, tossing the ball against the wall, and catching it whichever way it went. We also played Jack, though I never got above 4s. Again, games we could play by ourselves, challenging ourselves, not having to be challenged by someone else. Interesting how easy it is for adults to find something to do, even if it's not entertaining, but kids can't seem to do the same thing. I had to laugh at the "turned into burgers" remark.
My daughter's been known to practice her volleyball outside, but also has been known to break garage windows when she attempts it.
Reading your post about kids being restless, it pleasantly reminded me of my own childhood, between the ages of 8-12, when I loved being by myself. Give me my toybox, and I could keep myself amused all day. Friends were nice occasionally, but for me nothing was better than hours of setting up things and acting out whatever storyline I liked, at my own pace and choosing whatever end I wanted. (The good guys won, the bad guys lost.)
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 15, 2020 20:17:45 GMT
I was the same way. I would bike around the neighborhood pretending to be a private investigator tracking someone, build a great set of streets in the dirt on the edge of the road, and do chases scenes with Matchbox cars. I rarely needed anyone else to help entertain me. Even when I was really little, I was doing stories with my toys. I wonder if my imagination will ever run out? I hope not, as I still do that when I'm soaking in the tub, or something rather boring. Just start mentally writing a story
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Apr 16, 2020 7:15:24 GMT
I always think getting a bit bored can be a gift to kids - if they don't have the easy options of phones, tvs and tablets to revert to, they have to think of something else to do, and that can lead to some really enjoyable, interesting or rewarding pastimes. But if they're there, it's like they're just happy watching other people do stuff or talking about watching other people do stuff. It's such a different environment to grow up in, that's for sure. I hope your daughter makes some headway with your list, Baz - when it's stopped snowing anyway! My daughter's been known to practice her volleyball outside, but also has been known to break garage windows when she attempts it. Haha! Oops! I'll be grateful our shed has no windows, or it'd probably have suffered a similar fate at some point! As it is, I just have to keep a close eye on next door's greenhouse...
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 16, 2020 19:01:56 GMT
I would have been the one breaking the windows Oops I totally agree. As long as they can stare at screens, and respond when required, they don't expand their minds any, and certainly don't get any exercise. I think you've done an excellent job of restricting screen time, and really wish daughter, would, too. I gave Peanut the tablet to do her math games, and she uses it for everything but. No one says anything to her. No one restricts the amount of time she can be on her tablet. I think, if anything, they prefer she be on the tablet than constantly interrupting the adults conversations. She's the only child in the room. When the adults talk, she's left out, so she interrupts constantly. I really don't think she's being rude. I think she's feeling left out Ways to include without having her always be staring at some blue light screen. She also doesn't have a bed time, which every kids needs. Later when there's no school, but not whenever it suits them. Life just doesn't work that way. Hubby was trying to plant bulbs in the garden, but it wouldn't stop snowing. Bursts of what looked like Styrofoam snow, lol It's been off and on all day. Nothing to show for it. Just a bit on the cars early this morning. He went food shopping around 5:30 a.m., and said he had to brush snow off the car.
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Apr 17, 2020 6:15:39 GMT
Oh he's organised, going shopping that early! I know you said the store do the priority sessions, so I'm sure it's worth going for in terms of the shopping experience he'll have, but still shows dedication! Hope he got everything you needed.
|
|
|
Post by amber89 on Apr 17, 2020 18:17:10 GMT
bazookagoof : do you still have snow around? I have to say, I envy you. I saw & felt snow this year for only a few hours, before it melted. Denmark was way to warm this winter and in Vienna is missed the snow when i was for Christmas in Bavaria. I have to say, the snow in April reminded me of the Easter some years ago in Austria when we also had quite some snow and everyone was joking that Santa will bring the eggs. Bean & 3piggles : No, no one has any idea when the restrictions will be lifted. I am hoping that i can go home for the month of June...but, even for that the chances are slim. I am lowering my expectations and praying that i can be with hubby at least for some time for our 5 year wedding anniversary, which is in the second half of August. Hubby is for now going away from a pure academia career. We had a short talk via zoom...and it would be close to impossible to be in the same place when both of us have to do postDocs somewhere around the world. Not to mention the wish of having kids...who will take them and will have to juggle academia and parenting... After being separated now during this crisis we are not really looking forward to another period of separation. So, hubby is applying for "normal" jobs, but in companies that do research. 3piggles : I am absolutely baffled that you never heard of egg tapping. but to you dye the eggs? I assumed that the pretty much everyone knew about it. My bad! I made one of the biggest errors of logic, generalizing based on too little data. I know that the orthodox part of Europe does egg tapping. When i moved to Austria, i saw that they also do it (with small differences). Bavaria also does it...so i simply assumed that the rest of the christians do it. It was a bit of a shock to hear that that it's actually not as common as i thought. I cleaned today my room (vacuuming, washing the walls,...). I do it pretty much every week. I hate a cluttered and dusty enviorement. I think that i am the only one that really cleans. Never heard the guys cleaning their rooms ( I am the only girl left in the building). I was also planning to mop the floors, but the available mop is so dirty that i will have to buy my own. Also, i took the scissors and cut my bangs. Went well, I can finally see again ) I have been cutting my bangs by myself for some years already (learned the hard way how much i am supposed to cut), since having it done professionally is way to expensive for me. I also dyed my hair; i am now having a dark red-ish with some violet reflexes hair colour. I have been using the same colour (importing it from Romania) since i was 18. Off-topic: has anyone heard anything from shades or has some way to get in contact? I know that i don't know him/her (?) that well, but it has been constantly popping in my mind recently... and i am a bit worrying, especially since Jo.
|
|
|
Post by bazookagoof on Apr 17, 2020 18:56:56 GMT
bazookagoof : do you still have snow around? I have to say, I envy you. I saw & felt snow this year for only a few hours, before it melted. Denmark was way to warm this winter and in Vienna is missed the snow when i was for Christmas in Bavaria. I have to say, the snow in April reminded me of the Easter some years ago in Austria when we also had quite some snow and everyone was joking that Santa will bring the eggs. Off-topic: has anyone heard anything from shades or has some way to get in contact? I know that i don't know him/her (?) that well, but it has been constantly popping in my mind recently... and i am a bit worrying, especially since Jo. This is the view from my front window:
Snow in April is, for the most part, unheard of around these parts. We got snow in April maybe about 5 or 6 years ago, but I can't recall the last time before that. Extremely rare.
If I could send some your way, you'd be most welcome to it. I loved snow when I was much younger. After experiencing the terror of driving in it and going through the hardship of trying to shovel it, any year we get a mild winter is wonderful to me. You see, heart attacks are very common for people shoveling snow, and I'm no longer as young as I used to be. As for driving, picture yourself applying the brakes so you don't hit anyone, and your car ignores your attempts and continues to slide towards a person or into oncoming traffic.
Snow is deadly. I've witnessed more accidents than I care to remember.
As for Shades, nobody knows what his status is. We've mentioned him in another thread, along with gremlin40- we hope they're okay.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 17, 2020 20:38:01 GMT
Don't worry about the egg tapping. When something is really common where you've lived, it's natural to think everyone does it Yes, we dye eggs, and we hide them for children to find, but no tapping We're supposed to get up to 6 inches of snow tomorrow, starting overnight tonight, I think. Hubby will have to get the snow blower going, but it could be our last storm. We've had snow flurries pretty much every day this week. This isn't unusual for us, except that we've totally skipped Spring for years, and this year we're finally having a typical New England Spring again Growing up, outside planting(flowers and veggies) was always done on Memorial Day weekend, May 30, as that was the first date we weren't likely to get a killing frost after we planted. We got snow in July, in the 1960s, but that was really rare. We've had all the lines of snow from around the country come through here, but they all went north or south of us. So we should have enough snow for some good pictures, by tomorrow Hubby is outside planting Spring flowering bulbs, which should be fine despite the snow. All the flowering trees have buds or the first of their blossoms, so I hope we only get snow, and not a lot of wind. I really don't envy you and hubby the distance, trying to figure out how to make your futures work, etc. You two seem to not only have a good, strong relationship, but to have good, strong brains in your heads. I'm pulling for you two to make things work, to be able to get together in August, for hubby to get a private sector job, and all those things. Perhaps his private sector job will also pay enough for you two to be able to afford a child. Trust me, they are not cheap. Even if you live where the government helps, you go through diapers and formula faster than you can ever imagine, and it never fails that, as soon as you stock up on one size of diaper, they outgrow that and need the next size up. I think you two are truly on a good, solid life path. When you finally move out, the people who care for the building where you are will probably be quite grateful you did as much cleaning as you did
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Apr 18, 2020 6:30:47 GMT
I've dropped a quick message to the email listed on Shades's account, although I have no idea if it's one he uses. I'll let you know if I hear back from him.
Amber, it sounds like this separation has been a steep learning curve for you and hub, and although it's tough now, hopefully that'll mean that when this is over, you will both know far better what it is you both want out of your life together.
Hope your snow is soon gone, Baz. Yesterday was a little overcast here, so I managed to finish off the garden job I'd started the day before, but abandoned to sunbathe!
|
|