lucyismycat

I will miss the late night Thanksgiving shopping with my mama. For the last several years, I have hosted Thanksgiving lunch for both mine and DH's family, and then around 4:30 or so, it was my time to go out (leave the dishes for DH and the boys) and people watch and pick up a few things. Most of our Christmas presents come in the form of sports gear, which has never been a hot commodity for BF. But I like getting new sheets, Rubbermaid containers, movies, a few video games, etc. I will especially miss our midnight snack at Steak n Shake, with Christmas shakes to go on our way to the other side of town to shop some more. Usually we have an out of town hockey tournament that we have to leave for at a ridiculous hour Friday morning. No news on that yet this year, so we will play it by ear. I guess if there's not much shopping, and no big tournament, I will stay home and decorate the house to the 9s.

I am debating on both of these. We'd be coming from the Nintendo Switch. My question is around the digital vs. physical. If I get the digital version of the PS5 or Xbox, do you have to have internet just to start the games (even if it's not an internet-type game)? For the Switch, we've learned that games won't even load if there's no internet available to validate the account that's logged into the Switch (long story short - we have 3 Switches and I am the primary account holder, so both boys have to get online just to play local-only games).

We made it to a month with an 'R' in it!!! Yay for September! August finished up with ice hockey tryouts, and we found out last night that both boys (9 and 10) made the travel teams they wanted. My little guy is the sole goalie for his team, which is a ton of pressure for a little kid but we'll see how he handles it. School also started this week. We are on day 2 of hybrid (in person 3.25 hours and the rest of the day is spent at an after school program)...praying that parents keep sick little ones at home, and that everyone leaves their mask on their face. I asked the 10 year old what he thought about hybrid school vs. regular school and he likes hybrid school the best because it's less time sitting still at a desk. LOL The 9 year old was asleep on the gym floor when we picked him up at the end of the day yesterday. Those 3 hours really took it out of him. I need to start thinking about Christmas presents but right now I'm thinking about new goalie gear . I will maybe start on my list later this week. I am really anxious for Amazon Prime Day! I'm not even looking for anything specific, I just want to see some deals. Our local mall has lost a lot of the chain retailers, BUT in their place we are getting some local boutique-type stores, which is a nice change. I've been a couple of times in the past few weeks and I got a lot of back to school shopping done there. I'm looking forward to seeing what they will have for the Christmas shopping season, it would be nice to be able to get stuff locally instead of shipping everything.

The year is flying by and dragging, simultaneously. July brought a couple of hockey camps our way, still working from home (and DH, too). Our little guy (age 9) ended up having to have the nose swab Covid test in early July, but his results thankfully came back negative. We just heard that my job is implementing furloughs for up to 10 business days by the end of the year. I am maxed out on vacation time, so it's going to be tough to fit in all of the furlough days as well as mandatory vacation and still get my projects done. August is typically the month that the big Christmas planning kicks off in our house. I don't have any major home improvement plans for the fall, but I'll find a way to make a fuss somehow It's also the month for our state fair, which was canceled for this year. I'm normally a fair junkie, but I'm sure that my cholesterol levels will be happier this year! lol Back to school has been postponed for us by a week, half-days in the classroom and virtual the rest of the time. No in-classroom on Fridays, so I'm planning some 3 day weekends. Hockey season is still a "go" for now, but I'm expecting that to get canceled, or drastically changed, any minute. What a weird year, for sure.

Can’t believe this year is already halfway over. Then again, that might be a good thing, considering how it’s gone so far. June brought a hockey goalie camp for my little guy (out of state since ours was still “closed”), the opening of our local water park (with lots of social distancing, but no masks!) and little guy’s birthday yesterday. Plans for the 4th are to hit the waterpark and maybe catch a local fireworks show. Most of the big ones have been canceled, but I’m holding out for the little town closest to us to keep theirs going. We are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow at DHs suggestion. We celebrate Christmas in July on the 25th and he reminded me that we hadn’t yet had “pretend” Thanksgiving, so I have the turkey ready to go in the roaster. Once that’s out of the way I can crank up the Christmas carols, make a few just-for-fun gifts and start planning THAT menu.

Happy June! Still working from home - my colleagues and I have decided we’re going to keep working from home until a vaccine is found or effective treatment for this virus. This means I need to make some effort towards moving my office to the main floor of our house. I need more sunlight! On nicer days I take the MacBook out to the patio and watch the boys swim while I work, but it would be nice to see more sunlight all the time. I’m just not incredibly motivated to start moving stuff around right now. Lol The boys (8 and 10) have finished school for the year and now we are waiting (not-so) patiently for our local water park to open up. I did get word yesterday that one of their hockey camps will start next week, and the day camp we use in summer is opening next week as well. My little guy and I are going to another state for a goalie camp later this month, and I’m still trying to find some other camps that will happen to replace the ones we registered for that have been canceled. Not sure about vacation this year, but we’ll be fine either way.

Happy May! I'm not sad to see April go. Spent some time in the hospital (non-COVID related, thankfully), and am happy to be home again. I've been making masks and working from home, and homeschooling, and trying to keep from going too crazy. The boys (8 and 9) are missing their hockey friends, but we're keeping in touch as much as we can between FaceTime and Zoom. Spring hockey was outright canceled, but I still hold out some hope for summer 3 on 3. In the meantime, it's inline skates on the driveway. I'm so thankful that there are 2 of them; at least they have a playmate. On the shopping front, toilet paper is available near me now, but hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes are still unicorns. Haven't had too much trouble completing the shopping list, but I did sweat for a week trying to find another Nintendo Switch since one of ours bit the dust and the repair center is closed. The new one was delivered yesterday and all is well. Our governor has extended our stay home status for another month. At least I'm able to work in the yard now. The patio is looking pretty good, but if I don't stop spraying the front yard, there will be no grass left. I keep finding new weeds that have obviously taken advantage of my previous levels of distraction with work and home life. I am thinking about putting out a small garden so my children can see that food doesn't just magically appear in the refrigerator. Have a safe and happy May, everyone!

Finally! That was the longest March of my life! We had an early end to hockey season (missed the last, biggest tournament for the 8yo), so I've been dealing with 2 very depressed boys. Hopefully when this is all over, we'll get to have our end of the season banquet and twice the amount of summer hockey, since spring season has been canceled, too. At least we are all relatively healthy! DH and I are both working from home, and we have divided the house up by levels during working hours so everyone can do their own thing and have some peace. I got the best end of the deal: my own bathroom, sewing studio/office, game room, movie room and bar! DH is on the main level, and the boys are relegated to their bedroom level or outside. This will all be a little easier when we have better weather. (Did you hear me Weather Channel??? I said WHEN!!!) DM and I are making masks for healthcare workers when we have free time. I work in healthcare IT, and some of my colleagues are out in clinics without PPE. We're doing what we can to keep them at least a little more protected. Stay healthy, all!

Happy March! I got back from a hockey tournament last night and didn't realize I'd left my backpack (with MacBook Pro and priceless photo drive) in our hotel room. Panic ensued this morning as I tried to find it, and then remembered Find my iPhone! It was still at the hotel. A couple of phone calls later, and they are overnighting it to me. This month I am thankful for honest people who find stuff and turn it in, and for great memories made with my kids (age 8 and 9). As an aside, if you are ever in Kansas City and need to burn a few hours, the National World War I museum is absolutely worth the price of admission and more. We had an amazing time there. The Vietnam exhibit was incredibly moving as well. Next weekend we are headed to Notre Dame for the next to last tournament of our fall/winter season!

Happy February, for sure! This was the longest January of my life! This month I’m thankful for my sewing machine that will help me to make 11,000 valentines for my boys’ classmates. Maybe I’m exaggerating. Lol it sure seems like it, though!

I am back to work today after 2 weeks off. Ugh. I threw my back out last week the day after Christmas, and then had to drive 7 hours to a hockey tournament for my youngest (got back last night). This January, I'm thankful for a standing desk at my job so that I can at least be here, trying to catch up with everything I missed over the last 2 weeks. Happy 2020!

I really, really, really wanted a new sewing machine this year (Viking Epic 2). DH pre-ordered it for me and I got it in mid-November. I told him not to get me anything else, and we counted that for our 20-year anniversary gift from him as well. I don’t care if he counts that as my gift for the next 5 years for all occasions lol I asked my mom for brown socks and some hair products. DMIL will gift cash, she’s not up to shopping this year with me. Usually we make an evening of it and have a nice (kid-free) dinner out somewhere. I have missed that more than I want to admit. I guess I have reached a point that there isn’t really anything I want that I haven’t already bought, so I’m down to socks and shampoo. Lol Next year I’ll probably ask for ibuprofen and a case of diet Dr. Pepper LOL getting old SUCKS

I just went through my list one more time and realized that the pizelle maker I ordered for my mother hasn’t arrived yet. So I’ll be tracking that down. This last quarter of 2019 can just get over with whenever it’s ready. My MIL had emergency gall bladder issues that went on for 3 months, my mother broke her wrist in a nasty fall last week and had surgery yesterday (She and her cat are currently living with us). Two of my employees just went out with long term (one potentially terminal) illnesses. My 9 year old’s blood pressure is out of control, so they’re adding new meds for him with some unpleasant side effects. I’m tired of all of these loved ones being in pain. Needless to say, I am nowhere near finished with Christmas prep. I’m thankful to be off from work for 2 weeks after today. Hopefully I can catch up either over the weekend or last-minute on Monday. I have a ton of gift cards left to get for stockings, and I still need to write the letter from Santa for the boys. Our decor is very scaled back this year, but it’s ok. I keep telling myself that we will do it “right” for Christmas in July lol It just hasn’t seemed like a normal advent for us. 2020 has GOT to be better.

I made some turkey salad yesterday before leaving for DS8’s hockey tourney. Celebrated 3 straight wins with a team dinner last night, back for at least 2 more games today, hoping to bring home some hardware! [emoji471] DS9 won his hockey game yesterday, too! Today I’m taking him to his game 2 hours away and then hoping to make it to DS8’s first game another 30 minutes further. I have 1.5 Christmas trees up right now [emoji38] [emoji171][emoji970]

me too! It is DS8 and 9’s turn for an iPad refresh, so I got one from amazon and one from Best Buy. I was planning to try for two of them at Walmart, but I’m glad to have that done already! I can fit a lot more movies on 128GB than I could their old 64 versions! Yay for BF pre-sale!!

I went after the Roomba but they were sold out at 11:30 at our store, so I just ordered it from Amazon (same price, including tax, and one day shipping). I didn’t end up buying anything in the store today except lunch lol

Both boys play hockey, so they get 1 stocking with stuff like stick tape, sock tape, new laces, mouth guards, wax, any little hockey trinkets I pick up at tournaments, etc. and 1 stocking with the regular stuff: toothpaste, new toothbrushes, deodorant, boxers, socks, Nintendo gift cards, etc. I will wrap any and every little thing in the month of December and count it as a “Christmas gift”. Lol

I need Walmart, Meijer and Macys. Come ON already! I’m not going to have anything left to buy by the time BF rolls around! (Not that that’s ever stopped me)

Our boys are snoopers (aged 8 and 9). So, I’ve been known to stash gifts in my office at work. My mom keeps the boys after school, so she stashes her gifts in DH’s pole barn. I need the visual of what I’ve bought for them up close and personal lol. I am really liking the idea of using our camper for this, however; I might try that this year. They want some bigger sports equipment that could go in there and be more out of the way. Most of the stocking stuffers have been hidden in my craft room for the past several years, but the boys are “helping” me make some gifts for other family members this year, so I’m going to have to move that stuff. I keep track of what I’ve purchased using my Christmas notebook in OneNote. I track from year to year, per person, what I purchased and how much I spent. I also have things like door/window/table sizes, which linens I have, which ones need to be replaced, decorations, “to-dos”, shopping lists, menus, etc. It makes it a little easier when I’m out and find an unexpected sale, to know exactly what I might need. I can access it from my phone, iPad, computer, etc. I make notes on events we’ve attended in the past so I can remember if they are worth doing again or were duds. My whole life is in Microsoft OneNote

I’m debating decorating the weekend of the 23rd since we will be out of town Thanksgiving weekend for a hockey tournament (we leave Friday after shopping all night

I’m in!

We have a ton of things we just seem to gravitate towards during the Christmas season, but probably my favorite is Christmas Eve. We go to church and afterwards get Chinese food. This started almost 20 years ago when DH and I were first married and spent a Christmas at my parents'. My father passed away the next year, but for some reason this one stuck, and we've done it every year since. Other close seconds: bundling everyone up in the car in pajammies, with hot cocoa, driving around to look at christmas lights. Also, going to a movie on Christmas day in the afternoon after all the company leaves. Or, in years when we get snow on Christmas, getting out the ATVs to race around in the snow. This thread makes me warm and fuzzy

The same for me. I wish my dad could have met my boys. For something more possible, I really want another dog. However, we are gone most of the winter, and it wouldn't be fair to have to board a new family member, so that's a no for now. But it doesn't stop me from looking on Petfinder every day just in case the perfect mastiff shows up. LOL I could sneak her into a hotel, right?

Our boys are 7 and 8, and play travel hockey, so I consider most of their "gifts" to be all of the league and ice fees, equipment, jerseys, hotel stays, etc. However, they do still get a sizable amount of gifts for Christmas, primarily geared around their favorite sport. So this year they are getting some off-ice training equipment, and a few video games. I'll fill their stockings with skate laces, stick wax, hand balm, new toques and gloves, foam pucks and candy. I'm an only child, and DH is an only child, so these are the only grandchildren on either side of our family. Spoiled is the word of the day...I never worry about buying too much stuff for them because I know grandmas will take care of it LOL Santa only brings books and a nice letter about their year.

We host Thanksgiving every year for both mine and my husband's families, soooo usually that means no Christmas decorations go up until BF weekend. However, this year our boys have an out of town hockey tournament; we're leaving sometime Friday afternoon (after getting home from shopping all night!) and won't be back until Sunday afternoon. I'm thinking about breaking tradition and putting up at least some of the Christmas stuff this weekend. My issue is that we also decorate for Thanksgiving, and I think the turkeys/pumpkins/etc will look a little odd next to the trees and other stuff. I think the Christmas stuff will probably have to wait until after our tournament. I am in "need" of a good quality 12' unlit tree (something I can't see through). I had a beautiful 9' prelit tree that we got rid of after last Christmas...the lights quit working, and it was more trouble than it seemed worth to try and fix it. It also weighed so much that it took a winch to get it upstairs, so this time I'd like something that comes in more than 3 pieces in case I need to carry it in sections.