News & Views: heat wave edition

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

1. Minor has asked a GIRL to go to the movies with him. *sobs in 'my baby is growing up too fast'*

2. Curating two boys screen-time during a heat wave (when the pool is still under renovations) is not fun.

3. I'm working on another OM cross stitch. I'm trying to fill more squares of my Book Bingo. I finished my Intoabar fic. I am hauling my fat ass to the lake to run (2 mornings in a row!). I saw a bunny today.

19 JUNE: Watch Day: Do you wear a watch?

Yes, almost always. I have a Garmin sports watch which I use for timing my runs and for counting steps.

20 JUNE: Summer Solstice: What’s the best part of summer?

Watermelon!

21 JUNE: Selfie Day: Do you take selfies?

No. I have a self-loathing trigger of photos and mirrors so I avoid them as much as possible. I did have to take one yesterday, however, for the pool pass for the apartment. I try to just do it and upload it wherever necessary and never look at it. The sad thing is that that means there are no photos of me and my sons, just photos of them and their father. I don't care because I get sick looking at photos of myself but I think other people would think that is weird or sad. I didn't have a problem until I got pregnant the first time and a friend (who liked photography) asked to take some pregnancy photos and seeing them made me sick, vomiting, self-harm urges, etc. I still don't want any but doing the profile photo yesterday didn't make me vomit. Passport photos, driver's license, I can trick my brain into thinking it's business.

22 JUNE: Worldwide VW Beetle Day: Do you like VW Beetles?

They are cute, cars and vans. I have an aunt who LOVED her gold bug and kept it long after it actually ran properly.

23 JUNE: Typing Day: How well do you type?

Pretty good. It was a class in middle school.

24 JUNE: International Fairy Day: Do you believe in fairies?

No, but they are pretty on stickers and in collages.

25 JUNE: Day of the Seafarer: Have you (or would you) ever go on a sea voyage?

Yes, I'd love it. Next lifetime, I'm going to be a sailor! Or fisherperson!

Comments

[falkner]

> Curating two boys screen-time during a heat wave (when the pool is still under renovations) is not fun.
The implication that usually it's not that much of a problem is good, though! During the pandemic lockdown I worked as a babysitter and getting the kid to stop asking for TV/tablet/phone was an absolute nightmare, because their family would let them spend all their other time in front of a device to keep them quiet.

And great job on running two days in a row! Keep it up!!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Yeah, it's tough. They will stop if I tell them to. But they won't be happy about it. I make them go outside for breaks but it's very hot. And trying to set parameters and keep track is a challenge (like X number of hours a day). And I try to play board games and card games together and do crafts together and work on jigsaw puzzles with me, but yeah, screen does keep them quiet. I worry that they are rotting their brains, and I worry that they can't amuse themselves without them.

And when I tell them to not play something they will switch (like just 5 minutes ago, I overheard Minor say on a game that he was getting arrested by police [in the game] and I said he had to play a different game because he's a 13 year old black boy in the US, him getting arrested and murdered by the police is one of my biggest nightmares.

Thank you! I am trying to get to 6k by Sunday. I am at 5.75 k right now. It takes me a hour but baby steps!

[kitarella_imagines]

It's funny, I haven't worn a watch for decades. I seem to have an internal clock which knows the time, and anyway there are so many devices with a clock on these days so I can look at those.

I don't wear jewellery either, can't bear things flapping on my hands or neck etc.😋

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Interesting!

[spiralicious]

Curating two boys screen-time during a heat wave (when the pool is still under renovations) is not fun. - Oof. That has got to be rough. Have you considered water balloons? They make reusable ones now.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

I saw some in Michael's when I was with Minisculus and he wasn't interested in them, but I just asked Minor and he is. So I may pick some up today as it's shopping day.

[spiralicious]

Good luck and if you do pick some up, I hope they help.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

My kids are soaking the balcony with them. They have exhausted their screen time allotment for the day so it's a good thing. I got the re-usable kind (which you don't need a hose for because we don't have a hose).

[spiralicious]

Excellent! I'm glad that worked out.

[smallhobbit]

Hope the curation of sons has gone well this week, despite the weather.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Yes, the pool is about to open here (renovations over) so that will be a diversion that doesn't involve screen. They each have certain limit of screen time a day. And I have instituted a 'siesta hour' (no screen) from 1-2 pm after lunch and now I am making them work on my bee puzzle with me during that time. We haven't had any rain so it's still boiling here.