Friday, September 06, 2024

5 on a Friday: Notes from the first “week” of school (36/52)

 

1. Dorothy and Coop’s playground is really fun at pickup time, but they might die of embarrassment if they see us playing. 

Also! It is not possible in horrible Madison traffic to get Dorothy and Cooper where they need to be after school when they need to be there. I feel just incredible rage about this for a couple of reasons.

 First, our terrible mayor (who cannot even make sure the snow gets plowed) is pushing a rapid transit bus line. I get how EVENTUALLY this might make traffic better, but right now? It is HORRIBLE. Every road is clogged. No one can figure out bus only lanes. It took me 35 minutes to drive 3 miles yesterday to test our after school route. Mass transit is not yet reliable enough for me to take it to work with 4 kids in 3 schools and an out of town spouse, and I cannot be alone in this situation- so there are TONS OF CARS and less space for us. It’s awful and SO PREVENTABLE. 

Second, the kids have a ridiculous school schedule. HOW CAN KIDS BE IN SCHOOL UNTIL 4:25??? It is bananas. All of the neighboring districts get out a normal time, so activities are on their schedule (WHICH I GET), so only Maddison school kids are getting squeezed out of their club sports. SO STOOOPID. And! THE MORNING BUS is not even RUNNING ON TIME and part of the reason for the dumb bell schedule is shared bussing. 

And! MMSD wants big bucks for a referendum and is threatening austerity if they don’t get their money, as is the city who wants a huge property tax increase. And yet! I look at a district who’s got big problems managing funds and large contracts — like for the BUSSES— and a city that has made my life noticeably WORSE in terms of roads and traffic, and I just… don’t want to give them my money.

 If only I weren’t trapped by the housing market in a house with an inflated value that seems awesome until you try to buy a new house in a city whose roads are drivable THAT IS EVEN MORE INFLATED and also I’d have to drive to Madison from there anyway (but maybe AN HOUR EARLIER IN THE AFTERNOON). 

It’s a major frustration/happiness stumbling block. 

I can be zen about my shitty morning drive because it is just me in the car, and I have entertainment and solitude. But the witching hour drive with all the kids who are hungry and so much traffic and GAHHHH. I cannot imagine doing this 5 days a week for the next 10 months, especially in snow and rain.




2. I forgot how delightful Minnie is 1:1. We are having so much fun!! I do need to figure out how to be ready in all ways for our evening slog, especially knowing that she is really touchy that time of day…

3.  THESE granola bars are delish, but I seem to be the only one who thinks so **eye roll**.

4. Jack!! Just **drives away** by himself in the morning. He even ran to Target to collect my pick up order the other night. WHEN DID HE GROW UP???? 
5. Oh my gosh! I have had horrible redness around my nose/between my nose and my lip lately, and all moisturizer with sunscreen aggravates the hell out of it (Augustinus Bader cream is fine at night but has no sunscreen). I assumed it was a rosacea flair and bought some green SPF primer from Clinique. But then! I thought maaaaaybe it is actually an eczema flair because it looks like Minnie's sometimes does. SO! I have been putting Cereve ointment (the Vaseline looking kind in the huge tub) that I have used on Minnie every day of her life since she was 3 weeks old (seh is a SEAL you guys-- so buttery) on it with the Bader cream at night and before the Clinique stuff in the daytime, and I look ALMOST NORMAL AGAIN, which is good because I love my Tarte SPF tinted moisturizer, but it irritates my face something fierce. No I go lube, primer, Tarte, and it looks pretty good. Which is to say it looks how I used to look at the time with no effort when I was younger **head desk**








19 comments:

  1. Lol on your last paragraph. I have been considering that Tarte SPF moisturizer! Although I'm pretty happy with Ilia skin tint.
    Omg the traffic. That put me so much in mind of Calgary. Calgary is just constantly doing improvements that will SOMEDAY improve traffic flow and public transit, but for 10-15 years has been absolutely the worst. The worst! I remember some days my husband would take 90 minutes to drive 8 km. I cannot imagine doing that with kids in the car after school. You have my sympathies.

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    1. I really do love the Tarte BB cream and have been using it with no issues for YEARS. My face is just weird lately. #old

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  2. That traffic situation sounds horrific. It is extra maddening BECAUSE YOU HAVE PLACES TO BE.
    Sigh. I hope you find some great solution. Apparating a la Harry Potter would be pretty great. Maybe the mayor should start working on bringing that to reality.

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    1. I would love apparating, Even the flu network would be FINE

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  3. Your traffic situation sounds so frustrating. I am so glad we do not have to deal with that in Minneapolis. We stay in a 5 mile radius most days luckily so that helps as we can either take a freeway or side streets depending on what is quickest. I'm glad you have one driver in the house to help out, but it's extra tough with Ben being out of town as so much falls on you! I have no solution, though - just a lot of compassion for the situation! That is such a late end time. They must start so freaking late!! Paul starts around 8 and is out at 2:45. I am not sure how that changes as he moves into middle school, though.

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    1. they go 9-4:25-- so weird. and then high school is back to a more regular 8-3:30.

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  4. The traffic and the drive sound nightmarish, Sarah. I'm so sorry I have nothing to offer other than my commiseration.

    But I love that Jack is so helpful and Minnie is so delightful and Cooper and Dorothy are so predictable and that the Cerave lube is so reliable. I use it for everything too!

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    1. SO RELIABLE! The kids and the ointment

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  5. Arg! I read this and the previous post together, and am having a nervous breakdown on your behalf. I don't know anyone with that many kids and activities does it, and you have some major strikes going against you here.
    Well... good thing Minnie is so cute. Actually all your kids seem amazing- you will get through this! I'm waiting anxiously to hear how you manage it all.

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    1. I am wondering how it is all going to go down, too LOL

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  6. I'm mind-blown over here trying to imagine living in a world with that sort of traffic/transit/bussing/school hour issues and not being able to move to another location. Eek. I hope this gets resolved - somehow?

    Minnie is so cute and. Hooray for enjoyable 1:1 time.

    I have some lip issue going on right now that includes, but is not limited to numbness, chapping, and cuts in the corners of my mouth that makes it hard to open my mouth. I'm taking my marionette-looking self to the dermatologist tomorrow to seek advice. I'm glad you seem to have figured out your red skin issue.

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    1. UGH I hope the derm is helpful!!

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  7. Oh goodness, the driving and the schedules and ALL of it is a LOT. I'm sorry. I'm going to have to start driving 1 to 1.5 hours each way to work in January, and I'm REALLY bitter about it. I don't know how people do it. I mean, they obviously DO, I won't be the only person out there (that would solve a lot, right?) Sigh. Hang in there.

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    1. Maybe more time for audiobooks??

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  8. Found you through NGS and had to stop by. My wife and I moved to the area (Fort Atkinson actually; small world, huh?) two years ago and love it for many of the reasons you do. I commute to Madison twice a week and it's just three miles on the Beltline, so MOST DAYS I don't run into the type of traffic you describe. Then again, it isn't winter yet...

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    1. 3 miles on the belt line SHOULD be fine, right? I am mostly on side streets AFTER getting off when the traffic bulges

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  9. Gah, there is nothing more frustrating than traffic, is there? Because there is nothing you can DO about it but you have places you need to be and kids who are tired of being in the car. Argh. My sympathies. I hope things improve or you're able to find a better system!

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  10. "How can kids be in school until 4:25" makes my head explode enough for a whole post, AND THEN IT GETS WORSE. I don't even know, man. Can you just demand to pick them up early every day? I have covered in the school office and that would by far not be the most outlandish request made by a parent.

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  11. I bet your head has really exploded with the )#@*%*@#%* BRT. Rapid my foot.

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