Tough Day

Above, photo from the Twisted Candle Trick on TikTok. Punch only twisted hers into a right angle but it looked cool. Link below.

Rough waters today.

After a FULL DAY AND NIGHT (until 10 p.m.) of Punch on her phone and laptop yesterday, chatting with friends (at least we could hear voices, it wasn’t just texting), today was rocky. 

No surprise. 

Spend all Sunday on a device and then show up for seventh grade Monday morning on a device. We couldn’t pull her away from technology yesterday. I didn’t have time to do another park excursion, Dan was in his own world (also rough) and Punch did absolutely nothing that was unplugged except:

• Drive to Sparo’s Deli with me to pick up the most excellent sub on seeded semolina bread, which we split for Sunday lunch. (Dan didn’t want in, or we would have gotten him one without meat.)
• Halfheartedly unload the dishwasher, her daily household task. I mean, she hastily put bowls and dishes in the correct general vicinity, but.....didn’t unload the utensils, either.
• Head out with the cool longboard Fig gave her for Christmas but then come back within five minutes to say it was too cold. It was.
• Melt a pink taper candle in hot water and reshape it, the ‘Twisted Candle Trick" she learned on all-knowing TikTok. It took all of a few minutes. It was pretty cool.
• Show Fig and me a vegan fried rice ball recipe video --she wants Figgy to make them.

Dan tried to get her to bike or walk to town for milk and he would have paid her a little cash, but she refused.

Today was...ugh.

My day began ahead of my alarm, at 6:50 a.m, when Sugar was woofing and I went down to find a poo-all-over-the-living-room moment waiting to happen. It’s a long story and I won’t gross you out. It went on to trying to keep P on track with classes, signing in, showing face on 

Zoom camera, etc. etc. My day ended with Punch giving Sug a bath and drying her with the blow dryer she got for Christmas.

That was the day, but the night is still here. I’m going to take a shower and zip out to get a cupcake or other treat for Griffin, P’s young friend down the block who turned 7 today. I will ring bell and drop off.

Pandemic birthdays, such a drag.....no big parties. Stolen childhood rites of passage.

My work is too compartmentalized....I have an essay to write for a payment and I haven’t completed it yet. I have groundwork to do for two ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME assignments....it is really hard to have remote school, especially when a child has bad ADHD and cannot focus. It takes so much energy and patience to keep said child on task. English language arts, science, social studies, Spanish, algebra, study skills...these are the things she pops in and out of.

Good night.

P.S. I didn’t go out for the cupcake. We decided to call our young friend and promise an ice cream outing. He liked that.