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Productivity Day + Tips for Traveling With Teens.
Like a moron, I left my keys at my parents on Sunday. My mom was taking my grandfather to the doctor in Lexington (which is between us) so I decided to make it a shopping day and went to retrieve them. We met up after they were done at the doctor and my mom asked Evie if she wanted to come with her to Granny's house and... that is how I am sitting here posting at 9:20 a.m. It has been a long time since she went to stay with her Granny. Well, there was one day, about a month ago, but a) it was just one evening and b) it was for a very specific purpose (I had a crappy doctor appt) and c) they called at five a.m. because they were taking my grandfather back to the hospital. Hardly counts. I really think that E has been having a hard time with such a drastic decrease in the amount of Granny time so I hope this reassures her. Also, I had become accustomed to a little time off every so often! I know, I'm spoiled.
My grandfather, by the way, is doing better. Short recap: batteries changed in pacemaker turned into raging staph infection that would have killed him pretty quickly had they not removed it. Pacemaker removed, infection healing but problems that the pacemaker was correcting began returning--specifically, fluid in his lungs. It was well over a month before the pacemaker could be put back in, though, because of the risk of the infection returning. It's been three weeks since it was put back in and he's healing, but it's a slow process and he's fairly depressed about it. Right now, though, it's looking good and he's getting stronger. We're just praying it continues in this direction. The infection showed up two months ago today so it's been a long road.
Anyway! I have an extensive to-do list planned for today. I also have some shopping to do, though I might try to get up tomorrow morning and do it on my way to pick up the girl. My primary goal is going to be to make the binding for a baby quilt and do the machine attaching part. I will hand sew the other side, but I just need to get this part done before Evie gets back. Hopefully that won't take too long but I honestly don't remember from the last one I made. I kind of enjoy quilting but I don't see it ever becoming 'my' hobby, if you know what I mean. I really quite like the piecing part but I HATE the quilting part and I'm not too crazy about the rest of it either. So... yeah. I do have a few that I would like to make though.
We leave for Sweden in just about a month, and, being me, I am spending a bit of time doing organizational tasks. I mean, I always make lists, but I'm being more organized than usual for three reasons. 1) I am a SAHM and I am really looking forward to a change of pace 2) my niece and 3) my three-year-old. I want the traveling to be as peaceful as possible for E's sake, of course, but mainly, I have been stressing over my niece. It's just a slightly odd situation, you know. She's fifteen and she needs some guidance on STUFF. What to pack, what to not pack, what will happen, etc. If she lived with us, we'd just kind of get that info across as we were packing our own stuff. But she doesn't live with us and I don't really get to see her that often, and I almost never see her mom, my former sister-in-law. (Former..ish.) She needs to know this stuff too, since she'll be the one to help W pack. So, I am writing some notes on all that stuff, like how much the baggage can weigh and a list of what she definitely needs to pack and some notes on electrical devices and what to bring in a carryon and all of that good stuff. I guess part of it is just that it means a lot to me to be able to give this experience to her and I want it to go as well as possible.
So, help me? Most of you are the traveling sort. What do you think a fifteen year old girl needs to know about international travel and flying in general that she might not have thought about? She's never flown before. Any hints on what should she pack? What should she not pack? I have already written most of what I can think of telling her but I feel like I'm forgetting stuff so I was hoping you all would give me a few ideas. Imagine bringing a teenager with you next time you go--what would you want them to know in advance. Oh, and while you're at it... we'll be in Stockholm. Any ideas on what we should be doing with her (AND a three-year-old, of course) while we're there? We did a lot of touristy things when I was there for the summer before we got married, but it's a) been ten years and b) not like we did everything there was to do.
My grandfather, by the way, is doing better. Short recap: batteries changed in pacemaker turned into raging staph infection that would have killed him pretty quickly had they not removed it. Pacemaker removed, infection healing but problems that the pacemaker was correcting began returning--specifically, fluid in his lungs. It was well over a month before the pacemaker could be put back in, though, because of the risk of the infection returning. It's been three weeks since it was put back in and he's healing, but it's a slow process and he's fairly depressed about it. Right now, though, it's looking good and he's getting stronger. We're just praying it continues in this direction. The infection showed up two months ago today so it's been a long road.
Anyway! I have an extensive to-do list planned for today. I also have some shopping to do, though I might try to get up tomorrow morning and do it on my way to pick up the girl. My primary goal is going to be to make the binding for a baby quilt and do the machine attaching part. I will hand sew the other side, but I just need to get this part done before Evie gets back. Hopefully that won't take too long but I honestly don't remember from the last one I made. I kind of enjoy quilting but I don't see it ever becoming 'my' hobby, if you know what I mean. I really quite like the piecing part but I HATE the quilting part and I'm not too crazy about the rest of it either. So... yeah. I do have a few that I would like to make though.
We leave for Sweden in just about a month, and, being me, I am spending a bit of time doing organizational tasks. I mean, I always make lists, but I'm being more organized than usual for three reasons. 1) I am a SAHM and I am really looking forward to a change of pace 2) my niece and 3) my three-year-old. I want the traveling to be as peaceful as possible for E's sake, of course, but mainly, I have been stressing over my niece. It's just a slightly odd situation, you know. She's fifteen and she needs some guidance on STUFF. What to pack, what to not pack, what will happen, etc. If she lived with us, we'd just kind of get that info across as we were packing our own stuff. But she doesn't live with us and I don't really get to see her that often, and I almost never see her mom, my former sister-in-law. (Former..ish.) She needs to know this stuff too, since she'll be the one to help W pack. So, I am writing some notes on all that stuff, like how much the baggage can weigh and a list of what she definitely needs to pack and some notes on electrical devices and what to bring in a carryon and all of that good stuff. I guess part of it is just that it means a lot to me to be able to give this experience to her and I want it to go as well as possible.
So, help me? Most of you are the traveling sort. What do you think a fifteen year old girl needs to know about international travel and flying in general that she might not have thought about? She's never flown before. Any hints on what should she pack? What should she not pack? I have already written most of what I can think of telling her but I feel like I'm forgetting stuff so I was hoping you all would give me a few ideas. Imagine bringing a teenager with you next time you go--what would you want them to know in advance. Oh, and while you're at it... we'll be in Stockholm. Any ideas on what we should be doing with her (AND a three-year-old, of course) while we're there? We did a lot of touristy things when I was there for the summer before we got married, but it's a) been ten years and b) not like we did everything there was to do.
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I wish someone could have convinced me when I was that age that comfortable shoes were more valuable than fashionable shoes.
Does she know basically what the weather's going to be like?
I have found it useful to coordinate my clothes so that lots of pieces go with lots of other pieces. Instead of packing lots of different outfits, I now try to pack a handful of shirts that all go with the same handful of bottoms. That way you can make different outfits out of fewer pieces. Does that make sense? (I feel like I'm focusing WAY TOO MUCH on the clothes, here, but that's what I think I thought was the most important when I was 15, and it's an area where good advice can make a big difference.) Also, if she wants to make sure her "look" is different every day, jewelry takes up a lot less room than more clothes.
Then again, I now am one to take just one pair of earrings on vacation, and those are the ones I wear on the plane. The 30-something Heather values function over fashion. The teen Heather? Not so much.