May 15th today! Halfway point through May.
SO, how’s it going?
Overall, not as bad as I thought, really. We have had to do a fair amount of picking and choosing/ skipping things, which in some ways I suppose is unfortunate, but also has helped wield down the number of things from this list.
- I skipped the Muffins with Moms event at school last Friday. (A yearly before-school event where they buy muffins for moms the Friday before Mother’s Day and serve outside on the playground.) Being Asher’s last year there, I felt like I should go… but a) Asher didn’t care at all about it (I think he actually didn’t want to go to school early for it, anyway) and b) I got an early meeting scheduled for Friday, so timing was going to be tight. Decision= SKIP.
- Ethan was supposed to have 2 soccer games in Illinois this past weekend (requiring an overnight/hotel stay), but we also skipped that. His high school JV Tennis Conference conflicted on Saturday and though it might have been possible to race 2.5 hours south to IL after that, it was just too much. We decided against it. SKIP.
- I think we’re skipping Asher’s middle school Athletic Awards ceremony on Sunday night. This was a hard one for me! Their athletic director is so great, and Asher’s a graduating 8th grader. Another “last” event. But he’d have to miss yet another soccer game to attend, and he really wants to go to soccer over the ceremony. (Also- we have been to this ceremony every other year, and while it’s nice, it’s not exactly a “big deal”, either. Very casual, in the gym, and Asher is not getting any specific award.) Decision= pick my battles, okay to skip if he really wants to.
We are not skipping Ethan’s high school tennis awards banquet tomorrow night (though this one I kind of wish I could, because we have to provide a “main dish” at 5 pm on a weeknight, and I just…. don’t know what to bring/ don’t want to deal with this…). But this is for the tennis team only and we feel it’s important he be at it from a team-camaraderie standpoint.
We also did not skip Asher’s final band concert Monday night! He did great! As they finished their last song and he drummed out the last couple beats, the thought popped into my head, “This is probably the last time I’ll ever see him play the drum,” and I felt a couple tears spring to my eyes. He’s not doing band next year in high school, but he’s really quite good! It’s okay, I know he’s into many other things…. But it still makes me a bit sad to see this come to an end.
Other Misc. Stuff:
Reading:
I am re-reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, which I received as a Christmas gift this year from my mom. (Very glad about this, despite having read it before, because it’s a nice hard cover copy and these are the types of books that I actually DO enjoy re-reading from time to time. Happy to add this to my permanent library!)
I had forgotten a lot of the specifics from it, anyway. I really think it’s a fantastic book! His writing style is so clear and relatable and I just love how he breaks down these concepts.
I snapped a picture of this page about the role of identity and habit formation…. I wanted to send it to Daria because I feel like she always talks about how “she hates exercising” or “isn’t an exerciser” etc. 😉
It is fascinating how the stories we repeatedly tell ourselves do become SO ingrained and can really affect our behaviors!
The surrounding pages talk about how if you want to change a habit, it’s important to truly embody the new habit as part of your new self. e.g. Someone offers a person a cigarette. Person A says, “No thanks, I’m trying to quit.” Person B says, “No thanks, I’m not a smoker.” Person B will likely be more successful in resisting the cigarette, because he’s just simply not a smoker anymore. Not something he does, period. Person A, however, still identifies as a smoker, but one who is “trying” to quit…. This is a much more wishy-washy stance and it is probably going to be easier for him to cave on.
Dreaming:
I had a dream last night that I was attacked or assaulted in some way (that part is completely fuzzy/ no memory of it, which I guess is a good thing!). Anyway, that wasn’t the focus of the dream.
In my dream, I had lost ALL of my teeth!!! Like they all got knocked out or something. I was just going about my life (healed, I guess, from whatever happened to me) but I just no longer had any teeth.
😳
It was terrible!! For so many reasons. (Would, um, not be my best look. Also, would I then need… dentures? omg. Would I never chew a piece of steak again?!)
I woke up very relieved to find my teeth all intact. PHEW.
This is actually the second time I can recall dreaming about missing teeth. One time a couple years ago I dreamt that my teeth were literally crumbling and just falling out of my mouth. This time was different, but still the same idea= my teeth are gone!
According to Google this morning, here are some possible reasons:
No idea! Nothing really directly strikes a chord, besides maybe just general restlessness around this busy season, our upcoming trip, etc.???
Laughing:
I LOVE Dr. Pepper… one of my biggest life vices…. so this made me LOL.
Awwww, Dr. Pepper… you’re not a real doctor?! 😂
How’s your May holding up? Ever dream about missing teeth OR do any of my astute and observant readers have any ideas what this might mean for me?!
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for my TEETH. ha.
GRATEFUL KAE 
I have the losing all my teeth dream all the time. *sigh*
I don’t know when the perfect time is to introduce people to various types of pop. I didn’t have Dr. Pepper until I was in high school. We went to an amusement park and there was a coupon off admission on the cans, so on the way to the gates, someone handed me a can and told me to drink it. I know you like it, friend, but I did not care for it! I often wonder if I would have liked it better if I’d tried it when I was younger.
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It’s just as well that you don’t like it!!! I find it so addicting!! I used to drink mostly coke as a teen, but sometimes had Dr. Pepper back then too. Those are really the only two I’ve ever liked. I can tolerate Mountain Dew but I don’t particularly like it. I mean I “can” drink basically any soda (ok that sounds terrible) except Pepsi which I truly cannot stand and will not drink. But I mostly just like Coke or Dr. Pepper….
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Although I LOVED soda when I was younger, I never liked Dr. Pepper. But I’m not a person who drinks soda anymore (see what I did there? James Clear would be proud.) That cartoon is hilarious though.
I have to say, you have some TERRIBLE dreams! Remember the one where Charlie didn’t really belong to you, you were only fostering him? And now the teeth one??? I think that’s a common bad dream, but I don’t think I’ve ever had it. My recurring anxiety dream is that I’m about to go somewhere- like on a trip or something- and I HAVE TO LEAVE but I just can’t seem to get my suitcase packed and ready to go. I have it so often, I thought everyone had it but then I mentioned it to a friend and they just looked at me like I was crazy.
I think your “skip” list is a good one. And, that is a little sad about Asher’s band concert! Not that everyone has to continue on in band, but these “final” things can be hard.
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Oh gosh, I have this dream on the regular. Or it’s packing to move but nothing is packed and no one is helping. I also have the falling elevator dream.
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I’m not sure I’ve ever had the packing to move dream!! My only other recurring dreams are: 1) where I am back in high school and I have a big exam, but I suddenly realize I literally have never attended the class, haven’t done the reading, haven’t studied etc. and 2) where I’m trying to run (not necessarily from someone, but just in general, like trying to run a race or something) and I cannot get my legs to really go. It’s like I’m just almost running in place and can’t get my body to propel forward and it’s this really weird, horribly frustrating sensation.
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Ugh on “main dish” at 5PM on a weeknight…nobody wants to pull off the logistics to make that happen. And yay for lots of good stuff going on and the end of the school year!
Thankfully I have not dreamed that I had no teeth but let’s see what I dream about tonight lol. My recurring thing like that is dreaming that some technicality comes up that my grade school education is invalid so I have to go back to school as an adult. I mean IRL I have a master’s degree but in my dream world there is no other choice but to go back to school with the little kids. Who knows what it means…
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what a chaotic month, but I guess the price of admission for very active, engaged, and sporty kids.
school doesn’t finish here until end of June, and T is just in p2 (first grade) so it’s fairly chill. Field trip (husband is chaperoning), sports day, and we always do a picnic with friends on the last day of school.
work is pretty full on, and I’ve got a trip to Dublin and an overnight for a friend’s birthday, plus a decent amount of social stuff, so we’ll definitely be busy.
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My kids both get done early this year!! Next Thursday is Ethan’s final day, and Asher is basically done around then too. Next year he’ll be at the public high school which won’t get done until the second week I think of June. Will be sort of weird/ annoying to have them on totally different schedules. I actually like them getting done early because it opens up a nice travel window where many other kids around the U.S. (and Europe, apparently) are still in school!
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I will take a sip of Phil’s Dr Pepper but could never drink a whole can. I am a coke person. I will drink coke or Coke Zero, I will not drink Diet Coke and I won’t drink any Pepsi products. No wonder my child is a selective eater. LOL. I am not a picky eater though, outside of not being able to eat gluten but I have strong feelings about certain foods.
May has not been bad for us overall. But we are in such a different stage of life. We had Paul’s kinder music concert last week which was the most adorable, heart warming thing ever. He sang his little heart out and was so into it. I’m crossing my fingers that he takes an interest in music like his mama! Time will tell. T-ball did start this week and Phil has to manage taco during T-ball on Monday and it did NOT go well. I am on a flight home and will Uber to the ball field and take over managing Taco. Phil is volunteering to help coach although the head coach understands that his wife travel a fair amount so he won’t have to help if he’s managing a toddler. I am glad be gone anymore nights until the 2nd week of June though.
I used to have a dream journal and the only dream interpretation I remember was about teeth falling out! I have never had that dream that I can recall. But I will dream I am being attacked or running from someone and I will call out in my sleep. A few weeks ago I screamed my brother’s name in my sleep because I was trying to protect him or get his attention in a scary situation and wow did that freak Phil out. He said it was like I was screaming/yelling at the top of my lungs!! So I am really fun bed mate. 😉
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I was always primarily a Coke drinker- and I still love Coke, too!- but somehow sort of switched to preferring Dr. Pepper. I won’t drink Pepsi at all and I HATE Diet Coke!! I will drink Diet Dr. Pepper though.
That’s scary about your dream! I have had a few times where I’m trying to scream out in a dream and I wake up sort of croaking out a “scream” in real life (but the times that has happened, I haven’t been able to get the sound out really! It’s like it was stuck in my throat.) So weird. I am surprised to see how many other people have had my teeth falling out dream!! I guess it makes me feel better that I’m not some sort of oddball then. 🙂
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The lost/crumbling teeth is my most common recurring dream. I’ve googled it before too but never found a perfect reason why. I did once have a temporary crown fall out IRL and it was horrible because it felt like my dreams (which are nightmares to me)! I am team Diet Coke all the way and it brings me joy every day when I have one at 8am (not a coffee drinker) and with lunch. My husband gives me a hard time about drinking aspartame but if that is one of my worst vices, I am OK with it because of the happiness it brings me.
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So interesting that several of us seem to have that dream!! I do wonder what that means. It’s such a horrifying feeling in the dream to be like omg my teeth!!! hahaha.
I support your Diet Coke habit. 😉 LOL. I often argue that too- like, ok, I don’t drink really, I don’t smoke, I generally eat healthy, I don’t have any other super bad habits… if this is my worst vice, maybe I’m okay?!
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What a weird dream and scary. could it be the sense of losing control/overwhelm? good that you’ve decided to skip few things to keep sanity. skip or delegate has been my main operation mode lately as work got busy.
I am not a big fan of soda as it makes me feel bloated and gassy. I only take coke with a lot of ice when traveling and when it’s really hot. that’s my “travel time” vice that is happening less and less often.
Hawai is so close! you’ll finally be able to relax and enjoy the nature.
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Is Coke super popular in Argentina? I feel like everywhere I have been in Latin America Coke is SUPER popular and everyone loves it. I fit right in. LOL. Just kidding… I drink way less than I used to, and I feel like it’s definitely seen as more and more of a really “bad” thing nowadays compared to when I was a kid. I guess people are just more health conscious these days and obviously more awareness of the negative impacts of sugar, etc. I still love it though! It is my most favorite treat. Even though it’s so not good for me. 😩
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It’s good that you set priorities and didn’t try to do everything. I think that is the problem with so many of us, we want to do all the things but it stresses us out and half the time we end up not enjoying the event.
I couldn’t help but laugh at your dream, not because it was funny but because I used to have that same dream over and over and it scared me to death. Mine was more like my teeth crumbling in my mouth and boy did I check every tooth when I woke up.
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I did have the crumbling teeth dream once and that was so freaky!! This one I just didn’t have any teeth at all. HAHA. It is fascinating to me that so many others are saying here that they also have this dream. I really thought it was just me!
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I just heard about “Atomic Habits” in my mentoring group at work and I am super-intrigued to read it. Will check if it’s available at the library asap.
Dreams are so weird… sometimes you know exactly why you had a dream and sometimes it’s completely NON-RELATABLE to anything in your life.
You do have a busy schedule though!
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Team Dr. Pepper here! I am so addicted to it. It’s just so good! I’ll drink Coke/Sprite if there isn’t Dr. Pepper available, but it never tastes as good as an ice cold DP. 🙂
Gah, dreams! Maybe it’s somewhat feeling a loss of control over your schedule right now with so many obligations/end-of-year commitments? IDK.
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