Thursday, May 21, 2020
Today is the last day of school! Today is the last day of school! Happy leap! I feel very differently about those words this year than I usually do. Generally, I am so excited for school to end so I can run the streets with my children all summer long in the glorious heat. For the past 22 years, I have dedicated every summer to my children. We have gone to water parks, swimming pools, arcades, playgrounds, sports and art camps, museums, movie theaters, and so much more. I look forward to summer break every year, until this year. As I look at closed museums, movie theaters, swimming pools, and playgrounds with the equipment removed, I wonder how much fun Mika and I will get to have this summer. It does not help that I am on this soul-sucking chemotherapy, (I have finally named my third chemotherapy treatment medicine)
Mika and I will be recording videos for her YouTube channel, and hopefully we will get far enough ahead she will not need to record very many videos during the school year, and I will be able to edit most of the videos while she is at school again in the fall. I know we will still go to playgrounds, however, they will most likely be the few playgrounds near our house, so we do not need to ride the bus very often. Since I have not been feeling well during this first round of soul-sucking chemotherapy, I do not know how healthy I will be to do very many kid-friendly Mika adventures. I am still on the first cycle, so there is a chance the soul-sucking chemotherapy will not affect me as much or the second round and others in the future. (I am not holding my breath however.)
I saw on the news recently a story about clothing sales going up this past month. I simply do not understand the need for most people to buy clothes during a time of lockdown or restrictions in areas that are not locked down. Okay, I have pretty much quit buying clothes for me because I have a terminal diagnosis so I could be slightly biased, but if I am not going anywhere why would I need new clothes? If you are not going to be going anywhere for the foreseeable future other than sitting on your couch watching Trevor Noah at home or walking around the streets in your neighborhood, why do you need to buy new clothes? (Please continue to buy new masks if you need them.) Yes, I can see the possibility you might have gained or lost weight due to a diet change with your new schedule, however I simply feel like clothed are not an important part of my family's lifestyle right now. I do not even make Mika change her clothes every day and I have been only putting on pants if I am planning to leave the house. I did need to buy new underwear this week and I whined about how much a six-pack of men’s underwear costs.
I am sure part of my reluctance to spend money on clothes or most any other object has to do with two factors. First, I am a cheapskate for almost every purchase I make. I absolutely believe there are little luxury items a person loves that you should always spend the extra money on if you can. I am happy to drink generic brand grapefruit soda, however nobody in my family can seem to find it in the store. I do not need to have Squirt; I do not think it tastes any different. When I used to drink Diet Coke, I would not drink any other brand; it was Diet Coke or nothing. You may discover there is a certain brand or type of jeans you really like because of how they fit or look. Second, I am downsizing. I am trying very hard (even though my progress says otherwise) to get rid of all the clutter in my home. The idea of bringing more clothes into my house I will wear for a year, maybe three, simply does not interest me. Mika grows so fast I wait until our yearly try on times in early August and during winter break to determine if she needs new clothes or I can wait until the next round up closet clearing.
My piece of advice to you is enjoy as much of the summer (or any) break with your children as you can. Unfortunately, so many of us do not have my flexible part-time schedule to be able to dedicate so much time each year to running the streets with my children, so treasure each day you get to enjoy their childhood with them; childhood is gone in a mere blink of an eye.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
Today is the last day of school! Today is the last day of school! Happy leap! I feel very differently about those words this year than I usually do. Generally, I am so excited for school to end so I can run the streets with my children all summer long in the glorious heat. For the past 22 years, I have dedicated every summer to my children. We have gone to water parks, swimming pools, arcades, playgrounds, sports and art camps, museums, movie theaters, and so much more. I look forward to summer break every year, until this year. As I look at closed museums, movie theaters, swimming pools, and playgrounds with the equipment removed, I wonder how much fun Mika and I will get to have this summer. It does not help that I am on this soul-sucking chemotherapy, (I have finally named my third chemotherapy treatment medicine)
Mika and I will be recording videos for her YouTube channel, and hopefully we will get far enough ahead she will not need to record very many videos during the school year, and I will be able to edit most of the videos while she is at school again in the fall. I know we will still go to playgrounds, however, they will most likely be the few playgrounds near our house, so we do not need to ride the bus very often. Since I have not been feeling well during this first round of soul-sucking chemotherapy, I do not know how healthy I will be to do very many kid-friendly Mika adventures. I am still on the first cycle, so there is a chance the soul-sucking chemotherapy will not affect me as much or the second round and others in the future. (I am not holding my breath however.)
I saw on the news recently a story about clothing sales going up this past month. I simply do not understand the need for most people to buy clothes during a time of lockdown or restrictions in areas that are not locked down. Okay, I have pretty much quit buying clothes for me because I have a terminal diagnosis so I could be slightly biased, but if I am not going anywhere why would I need new clothes? If you are not going to be going anywhere for the foreseeable future other than sitting on your couch watching Trevor Noah at home or walking around the streets in your neighborhood, why do you need to buy new clothes? (Please continue to buy new masks if you need them.) Yes, I can see the possibility you might have gained or lost weight due to a diet change with your new schedule, however I simply feel like clothed are not an important part of my family's lifestyle right now. I do not even make Mika change her clothes every day and I have been only putting on pants if I am planning to leave the house. I did need to buy new underwear this week and I whined about how much a six-pack of men’s underwear costs.
I am sure part of my reluctance to spend money on clothes or most any other object has to do with two factors. First, I am a cheapskate for almost every purchase I make. I absolutely believe there are little luxury items a person loves that you should always spend the extra money on if you can. I am happy to drink generic brand grapefruit soda, however nobody in my family can seem to find it in the store. I do not need to have Squirt; I do not think it tastes any different. When I used to drink Diet Coke, I would not drink any other brand; it was Diet Coke or nothing. You may discover there is a certain brand or type of jeans you really like because of how they fit or look. Second, I am downsizing. I am trying very hard (even though my progress says otherwise) to get rid of all the clutter in my home. The idea of bringing more clothes into my house I will wear for a year, maybe three, simply does not interest me. Mika grows so fast I wait until our yearly try on times in early August and during winter break to determine if she needs new clothes or I can wait until the next round up closet clearing.
My piece of advice to you is enjoy as much of the summer (or any) break with your children as you can. Unfortunately, so many of us do not have my flexible part-time schedule to be able to dedicate so much time each year to running the streets with my children, so treasure each day you get to enjoy their childhood with them; childhood is gone in a mere blink of an eye.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
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