some several things

[lunabee34]

1. The Faculty Learning Community I'm a part of has some extra money to spend that would have been spent on lunch meetings before these plague times, so we can spend it on books. Does anybody have any recommendations for pedagogy books I might buy: teaching in general, teaching online, teaching writing, teaching literature, etc.?

2. A few days ago in the broad afternoon daylight, one of our resident owls sat on a limb directly in front of my study window, so I got to watch him for awhile. He is huge, like two feet tall.

3. There was a thing at work I've been trying to get accomplished for awhile now, and yesterday it happened!!!! Hurray for the Thing!

4. Fiona has been asking me a lot about my autoimmune disorders lately; I've been going through a flare up and not feeling well, and she's clearly been concerned about me. I'm trying to normalize "sometimes mommy doesn't feel well; it's not serious; I'm okay, but I just don't feel good, and I need to take it easy and I need help from you all." Last night she asked to snuggle with me at bedtime, and then she started crying and saying she was worried about me and hates when I feel bad. Oh, my heart. :( So that was kinda rough.

Comments

[gloss]

I'm glad you're communicating honestly with F. about all this stuff. That does make a huge difference, I think. Poor bunny, though. <3333

[lunabee34]

Thank you. I think so, too, but it's so hard.

Like she asked me if I could give anyone my autoimmune diseases, and I said no that they weren't catching. And then she said, "Not even from a mommy to her baby?" And I was all, "Goddamn it you're smart." So then I had to explain that it was possible she could one day have an autoimmune disorder, but it wasn't something to be worried about, blah blah. *sigh*

[elfin]

Oh my gosh, what a sweet girl.

I'll echo what Gloss said, that it's important that you communicate about what you're going through. My mom has an autoimmune disorder, and she did everything she could to hide it from me when I was a child. She never talked about it, never explained anything when I asked, and basically I got the feeling that I should just mind my own business or that I was being intrusive. I knew something was very wrong, but I didn't know what it was. This... well, it fucked me up, lol. So, yeah... that.


Also, it totally freaks me out how big owls are. Like... settle down, nature.

[lunabee34]

*hugs*

I'm so sorry; that sounds so hard. It can be so hard to know when to keep stuff secret from kids and when to share it with them. I try to err on the side of transparency for the reasons you list here.

OMG, they are huge. Just enormous. And the hawks are pretty big, too, but not as big as the owl.

[corvidology]

Hurray for the Thing! \o/

Honest communication about how you're feeling is a great gift to a child. She doesn't have as many ways to express how she feels but you should not feel guilty about having a chronic illness (I know, I know, that's easy enough to say). A child tends to feel responsible for everything and through your honesty she knows she's not responsible. ♥

[lunabee34]

I am so happy about thing. It is going to make my life so much easier.

Thank you for saying that. It's hard not to feel guilty. Every time I am not super productive super mom super wife super academic, I feel horribly guilty. 2020 helped me let go of some of that, but I've got a long way to go.

[solo]

I have nothing useful to say, but omg Teal'c. I ♥♥♥ him! (I always shipped him with Jack, never dweebie Daniel. :)

[lunabee34]

I love him too!!!

He did get shipped mostly with Daniel, didn't he? There were always a handful of Jack/Teal'c fics, but not enough.

[china_shop]

A few days ago in the broad afternoon daylight, one of our resident owls sat on a limb directly in front of my study window, so I got to watch him for awhile. He is huge, like two feet tall.

Wow! That sounds amazing. (Did he have any letters for you?)

Hurray for the Thing!! *\o/!!!

Re 4: *hugs and hugs* Chronic illness are rough on the people who care for us. My partner feels that too. :-(

[lunabee34]

Ahahahahah. No, he did not. He only had a baleful glare.

Thank you, friend. After we snuggled, I asked Josh to go in there and talk to her for that very reason. I thought it would be good for her to hear from someone who also worries about me and how he deals with that.

[zulu]

Congratulations on the Thing! Things are always so satisfying when you get to tick them off your list!

Hugs to Fiona. I'm glad you guys got to snuggle and talk it out.

[lunabee34]

The thing is awesome. So happy about the thing.

Thank you. She is such a sensitive soul; I'm glad she feels like she can tell me how she's feeling.

[amejisuto]

Whoa. Owls close up. You're lucky! I've never seen one that close out in the wild.

Glad you got your Thing done! Wait, that doesn't sound right. LOL. Anyhoo, yay for the Thing!

I'm so sorry you've been sick and Fiona's been asking the tough questions. That's got to be difficult. Gold stars to you for telling the truth, even though it may have been difficult.

[lunabee34]

Heeeeee.

We see the owls frequently. I am so happy to live somewhere that nature is so observable.

Thank you, sweetie. It sucks when your kids are upset about something to do with you, but I think talking to her helped.

[dewline]

I have yet to see an owl that close - safely, for both the owl(s) and myself - without resorting to museums or YouTube. I admit to my own envy on this point.

[lunabee34]

They nest in the woods around our house. And the hawks nest in our yard. It's so awesome to just be eating dinner and see one of them dive down at the ground and come up with a mouthful of something. LOL

I dislike many things about living in the rural South, but the wildlife is not one of them.

[crazydiamondsue]

Yay for getting the thing.

I’ve tried to explain my depression/exhaustion to Jonah this week. It’s hit or miss.

I’m sending love to you and Fiona!

[lunabee34]

*hugs*

Thank you.

It is really hard to talk about in a way that kids can understand and that doesn't worry them too much. I'm so sorry you're going through this too.

[timespirt]

"HUGS" to you and Fiona.

You should get a picture of the owl.

[lunabee34]

I think Josh did go outside and take some pictures of it. His camera is way better than mine.

[timespirt]

Show and tell?

[lunabee34]

I'll see what he was able to get!

[timespirt]

Congrats on the thing...What ever it is. LOL

[lunabee34]

Heeee. It's just getting permission to host the website of a professional org I'm involved with. Makes everything so much easier because I can control it now.

[timespirt]

"HUGS" Planning world domination...LOL

[spikedluv]

Wow, that owl sounds huge! Sorry no letter (I've been reading the comments *g*), but I'd also love to see a photo.

Huzzah for The Thing!

Awww. Fiona is such a doll. I'm sure that was a tough conversation, but it's lovely that she can talk to you and that you tried to be as honest as you could with her.

[lunabee34]

They really are huge (some breeds). When you're watching a nature show, it's often hard to tell the size of the animals because there's nothing to indicate scale, especially with the birds.

Fiona is a dear heart. She seems to be doing much better now, so I guess we were reassuring. *hugs*

[oracne]

WOW, that is huge. I don't think I've ever seen a wild owl that close.

[lunabee34]

It's probably not quite 2 feet, more like 20 inches, but pretty close.

When they hoot in the utter blackness of the late night or early morning, it is so loud and disconcerting.

[oracne]

Especially if you are PREY.