Friday, June 16, 2023

5 Things Friday

Happy Friday! Here's 5 things on my mind today. 

1. I've been slowing trying to rebuild my wardrobe. This spring I got rid of a lot of pre-kid clothes that I know I won't fit into again unless I made a lot of sacrifices. I'm going to consign them next week and whatever the store doesn't take, I'll donate to goodwill. Now I have some gaps to fill so am gradually adding things. I lucked out and got a bunch of hand-me-downs from my neighbor but my newest addition is this dress I bought a couple of weeks ago. It's going to be perfect for work travel as the materials is the kind of material that doesn't wrinkle. As an aside, years ago I would have worn business suits on work trips. That ship has sailed!! I don’t feel strong or confident in a business suit. They are uncomfortable and unflattering. Now I nearly exclusively wear dresses. I wouldn’t present at a conference in this dress but I think it is appropriate for client meetings. 


2. My nephew has his HS graduation party on Saturday afternoon. I'm excited to see lots of family. It's kind of hard to wrap my mind around the fact that another nephew is graduating! In particular, I have spent a lot of time with this nephew as he lives in the Minneapolis metro area. I was the young, single auntie for much of his childhood so we went on lots of aunt dates. Here are some flashback photos from 2 of those aunt dates. Our usual date was to go to this awesome children's bookstore (Wild Rumpus) followed by ice cream. Now he's over 6' tall and heading off to the U of M to study engineering or computer science. 


Big brother Andrew and younger brother Matthew. Matthew just finished his freshman year!


Checking out a lizard at the book store

3. I'll be hugging my dad extra hard this weekend when I see him. I didn't mention this in my post on Monday, but my dad was in the hospital for several days due to a nasty infection. He was in the beginning stages of sepsis when he was admitted on Saturday night. But he got out on Tuesday and has a port for the IV meds he'll need to take for the next week or so, which my mom will be able to administer. We had FaceTimed with my parents on Saturday morning and my dad looked so terrible! The boys were so concerned and Will kept mentioning that Papa has an owie, so we did a mid-week FaceTime on Wednesday so they could see that papa is doing much much better. But oof, that was a bit of a scare. Thank goodness for modern medicine and I'm glad my mom is a nurse and knew to take him to the ER on Saturday (they had seen urgent care on Friday, too, but he was sent home with oral meds). 

4. At Paul's 5-year appointment in the spring, he failed the vision screen. He had failed the year before when Phil took him but Phil thought he maybe didn't understand what he was supposed to do. When he failed this year, it was clear he could not see so I took him to my optometrist and sure enough - he needs glasses. She said it's not so bad that we needed to rush to get him classes but he needs them sooner than later - certainly before he starts kindergarten. The practice I go to doesn't have pediatric frames so on Monday (we all have the day off for Juneteenth), Paul and I will go eye glass shopping at a place they recommended. I think he is going to look adorable with glasses! I am so glad that kids are screened better for glasses these days. I got glasses in 4th grade but should have had them FAR sooner. I remember having vision tests at school and I could not see the HUGE E at the top of the page of Es (do you all remember those tests?). I remember just sort of willy nilly moving my thumb around to say what direction the E was facing and somehow I passed? I don't know why I didn't admit I couldn't see a thing! I also wore out the carpet in front of our tv because I could only see if I laid in front of the tv - I could not see anything from the couch. Now if only I'd had the foresight to add Paul to my vision insurance! We'll be paying out pocket which is not a big deal for us but I imagine it IS a very expensive and big deal for other families! I think it's BS that health insurance wouldn't cover his vision exam at the optometrist even though that exam was deemed medically necessary by his doctor but I digress. Fingers crossed we find some frames that fit his sweet teeny tiny face (he’s very petite!). 

5. The hiring process kicked off for my new hire. I did 3 interviews yesterday and will do 2-3 more next week. Hiring is kind of stressful because it is a lot of work. But I have a great pool of candidates and am hopeful we'll hire someone great. But I will be glad when it's over because the process takes a lot of time/energy and is kind of stressful in that I want to get the right person and I feel bad for the people who won't get hired. 

How was your week? Do you wear corrective lenses? I nearly exclusively wear contacts but might wear glasses more as a show of support for Paul when he adjusts to wearing glasses. 



18 comments:

Sarah said...

LOVE that dress! So glad your dad is OK. Kids in glasses are so darn cute. I have really liked the glasses I have from Zenni, and they are so cheap ($20 a pair with lenses!). If you have his prescription, you can order online-- would be so good for back ups for little kids who probably need spare pairs.

Life of a Doctor's Wife said...

Your dress is fabulous! Great find! And I am so glad to hear that your dad is doing better. That sounds really scary.

I got glasses in third grade and wear glasses and contacts. I usually only wear glasses when it's overcast or if I'm the house because I can't stand being in the sun without sunglasses and am too cheap to buy prescription sunnies lol. I think Paul will be so cute in glasses, too! And hooray for all the improved options for our kids.

Hope you have a fun time at your nephew's graduation party! Congrats to him!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

That dress is great! I even think that you could present at a conference in it, as I do think that the expectations of formality have lowered a little over the years. I do not think you would be amiss in a suit, but I do think that the dress works. You will laugh at this, but I JUST finally threw away a box of pantyhose that I was saving for some reason (because they did not have runs?) and I gave several unopened packets to Goodwill! It is the end of an era (that I suppose was over long ago), but I remember the days where I was expected to wear a three piece suit and nylons no matter what the weather!! Man, another place where the kids these days have it easier! :)

I got glasses in 7th or 8th grade (I think) and it was a game changer. I probably could not see long before that, but I definitely wanted to be a cool kid who sat at the back of the class but I could not see the board, so I learned to memorize the teacher's words and write them down rather than taking notes from the board. Or I would copy a friend's notes. Once I got glasses I remember thinking OH, this is what it is supposed to look like!! It was so clear! I am so glad that Pablo is getting them early!

Elisabeth said...

What a scary medical event for your family. I'm so glad your dad is feeling better and that your mom has medical expertise which will surely help give everyone peace of mind since she knows how to administer care and what to look for.

It's crazy how quickly kids grow. One of my nieces (that we just visited in SC) got engaged on Sunday. It feels like yesterday she was 6 months old and I was rocking her to sleep. I will say that the years seem a bit slower with my own kids at times, but now that I look back it's like: I used to have to change diapers and there was a time my kids couldn't walk? It's almost hard to conceive that we went through those early stages now that they're in school and can walk and talk and do ALL the bathroom things on their own :)

I love dresses. I have a small waist and large hips/thighs. Pants are the worst and dresses are far more comfortable + flattering for me.

You know I just had corrective surgery. It has been a wild ride, but I do LOVE not having to wear glasses and I think once everything stablizes, I'll be absolutely thrilled with the outcome. I got my first pair of glasses when I was 7. I didn't mind them at all as a kid and loved finally being able to see. Paul will look ADORABLE!

I have never tried to order from online sites because my prescription is so strong and my lenses HAVE to be ground down. But I know lots of people that rave about the inexpensive online options. I agree with Sarah; that might be a wise idea for backups?

Jenny said...

Aw, Paul will look so cute in glasses! More importantly, he'll be able to see. I didn't need vision correction until I was in middle school, and then it was just one eye (I know, that's weird) so I went straight to wearing one contact lense. The other eye eventually needed correction as well, and I always wear contacts during the day (glasses in the evening when I'm home- my eyeballs can't take the contacts after a while.) It's good you caught this early- I think a lot of kids have your experience of not being able to see well for a long time before it's corrected.
I'm so glad your dad is okay! That must have been scary. And congratulations to your nephew. When you first said he was going to UM I thought "Oh, he's coming to Miami!" Ha ha... pretty sure you meant a different "M."

ccr in MA said...

I got glasses in second grade, so I don't really remember not having them. I do remember being mad when my eyes got to be worse than either my mother's or my father's, while my brother's were the best of all of ours. Unfair! Ah, the days when we expected life to be fair.

I love that dress and think it is totally appropriate for business. If you were presenting, maybe a blazer over it? But for sure, it looks great and if you feel great in it, that is all win.

I'm glad your father is doing better. So scary.

NGS said...

Dresses for the win! I am not in constant sundress rotation and I will not wear anything else until October.

I've spent the last couple of weekends going to graduation parties for kids I remember as BABIES and it's so disconcerting, but it also makes me optimistic about the future! It's so exciting.

Nicole MacPherson said...

LISA THAT DRESS IS GORGEOUS! It suits you perfectly and also your hair looks absolutely fabulous. I love the waves! Dresses are so much nicer than suits, in my opinion, and I think they look just as professional.
I'm so glad your dad is doing better. Sepsis is no joke. My FIL had sepsis once (he had cancer for many years so was very immunocompromised) and he was pretty close to not making it. So glad your mom is a nurse and knew what to do! My FIL fought my MIL about going to the hospital, and it was pretty bad before she did.
Glasses and vision screening are so much better than they were when I was a kid! I'm sure you'll find the perfect pair.

Mom of Children said...

Dresses are my go-to. Teaching is more informal than business area, and I love dresses. A dress is ONE piece! Takes the thinking out of it. Paul will look so cute in glasses, post pictures when you have them. Sending good wishes to your dad!
My week...Been very easy and relatively quiet. Last week of finals and just saying goodbye to students. Their graduation (HS) is today!

Carolina John said...

My Ella just graduated from high school last weekend! It's insane how fast that happens. Pablo will be walking that stage before you know what happened, I promise.

Stephany said...

The way I gasped when you said that Paul will need glasses. Not that I'm happy he has to wear them, BUT OMG HOW CUTE WILL HE LOOK???? Tiny kids in glasses is so, so cute. AHHHH.

I started wearing glasses in 4th grade, but is it weird that I have NO MEMORY of taking vision tests in school? I'm sure we did, but the reason I got glasses is because I suddenly couldn't see the board in school so we went to the Wal-Mart Vision Center to get my vision checked.

I cannot believe your nephews are graduating/in college! I remember those aunt/nephew dates you used to have with them!!

coco said...

hope your dad is doing well. having been hospitalized must be stressful for the family.
I hate buying cloth for work, they are not fun, expensive, and uncomfortable, thus I am still using the same wardrobe of ten years ago. haha....
Paul needs glass at 5 years old? wooo... I know that these days kids are getting glasses earlier and earlier. I think my girls will need eventually, just pushing it off as long as possible as it does bring some inconveniences for sports.

San said...

I don't have glasses and I am glad I don't have to deal with it (yet) although I am expecting to need reading glasses at some point in my life (LOL). I am glad that they're screening kids early these days though .I am sure Paul will look adorable with glasses.

I am so glad to hear that your Dad is ok. That is a scary situation. Give him an extra hug!


So excited about your hire. I hope you find a good match.

Anonymous said...

My 5 year old has been wearing glasses for a few years so wanted to chime in with a vote for frames with flexible arms… we have these but I’m sure there are other brands that do the same: https://nano-vista.com/en/…. They are - game changer in the world of kids glasses and come with straps for sports (if you need them) and clip on sunglasses for when the kids want to look “cool”

Anonymous said...

That dress is fabulous!!! Check ThredUp for some options too! I love the app!!! I’ve been praying for your Dad and I’m SO GLAD he’s doing better!!!!! Oh my goodness!!! I didn’t get glasses until I was in my 20’s, I was trying to drive at night and couldn’t see the lines on the road, it was awful!!! I’m pretty much wearing glasses all the time these days!!! You’re right he’s going to look so adorable with glasses!!!!
Lori

Grateful Kae said...

I'm so glad your dad is doing better!! That's so scary!! In just a blink of an eye life can go from totally normal to upside down, and you just never know when it can happen. I'm so glad he got treatment right away and is doing okay. How stressful!

Love the dress on you! Very cute! I don't really own any/many "professional" dresses since I just never need to dress like that really, but I have accumulated quite a collection of more in-between casual/sundress type dresses. We're going on a cruise Saturday and I'm planning to wear dresses most evenings. I luckily didn't have to buy a single one! A few are rather old now but since I don't wear them all the time, they stay in nice shape.

Good luck with the glasses! By now you probably did your shopping day- I got a little behind on reading/ commenting. I got glasses at age 8, but I don't remember feeling like my vision was blurry before that. Maybe I just don't remember!

Anne said...

Little kids in glasses are so cute - and I bet his classmates (well, at least some of them) are jealous. The question is, will Will want them, too? :)
You look wonderful in that dress. I would not do well in your field - for my summer class the other day, I wore leggings and a tunic top. Pretty standard for me, to be honest. No one seems to pay much attention, so I go for comfortable.

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

I've had glasses since I was 5 and I have only had eye insurance for 9 months of my life. Thank goodness my uncle is an optometrist! And thank you affordable care act. Isla doesn't always have the best options for glasses but she can get a free eye exam and a pair of glasses. My uncle gives me a discount. Thank goodness. Not excited for when he retires.