momtokam

Wondering if there is any interest in getting a group together for a brunch or dinner? July is busy right now for me but August could work. Maybe the weekend of Aug 8-9 or Aug 15-16? Never planned a bago before but thought I'd see if there was any interest before I searched out ideas. It could be just a meal or some weekend exploring depending on what people may be interested in. Let me know what you think

Big (((((hugs)))))

OMG!!! ^^^^^ YES!!

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts. It really is impressive what we all juggle. The overlap of summer activities starting, while spring ones are ending, and school activities are building up for end of school year, is the problem. Really I only have the three in soccer in the summer but getting 3 different schedules to sync is a miracle at best. For winter/spring they each had only one activity. I'm very lucky that my father in law is close and after my mother in law died, he needed things to keep him busy. He is an amazing support and helps whenever possible. Well today my daughter's school choral group won gold at nationals. I was so proud of her. We fought traffic from downtown to the burbs and I got them to their school soccer game for half time. Another day's juggling done, and her coach thanked me. Tomorrow is another day..... Big hugs everyone.....we need to be very proud of everything we accomplish in our crazy busy lone parenting lives. I just need to keep reminding myself, that's all. The odd plate might fall but the rest are still spinning.

Sorry MJJ that you need to deal with choices like that. Here in Canada you don't lose the company pension if you remarry, at least his is that way. Same with the government pension. I however would not get a second pension if I remarry and get widowed again. I would only keep the higher of the 2. The kids pensions will stop at 18 or at 25 if they are in post secondary school. I however, have no plans to remarry at this point but at least I won't be penalized if lightning were to strike by some unfathomable chance.

I need to vent......sorry of it's long and makes no sense. .....I just need to get it out. Being a solo parent to 3 kids in extra curricular activities, I find myself constantly trying to keep all the plates spinning in the air. Tonight was another "perfomance", 3 kids, 4 activities, all at the exact same time in 3 corners of the city. Son had soccer, younger daughter had folk dancing jamboree, postponed from last week due to weather, older daughter had soccer and school music rehearsal for nationals competition tomorrow. I thought I finally got it all under control with some help from my FIL and younger daughter's friend's mom. I just had to pick up my older daughter after 1/2 of rehearsal and take her to 1/2 of practice. I screwed it up. I went to the wrong field. It's a new team with new fields and I thought all practices were at the same place. Wrong, I didn't look carefully at the team website. We walked around the whole complex, nothing. Called my friend (asst coaches wife) she finds a different field on coach's computer map search. I head there. My GPS has it on the south east side of the intersection. We walk around this complex, nothing. By the time the coach called and told us it's the north west side, practice was over. Yup, crazy mom on a soccer field. I lost it on the ride home, angry and sobbing, mad at them, mad at myself, mad at the world. My poor daughter said she wanted to quit to make it easier for me. Not a stellar moment as a parent, that is for sure. Sigh. Tomorrow she has nationals for her high school madrigal choral group. They perform at 2 downtown and at 4 she has her school soccer game in the burbs. I will be there for the competition and then need to wisk her and a friend to the game. Their coach is a crazy women, who almost turned my future geneticist against science in grade 9. Can't reason with that woman. I better not screw it up tomorrow. Thank you if you have read this far. I know many of you face the same challenges. I really don't know how we all get these things done.

Mel, please be very careful. Some things don't seem right to me. Why would he show you a bill for a ring? Most men would like to make it a surprise or shop with you if it's a mutual decision. I'm with sugarbell, way to fast on the marriage talk. Why would he tell you his ex wants to sleep with him? You have mentioned before that you told him no sex until he puts a ring on it. Is this driving his decision? It is still a very new relationship. Marriage talk would make me run for the hills? But I'm not you and don't know him but I worry about what I am hearing. If he is newly divorced, he needs to get his house in order (pun intented) before there can be any marriage talk. There should be no rush.

Thank you all.....it really was a hard day today. Carey, I would love to believe that he somehow brought peace to me yesterday. I don't really feel him a lot and I wonder if something is wrong with me. I hear about others feeling their loved ones near and I feel left out. PJ, yes very much a roller coaster the last few days. HVB, it is so tempting to say the DGI things, it's like we are conditioned to say those things as some kind of comfort. I just couldn't though because it felt dishonest.

I am out of town for my friends funeral. I came in yesterday for the visitation, my heart broke for her family. I could not say things to them that I had said to to me at my husband's services. Things like, she is in a better place, you need to be strong for your kids. ...etc. I told them it sucked that she was gone, I told them it's going to hurt like hell for a long time. I told them to take care of each other and support and love each other. I sat and listened to what they had to say......seeing my friend made me cry and made me smile for the amazing person she was. After I took a walk by myself around my hotel. Walking in complete silence, taking in my surroundings, brought me a sense of peace. I was not rushing from here to there, getting things done. I just was.

So sorry Maureen. You need to be there for him and for you. Biggest hugs.

Thank you. Hugs to everyone back. I'm just having a very hard time with everything right now.

Biggest hugs to you. I understand so much of this and my kids are older. Solo parenting is no fun......no fun at all.

Thank you so much everyone.....

Thank you Maureen and (((hugs))) back for you.

Thank you TooSoon. (((Hugs))) back for you. I've been trying the here and now too. .....sigh

Thanks Jen...(((hugs))) back for you.

She was an incredible fighter and that vicious cancer got her. She was diagnosed 5 1/2 years ago with lung cancer which had spread to the brain. She never smoked. She was given 6 months back then. She made it 5 years longer than they told her. She was 6 months younger than me. She had 4 kids. She was an inspiration and never gave up. The cancer was always around but somehow, somewhat controlled. She had many complications and lately was in a lot of pain. She actually died from a massive heart attack last night. She lived 2 1/2 hours away and I had not seen her for a few months. Last night she was on my mind a lot. Her husband called me early this morning to tell me she died late last night. She had the biggest heart and gave amazing hugs. I'm so incredibly sad. Somehow I thought she would not lose the war, after winning so many battles. My husband died in an accident, my dad from a heart attack. I don't have a lot of experience with death from a prolonged illness. I always believed she would make it, how naive of me. I know I'm rambling but....... I feel very disillusioned with life right now. What the heck is it all about? Why do these things happen? I feel like I'm just going through the motions. I feel like a maid/chef/chauffeur for my kids and that's about it. One day, I'll be dead too. Gone. What's the point? I just don't understand. I was already getting hit again with the grief monster lately and this just has done me in today. I'm sorry I've rambled and probably not making a lot of sense right now. I just needed to get it out. Not sure anyone will really understand though.

Just finished my fil's taxes.... Realized no one set up his survivor benefits last year either. Got that paperwork going as well.

Me too TooSoon. Anytime now will be great!

I actually did. The one guy I actually met and dated was from POF. Can't say that the others were a pleasant experience but for me the worst experience was OK cupid. All the crazies and scammers I experienced were there. But you see you were on there, I was on there.....we aren't that crazy I hope! It might depend on area or city too. So sorry you had another "interesting" one. It's pretty sad what you need to wade through before you might find something good.

Hugs Linda..... Holidays are still difficult for me too. We hosted many holidays a lot. I have not been able to host since. It just doesn't seem right to me. I have amazing families on both sides, we always get multiple invites. I provide desserts though!

Rob, Did you add oregano? Lemon/garlic/olive oil/oregano, the four together work for real Greek flavour. In Greece this combo is brushed on everything!!

Yes, sorry for hijacking look2thesky....hope you had a great Easter! Yes TooSoon, those bus rides at the edge of cliffs and sharp turns always made my heart jump! I don't cook a lot of Greek food, some here and there but I make a mean galaktobouriko! My mom cooks and brings us food all the time though! Syntagma was nice because the kids loved seeing the changing of the guard ceremony. Omonia square on the other hand has gone so down, we were told not to go there or we'd get mugged. So sad. Your great grandmother sounds like an amazingly strong woman! My parents came to Canada in the 60's and started from nothing, working multiple jobs. My dad was a hotel manager in Greece and came here and started over, eventually having a restaurant of his own. I'm first generation born in Canada. Thanks for sharing TooSoon. It's nice to connect back to our roots and heritage. Here is a pic from Skyros and one from the Syntagma guard changing.

Oh yes the names TooSoon! I've got a 13 letter maiden name to prove it too! I threatened to hyphenate for a long time. My DH was Yugoslavian Macedonian, 9 letter last name. It wasn't pretty! My mom is from an island Skyros, amazing not ultra touristized (I know not a real word) place. My dad was from a little town near Tripoli but he died when I was 22. Some of his family is still there and the wedding was there. Plan the trip, your daughter will love it! My kids didn't want to go, were afraid of the language barrier, and family that they had never met. After 3 weeks, they were speaking Greek and didn't want to come home! The excavations are still going on in the Agora and at the Acropolis Museum they have glass floors showing the progress. Everything is now not easily accessible and roped off. I remember going as a kid and climbing on the Acropolis and Sunion. Horta! I still can't eat them! But I so miss my Yiayia!

[quote author=momtokam link=topic=435.msg5534#msg5534 date=1428249322 Mine is actually next week so we have had a free relaxing long weekend! Us, too! M and I just got our supplies for red eggs! ps - love your profile picture. Sunion, yes? Sure is TooSoon! From last summer at sunset. It was our last night in Greece before coming home. Sunset is magical there..... Are you Greek too? Have you been there? It was 1985 that I was there last. My cousin got married and 25 of us flew there from Canada for the wedding. It was amazing. I will not wait 29 years again! Kalo Pasha for next week!