Oof. I went to bed with a headache and . . . it’s still here! I blame the beer I impulsively had with dinner last night (hey, Josh got home early! It felt like a celebratory occasion!).
It was an Ommegang Solera (a sour beer in a can), it had 6.9% ABV, and it was delicious. But I’m not entirely sure it was worth my current headache.
I know people love to joke about pandemic drinking habits, but I would say my alcohol consumption has dropped during the past ~4m. I probably drink 1-2x/week on average (and 1 drink at a time when I do because that feels like plenty, although a 6.9% ABV beer is probably more like 1.5 drinks technically). I definitely do not track alcohol consumption like Physician On Fire (kind of love his chart though!)
I think this is mostly because I enjoy drinking more in a social setting and . . . there really aren’t many of those at this time!
I am going to keep this post short because I slept in + have a work meeting that starts in 12 minutes. Thank you for the largely civil discourse and general vibe of support on yesterday’s post! I feel at peace with my decision which I think is a good sign.
Interestingly, a very detailed document popped up yesterday with information about online learning in the district. It did not convince me to change my plans for C, but I was pretty impressed with a) the level of detail and b) the “evening flex option” they devised to help working parents. Graphic below is from that document:
I can imagine this would also be helpful to teachers who need to help with teaching their own children. Interesting! I do wish they had a little more time for physical activity built in but I guess we will have to make sure that happens after school for all 3 kids. (Weather probably won’t consistently coooperate until Oct – Nov though. On that note: I’m watching you, Gonzalo. Please just no.)
PS: You know my habits checklist? The only one I checked off yesterday was my workout! I am fine with that though. I have come to embrace my off days.
PPS: I read Big Summer in 3 days. Highly recommend. Was totally surprised by ending.
PPPS: Oh! One more thing! I recorded this guest podcast ep PRE PANDEMIC (so: a long time ago). I hope it isn’t entirely irrelevant š
19 Comments
I started getting awful hangover headaches from just one drink in my late 30’s, and it’s basically the reason I don’t drink anymore. It can be challenging socially (a surprising number of people just can’t drop it when they notice I’m not drinking even though I never make a big deal of it, and I’m happy for everyone to drink around me) but alcohol makes me feel like crap the next day and it’s just not worth it. I have enjoyed exploring non-alcholic beer and spirits over the last few years, but honestly, I’m just happy with my Diet Coke.
My hangover headaches started when I turned 30. Also the same reason why I don’t drink anymore. Luckily most people in my social group are comfortable with my abstinence so I rarely have to deal with people that can’t drop it. I’m usually just annoyed by these people–and not really apologetic to what I assume is often misplaced discomfort–but I am empathetic to those that are abstinent for other reasons and have to walk a tightrope around (what should be unnecessary) stigma.
On the school topic, mine are not yet school age, but it’s nice to see districts are finally rolling out schedules to allow for parent and teacher planning. I can’t imagine how stressful it is to schedule in zoom class sessions into a work day. I just had to deal with short bursts of building lego trucks while trying to attend my own zoom meetings.
It’s very true. I’ve definitely found the potty or helped with a puzzle while on a Zoom call.
Iām confused with the schedule. Does the teacher have to be live in 2 shifts? How does that work?
Only one class per grade (different teacher!) would be teaching the evening option. No one would teach 10 hours/day – that would be insane!
I also don’t drink much due to horrible hangovers, and my husband doesn’t drink at all. I am consistently surprised at the pressure we get to drink. It definitely makes me think about our society’s tolerance for alcohol.
I’m pregnant and have been since March, so the start of the pandemic. So now drinking happening for me! But… I did buy N/A prosecco after hearing many ads for Gruvi on various podcasts. It is SO GOOD. As you know, there aren’t many treats to be had during pregnancy and it’s been extra hot here this summer so I have really been enjoying those N/A proseccos. They are in a single serving bottle, which I pour into my frozen wine cups that we keep in the freezer. So it feels like I am drinking wine. And it takes good and is only 50 calories! I just ordered my 2nd box of 4 4-packs. I’m kind of surprised I went through 16 of them in about a month but my husband has 1 beer probably 4-5 nights/week (more than pre-COVID but still a fine amount I think?) so I tend to have a prosecco with him while we watch something on TV.
That school schedule actually stresses me out and I don’t have a kid going into school! When we had our son home for 7 weeks, our daycare sent us a suggested schedule… which we did not even follow. It was nice of them to do but I was like – nope, not happening. But he’s 2 so it’s not a big deal to miss out on several months of the toddler curriculum at school. Our husband joked that he would never learn the letters M-S as those were the letters focused on while he was out. Ha. My heart really goes out to parents who are juggling work and teaching their kids. I can already tell that our son would not be super receptive to learning from mom or dad. I think we’d need to hire a tutor or have my MIL help.
that sounds so delicious; i am going to have to look for those!!
I’m struggling with my relationship with alcohol also. I’ve also been drinking less since covid and I find the less I drink the more of an impact it has on me the next day. I can’t decide if it is worth it – I love a nice glass of wine or a craft beer but the next day I feel foggy and sluggish. Oh to be 21 again!!
I have this same thought often about alcohol. I always joke that I love tequila but it doesn’t like me back. How rude. š
Re: school and schedules- I think it actually may be nice to have a schedule to follow like that. When the boys were home in the spring, for a while we were just getting one big lump of assignments for the whole week on Sundays. And while I liked getting the assignments in advance, it also felt very overwhelming..like, where do we even start? How much should they do TODAY? I ended up having to comb through it all, trying to figure out what was what… Many times I said, “I wish it were more organized, like just a schedule to follow so I didn’t even have to think about it…then they could just follow along with school.” Or at least more specifics of what exactly to do each day. Sometimes it would say on the list, for example, “Spend time on Scholastic News Kids site”. Well, okay, but how long? What articles? Do they have to do the quiz? etc. Sometimes the kids would do 5 minutes and claim they had read 3 articles and were “done”.
Then again, there are certainly benefits to the more relaxed structure as well, depending on the day (and the child and home situation).
Ommegang is made about an hour from where I live!
I do like beer and wine, but my sleep gets totally disrupted by even one drink, I retain water and feel bloated. If I have more than one I get a headache and feel off the next day. My baseline is 1-2 drinks per week. I did go through a short period this spring where I was having a daily beer, but I stopped and now am back to 1 per week. May cut it out entirely, but there are weird social ramifications to doing that that Iām not prepared to dea with yet. Annnnnyway.
Yep same baseline! I donāt think Iāll ever become a full on abstainer (not my tendency) but Iāll think twice next time if there isnāt a really compelling reason to have a glass of wine or beer.
I normally only drink during social settings and as an introvert, that means maybe once per month. Like others, I sleep terribly and have GI issues from that 1-2 drinks so it’s just not worth it. I have probably had 3 drinks total since Feb and there’s nothing I miss about it. And the notion that Moms must drink wine to deal with their kids is just crazy (not at all what you said! but common theme I see everywhere).
Yep, same here with the sleep and GI issues. I enjoy a glass of wine or a craft beer but I have to be so careful about my consumption otherwise I just feel like crap. I also really have a problem with the “mommy wine culture” messages that are so prevalent. I get that we all need some stress relief but I am really uncomfortable with the implications.
I have been thinking a lot about your post yesterday, partly because your solution is one Iām considering for my own family. I am also immensely aware of my own privilege, including the fact that if I do quit my job or take a long term leave, we would be fine financially. In the end, while I may be able to make things ok for my own family (and no I wonāt feel bad about it for a second) it seems we can all agree that the lack of full in person school is going to be just awful for many children and families. My blood is absolutely boiling that we have prioritized indoor dining and gyms over schools. My feelings are that until case rates are low enough for students to be receiving their essential services, we should not be reopening the ānice to haveā services like eating in an indoor restaurant. Too many people have decided that they are ok with pretending things are fine but we all have to agree that is NOT the case if schools are not able to open. I have written recently to my state and local authorities urging them to roll back our āre-openingsā until the school can be opened at least a couple days a week. The idea that our economy can move forward without schools being open is absurd and hurtful to families. Iām committing to continue to voice my opinion frequently until schools are open for everyone. Even if I find a solution that is bearable for my own family. I encourage you to consider doing the same.
Thatās a really good point. This is not what should be happening.
āBig Summerā was a delightful read! Her books always satisfy!
I have to acknowledge that, although I rarely drink, when I do, I often binge drink. I have a couple of neighborhood mom friends that would meet up once a month pre-COVID, and I could easily have 4-5 drinks when we meet up (unless we’re paying by the glass and then I get too cheap to binge). For some reason, I tend to feel worse when I only have one or two drinks, versus when I just have many more. My mom friend group had a zoom call in the early COVID days, and I had two drinks during the call, and the next morning was unbearable. Of course that next evening my daughter had a 45 minute seizure and we wound up going to the Children’s hospital and I stayed with her there overnight. Thankfully, my headache and nausea wore off before that happened, but it really spooked me into questioning whether I should just quit drinking entirely. Thankfully the seizure didn’t happen the night before when I was tipsy, but it would have been so much worse had I still been hungover. Though if that had been the case, my husband could have stayed at the hospital instead (thankfully, he doesn’t drink so we won’t have to deal with us both being in a sad state and unable to adequately care for our daughter).