Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

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Kathryn-in-Canada
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Re: Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

Postby Kathryn-in-Canada » Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:34 pm

Dee: I have data on my phone so use that when internet is out. Only emergency use, but keeping sane is an emergency.

An example of how badly my brain works: I watered the garbage this morning. I was watering the inside plants and took some dead leaves off of the plants in the office. On my way to the living room, I stopped into the kitchen, stepped on the garbage can pedal, opened the lid, tossed in the leaves from my right hand and then poured water from the watering can in my left.

I'd be rushing to the doctor for a referral to a neuralogist (words are also missing again and I can't easily do simple arithmetic which makes figuring out when my next dose of medicine is due much harder than it should be) but I still have a fever and pain and both those are going to mess with my cognitive ability as well as the PCS, so I thought I'd at least wait until I'm physically healthy and see if these new problems clear up too. Of course, that means waiting the 3 - 5 weeks for the shingles to stop wearing me down.

Of course, 3 - 5 weeks from now is Christmas and a couple weeks after that is the baby's arrival. So it isn't as if there's nothing on between now and then. And I'll miss most of it as I try to 'not do too much.' We are waiting for ds's Christmas schedule (it will be out today) and then we can plan a pickup day for a pre-cooked Christmas dinner and I can order it.

Dd had already figured out that she'll probably have to host Christmas dinner. On the other hand, she can't do a thing to help so we are debating which is the best choice for a location to eat the meal I'm buying. For now, we'll just work on a date and then plan where when we are closer to the actual day and know how I'm feeling.

I had asked dh not to book the community Christmas party the same weekend as the tree trimming potluck dinner (the only event I have booked that I couldn't cancel.) I wasn't at the meeting when the date was set because I was too sick to attend. I just learned he booked it for the day following the dinner. If that works for the rest of the committee, so be it. I may not be able to go and I certainly won't be able to help host it. I usually need a day or more to recover from a big event and I won't even have 24 hours.

I try to 'not do too much' but it doesn't help if others don't recognize my efforts by supporting my limitations and keep creating 'expectations' for me to do things.

I'm still not dressed for the day. I never had enough energy to actually shower. Then it was lunch time and I was too weak to make a lunch so I went to bed for an hour. I got up, made a frittata (my first) and will try and shower now.

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Harmony
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Re: Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

Postby Harmony » Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:59 pm

I'm doing only what I have to do, which is...pretty much everything.

Remember me saying how far behind I am? Yep, and I am doing those things today. Or as many as I can.

I worked on the grout joints in the kitchen today. That's the only room that gets bad. Cleaning the floor, which I do on a regular basis does not do much for the joints. I used the grout cleaner I had left from last time and ran out so I drove down to HD and found some more. There was an older lady trying to locate the very last bottle of some other cleaner, and it was way back on the bottom shelf pushed all the way back. After saying I'll bet she'll have trouble getting some help because all the clerks seemed super busy...I decided to just do it for her. I had my work clothes on anyway. So I crawled down there all the way back on the bottom shelf and hauled out the one last gallon of something. Used the shelves to haul myself up out of there to my feet. I was glad no one else was watching!

Told her I thought that wasn't bad for a 69-yr-old. She agreed...said she could never do it, she was 77!

Kathryn, if the apartment is bothering you, I think you should hire a cleaning service to come do it for you.

I should take my own advice. :roll:

Working on DH shower now. It just all of a sudden got bad this past week, wouldn't ya know. So I've tried 2 different things trying not to have to use the very best cleaning procedure... but looking at it, I guess I've got to give in and do just that...use elbow grease. If somebody could just bottle that they'd make a mega-fortune!

Wasted an hour trying to figure out this loan junk that now apparently we must figure out how to get the papers and modify with the owners...all because we came in under budget and tried to give $50,000 back! What a pain. The right people have been notified and now we wait for someone to come back from vacation.

Some people get a vacation. Lucky them.

Dee, thank you for your take on DH's sleepiness. That was my thought too. He is out right now doing some stucco, but the other guy will be doing the hard parts I'm sure... and I'll just bet he'll come home and go right to bed.

Ok I better get back to work here.

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Re: Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

Postby blessedw2 » Mon Nov 19, 2018 4:36 pm

hiring a cleaning company in August and then recently really helped me a lot! I was overwhelmed and they did a magnificent job that I was so grateful for.

I am a little bit goofy with my TOTH - actually becoming the bottom of the hour most times.
dh is taking the recycling out. yay
he also took out the garbage for me yesterday and today :D

family room blessing is done. it's not great but I did swipe under the couch, surface dusted, vacuumed rug and animal bedding, wiped the sliding room glass doors to the 3 season room. :D

put dishes in dw and animal bowls in dw and turned it on. :D
spoke to dd younger. :D
folded and put away now clean kitchen towels :D
flip flopped laundry :D

I am trying to decide if it would be better for me to do the upstairs blessing or work on my paperwork that has filled my table as well as vacuum the floor and rinse it. I have to leave at 6:00 pm or earlier to get to the airport - you never know holiday week how the airport will be.

I also have to do my weekly vacuum the 3 season room
and I would love to do 15 minutes in the basement but I think I am asking too much of myself for today.
Last edited by blessedw2 on Mon Nov 19, 2018 4:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Re: Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

Postby blessedw2 » Mon Nov 19, 2018 4:52 pm

hi d kathryn glad you have that for your phone!
it sounds like you have a plan for the holidays - great work.
can you get a caterer (not cheap I know but for this year it might help)
our local restaurant makes meals for people all the time for parties
I am so happy to hear you are trying to not do too much! good for you! I hope you are telling them that you are really limited while you heal. Sometimes people don't see the internal healing. Looks are deceiving.
You are exhausted and I am glad you are taking time to rest.
I wish we could all come over and help you with all that you do!

hi d harmony
well done on working on the floors, and the grout, the shower.
how sweet of you to do it for her! you are a good person!
good luck on figuring out the loan things
happy working!
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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lucylee
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Re: Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

Postby lucylee » Mon Nov 19, 2018 4:58 pm

Only what I really need to do... hmmm...
Well, to start the day, I was like, "EEEEEK!"
The day started out crazy -- I called dmom and found out she had been to the ER in the early morning hours! Drove herself there... never called me or anyone... and ER doctor considered keeping her 24 hours -- but then he talked with her regular doctor, gave her a breathing treatment and a steroid shot, and made her an appt with regular doctor for tomorrow. * sheesh * In the meantime, she plans to take herself to Next Town for dentist appt this afternoon and then come on out to our house for dgd's birthday party.
I'd love to be able to help out, but at the time we talked, I thought we would be keeping dgrands at the same time as the dentist appt, and ddil is bringing the cake here as soon as she picks it up. DDIL planned to have to work this afternoon, but that got changed, so now my babysitting services are not needed. But I do have other stuff I need to be doing here, so as long as dmom says she can manage on her own, I will let her.

So... what I really had to do for party prep --
[x] s/s baths
[x] s2s, wash hair
[x] go to bank
What I would like to do --
[ ] vacuum/dust main area of the house

Also texted with dcousin -- Tgiving will be at daunt's house, as usual, and I am asked to bring cookies, rolls, plates, napkins, and a 2L drink. As ddil said, "That's what they ask you to bring when they don't trust your cooking." LOL -- that is more than fine with me! I'm surprised they even want my cookies, actually, b/c another cousin is quite famous for her own -- made from scratch -- chocolate chip cookies. She sells them for $15/dozen, and does very well whenever she announces that she is baking. She could probably sell as many as she could make if she did it 24/7. I don't think hers have pecans in them, though. Mine are just Pillsbury slice & bake, but I mix in pecans and do them drop-style. DDIL said mine were just a tradition now and everybody expects them.
DS/DDIL/dgrands will be at her family's for Tgiving, and I don't know if dbro and his girlfriend are coming here or not.

(((Harmony))) It is very hard for the self-employed workaholic to schedule a true vacation, isn't it? I don't know if my parents would have taken the trips they did if they had not had friends urging dparents to join them, and the friends did most of the planning. On one such occasion, the friends made ddad think he was doing them a favor, I believe, because they asked if ddad could do most of the driving. This couple was probably 10 years or so older than dparents, but they had worked together, gone to church together, and my parents sorta looked at them as an adopted extra set of parents for themselves! They were a wonderful, wonderful couple. They were very close to their own children, who all live right here in Tiny Town, and they all vacationed together a lot, but for some reason, on this trip (to Jackson Hole, WY), they went by themselves, with just my parents. They were a true blessing to my family in so many ways.

(((Kathryn))) I am just so sorry you are feeling so miserable, especially with the busy days ahead. Even if no one else places any expectations on you, it's only natural human nature that you WANT to do things that physically, you just can't expect your body to be strong enough for. And it's only natural that you're disappointed when you can't do everything and be everywhere. Recovering from a concussion would be quite enough to deal with, and then to get shingles on top of it! I guess it is a huge message to you that you have to take time to slow down and focus on yourself. Others may be slow to figure out that they can't keep placing expectations on you, but that will be good for them, too. Who knows, maybe your dd will realize through all this that yes, she really does need a car!
Try to see the humor in some of the stuff. Watering the garbage. That IS a little bit funny, you know. And it IS something that you can say, "This too shall pass." We've all had moments like that, concussion or not. Dmom spent most of a week looking for her car keys. Finally found them in the pocket of the jacket she had been wearing the last day she remembered seeing them. She said she had looked in that jacket before. Who knows?

Others do housework and have responsibilities without ever doing the old poor me.

I guess they do, blessed, but I am not one of them! Right now, this house needs vacuuming and dusting so bad it is embarrassing, and I have dbil and his gf coming over tonight. :roll: I will try to vacuum when dh gets in the shower -- right now, I can't do anything b/c he is watching a ballgame in the den.

Waving to Dee... Nancy... Elizabeth... and EVERYONE!!!
Tomorrow is another day.

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Re: Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

Postby blessedw2 » Mon Nov 19, 2018 5:49 pm

Hello d lucy!!!
Oh my gosh - your d mom drove herself! I hope she is feeling much better!
How about a taxi for your d mom - or is that too far which means expensive!
you have done a lot already.
I think that's the perfect list to bring!!! :D
I will cheer you on as you vacuum. have fun with your company!
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Re: Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

Postby blessedw2 » Mon Nov 19, 2018 5:53 pm

knock on wood the last of the laundry is flipped. (for today 8-) laundry always have babies that hide until the stork brings them into our home).

upstairs bathrooms are done (whomever mentioned the idea of using shaving cream for dh's bathroom toilet - I THANK YOU! The smell is gone - thank goodness!

hall upstairs vacuumed :D
house blessing for our bedroom is done. :D
all laundry put away - right away - I should loose inches bc of this new habit. :lol:
ordered dd younger a sweatshirt and tee-shirt from ranch she stayed at as she gave hers to her sister when she flew home. :D

Now for paperwork (I don't know how it happened but I have a pile of papers on my kitchen table) again - my theory for laundry also applies to papers and filing.

not done yet:
microwave
cabinet fronts
vacuum, dust and wash the kitchen floor superficially
vacuum the 3 season room
dog bedding

goal for tomorrow:
ww
dejunking in basement for 15 minutes
find and try out the Christmas lights

has anyone been in touch with empty nester? I was thinking about her today.
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Nancy
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Re: Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

Postby Nancy » Mon Nov 19, 2018 6:24 pm

CI got dressed hair is washed, before noon yea me.
Swept driveway raked and bagged up leaves and one set of sheets are dry need to go back on the bed.
Dinner is thawing. H is on his way.
Walked the dog around the block met the neighbor new puppy really cute mini Aussie Shepard was the run a fuzz ball.
Perfect weather outside now sunny and nice.
Made great progress on my writing.

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Re: Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

Postby LadyMaverick » Mon Nov 19, 2018 6:50 pm

((((Kathryn & Dee)))) Sending your both feel better thoughts and wishes.

I woke up with a sore throat but my energy level is high so I decided to ignore the sore throat and continue on with my day. I have been getting things done in a slow and steady way. Just focusing on the next thing and trying not to think too much about the backlog.

Homeschool went smoothly this morning. I've cut our time down to 2 hours (instead of 4 hours) each of the 3 days of school this week. We won't be doing school on Thursday & Friday.

>>>I left the computer with this post sitting here and found 4 hours later<<<<<

After feeding DKids lunch I left them with DH and went to pick DMom up for her medical appoint. Shot #3 of 4 in left knee was not as pain-free as the rest of them. The doctor tried to get the rooster comb juice into an area of her knee where there is bone-on-bone. There was no place to insert the needle though. He put it in where the last 2 shots were given and said the juice/gel should spread out on its own. DMom asked the doc for more refills for the Voltaren Gel prescription. She has been rubbing that onto her knees 4 times a day and thinks it is helping. Doc seemed surprised that DMom had used 3 tubes of the gel in 2 weeks. She explained to him that it takes 2" of gel for each knee and it is applied 4 times a day. I suspect not every patient follows the directions as closes as DMom does.

After taking DMom home, I drove through the Car Wash that we used to own. I think that is only the 2nd time I've used it since we sold it. It's still hard to see something that needs to be done and not do it. I found my eyes automatically going to all the trouble spots and checking for potential problems. It is not maintained like we used to keep it and I find it disheartening. Reminding myself....Not my Monkey. Not my Circus.

I stopped by the grocery store for a few items. Yeah. Right. I walked out with 15 bags.

When I arrived home I fed kids (again!!) and then started Dinner. Beef, potato, onion hash. This is one of DS10 favorite dish.
1. Know what you want.
2. Go after it relentlessly.

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DeeClutter
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Re: Monday do only what you really need to do: what is it?

Postby DeeClutter » Mon Nov 19, 2018 7:13 pm

There's an example of my brain too, Kathryn. I should have known that. My phone automatically goes to the data plan when I don't have internet. Duh!

Finally got my round of exercises in. Was afraid I might not but I was determined. I'm trying to up them by ever so little each day -of course I'm only on day 5 anyway. Thinking after 2 weeks (and hopefully a daily increase but not too much all at once) I can send a copy of what I'm doing to the Care Manager at my Dr's office. My aim is to replace cardiac rehab with this plan.

Oops....dinner's ready. Must go.
Begun is half done -SO! JUST BEGIN!!


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