MINI MONDAY

[DeeClutter]

What mini job can you do that will make big difference today? Sometimes it's the little things that we overlook that can make that difference in a room, our routine, our lives.......

I've been awake since 5ish. Finally got dressed and made the bed. Have yet to take my meds and eat breakfast. Better get at that before anything else. Really was 'kinda' waiting for dsonil to leave for work. Ahhh, that is music to my ears. That little 'different' start to the day will make a big difference in the life of this household -for sure!

I started watching the race last night, but quickly lost interest and simply turned it off, read some more and went to sleep. Much better plan. Even dh was going to bed.

Dh is going to try calling the Dr's office today to see if he can find out anything. If it's going to be a 'while' before he can get in to see him, he wants to come back down for 3 weeks or so. So will probably be trying to find air reservations later that don't cost an arm and a leg.

Also have to call a friend who is visiting down here for a bit. I told her I could pick her up and go with her to Bradenton to visit another friend this week. Now I realize how short this week is going to be.

Dh and dsons A&R plan to go to calling hours today for one of their race buddies. And dd plans to go to a (Shebot?? -not sure of the spelling or if I even have the right word, Twins?) for a 2-day old baby of one of her co-teachers. It's being held at the teacher's parents' home this week.

Guess I have to venture out to the kitchen and get my morning going. Really hoping dsonil gets into an 'earlier' morning habit of going to work. He can rather make his own hours, but know it would be better for him to get up and going.

[helia]

Good morning Dee and others to come! I've been up since 7:10, have checked email - got meeting with B figured out and heard back from Hebrew teacher. Said good bye to dgirls and put lol in wrinkle free cycle in dryer. I've had my cup of tea.

((Harmony and Mr. Harmony)) Will say a prayer for you two today, for quick recovery for dh and strength for you, Harmony and hope and joy over all.

Enjoy hearing of Cowinkie enjoying warm weather!! Spring is coming here too, even though this week will be rough. The songbirds are singing in the mornings now.

Nice idea for the day, Dee. Mini thing. . . I'm going to write out a schedule for myself. Even if I don't/can't keep to it, I usually do well when I have a schedule. . . .

Next:
- fold that lol that just beeped
- finish unloading dw
- write out schedule; I made a li$t for the day on the plane Sat. night.
- work on kitchen clean up; it is a mess. We didn't completely clean up last night.

[DeeClutter]

I usually do well when I have a schedule.

Me too, Helia. If it's written down, I'm much more likely to actually 'do' it. No matter how small. So, that being said, guess I'd better look at those writings and do something from that.

First thing, I guess, is to find my ankle brace. I've hobbled on my left ankle for over a day now. (Every once in a while the muscles in my left ankle seem to take a hiatus. I broke it and my leg badly many years ago & it haunts me from time to time.) So that's first up. Just need to find the bag that I put that kind of thing in when we came down. Hmmm>>>>>>>>> Hmmmm, is right. I can't seem to find that bag. Now WHERE did I 'hide' it? Big sigh..........

[Twins' Mom]

Echoing Helia's words for Harmony:

((Harmony and Mr. Harmony)) Will say a prayer for you two today, for quick recovery for dh and strength for you, Harmony and hope and joy over all.

How I wish we could be there with you to answer phone calls, return calls, do laundry, sit w Mr. Harmony to give you a break. Could your church ladies help out?

I slept long and hard and only got up at 9:15. I'm due for hair highlights and cut at 10:30 so I need to get cracking here. Ddogs won't walk until after I get back, although they've been in and out all morning. I was up around midnight with Macs wanting out, then up for awhile at 5:30 with feeding dogs, dh getting up and leaving, etc but I did not mean to sleep like this.

THis afternoon appt with nurse practitioner at sleep doc's office - need to take cpap etc because they download info from the card.

Wishin' I could be home this morning - the need to clean up all the weekend footprints and I really need some quiet time here at home. We had a good time with dd before she left. Pizza on the back porch and Moses snuggling with her and dh and lots of talk.

OKay, you are on my mind today. Lots of changes in your life with DD back and well and dgss18 issues. Keeping you in my thoughts.

[Harriet]

Harmony, that is really ditsy, for someone to be calling you expecting you to pick up things from them right now. Yes, I wanna come with Twins' to help. She can swing by and pick me up. When you would you like us to arrive?

Dee, sorry your foot and leg are giving you trouble.

I'm working on an intervention in dd15's room. I'll have a sandwich for her to eat on the drive from school, keep electronics off and insist on immediately starting into item-by-item decisions for a couple hours. I recognize the truth in ds28's point (about all the bad things she could be doing but isn't). Still, she also isn't addressing her clothes clutter. We're just not used to this, because she's always worked pretty happily (with me) to straighten her room. Lately, she wants to close the door and "live" in the rest of the house as though her room is just a big closet with a space to sleep. She does her homework in her ddad's office, keeps bookbag there, etc. She doesn't want to take her drip-dried clothes back to sort into her closet and will just keep moving them over to take a shower and put them back on the rod!

We want to give her privacy, but HRH made the analogy that if your child's legs and left arm were fine, would you use that as a reason not to bother her if she didn't want to go to Urgent Care for a hurt right arm? No, you'd put that kid in the car and drive. Grateful for what's not wrong, but not going to ignore what is. I know this stems from peer pressure at school that she must change clothes 3 times every morning, panicked at the thoughts of what others will say/think. But avoidance is the wrong answer.

Oh, for the days when I arranged 5 kindergarten outfits in a line-up every week! And there were hardly any empty hangars, all the same size and shape. And in the sock drawer, there were socks, 2 of each.... ...

Wait! I'm actually remembering... ... a conversation here about socks matching school outfits, and I think it was helia who said what about just all white and the matching would be no problem. But me? I said, oooh nooo, might as well have all colors so you could match each pair with outfits and rotate through them. Oh, how the organized have fallen! Socks? Her sock drawer has completely different items in it - and I mean different from each other.. ....

[DeeClutter]

That's not nearly the problem down here, Harriet -most schools have a uniform. Know dd's is a burgundy "B----" or gray shirt and khaki pants/skirt/longer shorts. Still they have problems with 'pants on the ground' which is usually taken care of with some tie wraps. Of course dd's school only goes from Kdg-8th grade.

I never have found my bag with braces, etc. So I continue to limp. Sometimes it'll work itself out and I'm hoping that happens earlier than later today. Can't imagine where I 'put' it. At least I know where it's NOT.

Been looking at airfares this week. None look very good, but we'll go with what we can -IF dh is coming at all this week. Hoping he finds out something today. He figures if he's not getting in to see anyone for the next 2 or 3 weeks, he'll come south and start home about March 24th. Then I'll only have about 5 weeks to go before heading up myself. DD plans to go with me, but always is in a quandary because there's no definitive answer for what will be happening with gd15. I do know that dd got a call Thursday night that gd had been in yet another fight and had to be restrained. So pray that she'll 'get it' someday soon. She will 'act' when she wants to get something. Understand she did not get to go to the Valentine dance a week ago because she had been in a verbal altercation. Not sure if that was with a peer or with staff. She does both very readily. Of course we pray that she will be helped so that she does not do wrong to society in a few years. DD and dsonil have tried so hard to raise her 'right' but I guess there's a lot to be said for 'genes'.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Mini chores have piled up here to make my life unmanageable.

But the BIG issue is to settle where we are going to live.

In the meantime, (sort-of as expected) something has gone wrong with the potential sale to CM & Family so that means we may end up having to put the house on the market. Sigh.... Although that will mean more money for us, I'm sure, in the long run. Nothing comparable to this house is on the market for under $500K and we were thinking of selling to our friends for around $400K. So, even with the stress, real estate commission and money to paint and fix the house up, we'll still be ahead financially. But it is making me scared to sign a lease.

We view another place this afternoon because I really didn't want to take the other place without exploring everything that was available. This one is roughly the same neighbourhood, but 1 km. west (so farther from downtown.) Again, it is close to where I grew up so I'm comfortable in the area.

Pluses which make us look at it:

* cheaper
* lower floor
* closer to freeway
* closer to the transit-way (our mass-transit spine with buses every few minutes instead of every half hour so no walking to the transit-way, it is right outside the door.)
* modern and luxury finishes
* newer building
* an indoor pool
* a woodworking room (something dh was trying to place inside the other apartment) and a library and other communal things that condos have but apartments don't.

Same:

* residential neighbourhood
* view

Minuses:

* smaller (by at least 400 square feet)
* uninspired layout (but that might be made up for by luxury finishes)

I'll know more after we see it today after choir.

Since we have choir at 1:30 and the viewing after 3:30, and we are planning dinner out, I need to get some things done today. I have, at least, s2s, but haven't have breakfast. That's next.

[DeeClutter]

Hugs to you, Kathryn, as you explore more answers and hoping they don't pose even more questions.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Dee: look at the calendar re: airfares. We are getting closer to March Break up here so people will drive from Toronto to Buffalo or Rochester (and Ottawa to Syracuse) to get cheap fares down to Florida. That will drive up the prices even if it isn't spring break at the local schools.

Feeling sick to my stomach. Dh and I are on edge with each other. He just wants this over with. Plus he's holding out for a place where he can do his sunning. Seriously.

I'm afraid our priorities are pushing us to different places. He wants one bus to a movie theatre. I don't care about that (for heaven's sake we own a car and the theatre he wants to go to has free parking!)

I want a indoor pool (so I don't have to shower and dry my hair at a pool before coming home - sure there are pools in the neighbourhood but they have limited hours for swimming and I'd have to dry my hair in the winter.)

I was the one that wanted a view but now he's upset that the place we are seeing today has a view but also is in sight of another building. To me a view out of a few windows is enough - I need to be able to see sky and breathe. To him, he wants no one looking in at us. Seems to me, if that is the case, perhaps we should stay in the country.

[DeeClutter]

You're right, Kathryn. Schools up home were on 'February break' last week. And Presidents' Day last Monday was very busy at Disney as nearly 'everybody had it off. If I do find a "half way" decent price I really can't book it until I hear from dh as to his status. Is he coming, is he not? I can look all I want right now to hardly any avail.

Looked some more for that bag -I KNOW how to find it and I just may do it so I can walk a little better -go buy a new brace.