Focused Friday PWYC

[Lady Maverick]

BAby stepping my way through the day.

TA-DA's -
** Outdoor firepit cleaned out and set up ready for the next fire. Ashes were spread on the raised bed gardens.
** Decluttered a couple of dog brushes.
** Theshut off valve for the end of garden hose is split. I normally keep some of these on hand but my stash is empty. These are items that are used daily and usually last more than a year. DH checked at local place and found one for $5. I can order them for about $1 each. The only downside is waiting a couple days for them to arrive. I'm okay with that.
** Texted with DD46 and DGS25

[Twins' Mom]

I'm so glad you're productive, LadyM!

After the week I've had I am ready to roll my self in bubble wrap and go to bed and pull the covers up

Same here Nancy, and I don't have mercury retrograde to blame.

I listed four but said I'd do three and I did three.

Next:
-kitchen island
-pack dd's parcel to send
-balance exercises

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Kathryn, it's a hard one with dgd because her parents are around so much. How do they handle it?

From what I see when I'm over there or on zoom, they yell. There are no real consequences for her bad behaviour. They yell at dgs as well.

They also will not separate the two kids and give dgs his own room (he shares with his sister.)

I spent a long time offering suggestions one day because I feel it is too hard on dgs not to have his own safe place and this is further damaging him mentally. Every suggestion I made was rejected.

He honestly sounds like an abuse victim some days. I can hear the 'scared laugh' kids do when they don't like what is happening but if I try and stop it, he says it is OK. And he also asks his mom to hit him at times because he 'likes' it. When he is here, if we tease at all, he has complete, sobbing, meltdowns. Same if we speak sharply to him (which happened when I had to write an email and he interrupted me over and over again, making the task take way longer than I had.)

They have a weird home; it is fairly small but has 5 bedrooms (but one bathroom) on the upper level. The extra 2 bedrooms you wouldn't normally find in a semi-detached house are over the garage and covered rear deck (so they are colder since there's no heated building below them.) Dd has her craft room in one of those and the spare bedroom in the other. Both are overfull.

The kids have one room, there's a playroom, and the parents' room. Dd won't give up the playroom because she needs to be able to shut off the toys from the kids bedroom. Besides, they share toys so if the toys were moved into two rooms the kids would fight over who got which toys. So I suggested moving the craft room to the finished basement (which is mostly off limits to the kids because dsil works from home 3 days a week.) Then put dgs in there. That was rejected as well (no good reason except they plan to make a play room in the basement when puberty hits.)

Main floor has a small kitchen, small dining room and medium small living room plus a powder room. Basement has a smallish recreation room (currently dsil's office plus game system use space - they do not own a TV at all) and a laundry/storage room and another powder room but the toilet barely works in there and they don't bother to fix it because they have others.)

There are two problems here: 1. Protection of dgs and 2. making dgd more likeable so I want to spend time with her. Which, currently I don't (and I've told dd that.)

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Lucylee: As the landlord you should provide a non-leaking roof, not only for your tenant but also to protect your asset. It seems to me that you need to take out a home equity loan to pay for the new roof. On the bright side, the interest on the loan is tax deductible from the income from the rental.

Alternatively, put the house up for sale. If you can't afford to maintain it, you can't afford the house.

If the roof continues to leak, your tenant will eventually leave. Then you have no income on the property and you still need to fix the roof.

I worked steady for a while but then stopped dead for the last hour or more.

Ds needs to run an errand and I was going to go with him but will stay home instead.

Dgd's extra birthday present didn't arrive in time (ordered November 24th) and so I need to buy her something for her birthday and dgs needs an unbirthday gift cuz I ended up giving the present I had for that to him at Christmas because I was short a gift then. For that I want to get him ear protection earmuffs because he is so sensitive to noise. He liked mine (I put them on him because his feelings were hurt when he wanted to help me make Yorkshire puddings and I said he couldn't because he was bothered by the noise of the blender - they turned the tears to smiles and he ran the blender for me.)

[Nancy]

I have walked and got my step count to nearly what I like yea!
Sun was out I talked with 4 neighbors on the route today.
Having my hydration cranberry juice.
My mood is good.
Heard of others trouble that were worse than mine.

Big Success:
Rx for quick acting insulin went through for the new price 35 they passed a law Y I have been waiting for it to go in effect.
My ins. was a challenge for it the gal said but got it to go through happy dance!!!!

Decided I can fix the cookies no longer diabetic friendly but for when I have a low. LOL!
Dip in melted chocolate or frost them LOL!
Maybe work on a pb center next time.

-----
Had lunch.
Dropped of card for dson's bday.
Took the pooch.
PIcked up the back yard.
Changed out of my skinny pants to sweat pants, I am not that skinny yet.

While I was on hold for my Rx I did declutter a desk and did a few exercises.

[Lady Maverick]

DS14 lunch has been accomplished. He is such a big presence that it seems to consume my every thought to the point of being overwhelmed. DS14 operates at a faster rate than I do, and I sometimes struggle to stay up with that pace (mentally & physically). His boss operates at the same level, and they are constantly in GO-GO-GO status and Get-er-Done mode. I thought it was just me getting older, but yesterday DGS25 said a remark about DS14 being such a big presence. Physically DGS25 and DS14 are both about the same size so it isn't physical size but something I am struggling to put into words to describe.

I made 5 ramen packets to have ready for the kids to eat. DH and I don't eat ramen. I actually love ramen and find it addictive similar to potato chips. If only my body operated well on ramen, potato chips and pizza then that is all I would eat. Experience has taught DH & I that eating those high carb low nutrition meals are a quick way to zap our energy, mess up our blood sugar, digestive system, and we end up getting sick. We can occasionally get by having them without getting sick, but we don't eat them on a regular basis. The kids don't seem to have that same reaction to those meals.

TA-DA -
** 6 hourly step goals accomplished.
** first 2 mini meals eaten. I am running behind on eating my meals. I'm usually eating meal #4 by now.


Next up - plan next week homeschool assignments for all the subjects and get them on DS14 calendar.

[Twins' Mom]

Not a good situation at all, Kathryn. I'm so sorry. I'd be worried sick.

Ddog is taking a lot of my attention. I wonder if her person stayed seated or in bed all the time and ddog was right there with her? I'm sitting at the kitchen counter and she comes to me to "talk" to me and get some petting. I have door to screened porch open and it's sunny, but may be cool for her. Now her snout is nosing at my leg. So that has me feeling my resources are low because she's almost constantly nudging at me. On the plus side, she's eating right now, and she ate yesterday afternoon too. She has not wanted to eat much since her arrival and it's been maybe every other day, and small amounts.

LadyM, my dh is one of those "big presence" people, which is why I often need some space. It takes some kind of positive energy out of me.

I may push my shower off until the a.m., and I'm pretty sure I'm not going out to mail the parcel and do the return this afternoon. Stick a fork in me, I'm done. Will walk dog again in the next hour. She's sleeping on the couch right now and I'm not moving from this chair.

[Ramblinrose]

Lucylee… ditto what Kathryn said about the roof. I would t live in a home with a leaky roof. Aside from the obvious, is you don’t fix the leak you’re gonna have a mold problem and that would certainly make your renters leave as you can get sick from mold.

Years ago I moved from a home with a leaky roof and the mold it caused. You probably have mold in your home because of the water problems you have with your leaky roof and you shower. That alone could be contributing to some of your dh’s health problems along with your sinuses and allergy. My school had a terrible mold problem and behind my main classroom wall the external wall was black with mold. And until they sort of fixed it, I had sinus and migraine all the time. Was just me either. Several of my friends’ had the same problem and they were sick most of the school year.

They were fine during the summer at home, but when they came back to work it started all over again..same with me too.

[Elizabeth]

Hi everyone!

I am not terribly focused today because it feels like a lull. Reviewers have my document and there is nothing I can do on it until they are done. I have other work, not to worry, but the high pressure is temporarily relieved. I may actually leave "early" (actually on time, but it will feel early).

I have fallen off the exercise wagon and need to climb back on. I also need to clean my house for Future Elizabeth, the surgical patient who will be visiting Feb 2. Kinda needed a kick in the pants to get it done.

DD20 called last night, a little panicked. Her scholarship money has not come in, her dad is on the ocean somewhere and unavailable, and tuition is due. She told me the scholarship amount and I assured her I could cover it. She says her dad will pay me back. He may even do so; he likes to tell the world that he is covering it all on his own. (He promised he would, did he expect me to say no? Mutual friends report he thought I would continue to pay him child support. He should have read the divorce paperwork which HIS LAWYER wrote.) This morning, my email greets me with the notice of a bonus that more than covers DD's needs. There is also a significant raise. I believe this came more from God than me and I am grateful.

Ramblinrose: You aren't still married to the turkey that is so like my x and my mom are you? Did you ever date again? I don't trust my man-picker and have avoided romantic entanglements for the past 11 or 12 years. Whenever I consider dating, it just makes me think of being miserable and feeling trapped again. I know there are great men out there, but do I know how to find them? Not likely.

[Harriet]

I also need to clean my house for Future Elizabeth, the surgical patient who will be visiting Feb 2.

that's good thinking, Elizabeth. I also am working on my house for the future Harriet! Things like heavy-duty mattress turn-around, plant potting-up, specific declutters, etc. , need to happen in January. I mentioned your upcoming med stuff in J and C along with mine.

Nancy, yes big success and I'm so glad that legislation came through, to help you in practical ways.

lucylee, roofers know how to use just one flat/bundle of shingles and do a re-roof of just the leak area. Just make sure someone is careful to pinpoint the whole problem(s) before getting started. Colors of roof shingles are pretty stable - you can usually find what you need to match. If the problem is at a chimney, it may require more work - that's our constant vigilance even though our roof is one year old only. Here, leaves accumulate, holding water at the high side of the chimney and finally allowing seeping. I will tell you, the metal roof at the other house has been a jewel for never needing any repair or even a thought, although the color does eventually turn because of environment, or driveway dust. It took a Hurricane to make even a little spot of moisture on the ceiling.