WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JUNE 2015

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  • drkatiebug
    drkatiebug Posts: 1,982 Member
    Yay! I figured out how to select all and cut from my iPad when I accidentally quote a post (or two or three). I love reading on my iPad, but sometimes my accidentally quoting gets on my last nerve.
  • lhannon062709
    lhannon062709 Posts: 1,140 Member
    Tere - Thank you so much, and I'm so glad you enjoyed This Little Pig! I'm working on the sequel now, and have had so many people ask about it, I'm going to try to finish it in the next six to eight weeks. Not promising - life gets in the way sometimes... but I'm shooting for the end of August to mid-September. Its working title is "Flak Be Nimble," and it will be set in West Texas - you can see a quick synopsis on my Books page at http://www.lisachannon.com/home/books/.

    Happy birthday, Renny!
    Hope it's grand!
  • margaretturk
    margaretturk Posts: 5,296 Member
    edited June 2015
    Renny Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!!!!!

    Mary hope move continues to go well.

    :heart: MNMargaret
  • grandmallie
    grandmallie Posts: 10,157 Member
    Happy Birthday Renny,I'll be following you tomorrow girlfriend
  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,800 Member
    Renny - very many happy returns for tomorrow! :flowerforyou: You young thing, you! :laugh:

    Margaret - that medal presentation is great. My mother gave my grandfather's medals to my brother, but I don't think he has looked after them properly. I'd be surprised if they are safe. My grandfather won a DCM for valour and he lost a leg in the trenches. I would love to display the medals properly.
    The old houses you have been seeing are gorgeous. :love:

    I have been reading the tales of difficult marriages with interest and sympathy. What travails of many different kinds so many of us have been through. If it teaches us anything it is for each of us to believe in our own worth. Group hug. ((((HUG))))

    Love Heather UK. DHjust returned! <3
  • italy10548
    italy10548 Posts: 174 Member
    Just checking in.

    Carol in NC - how are you after the surgery? Please let us know when you feel up to it :)

    Rosie
  • Vickil57
    Vickil57 Posts: 1,894 Member
    Well I know I posted Saturday, but today it is gone. I do wounder where they go. I have no idea what I posted sorry. I traded to get yesterday off so DH and I could go to a bikers church service in Albion (about 70 miles). They have this once a year and after service they have a dinner then we went on a mystery ride of about 100 miles. They gave us a list of things to find and we fill in the sheet to where they were at. There were 4 of us on our team and it was alot of fun. We didn't win for time, but we had fun. Then when we got back to the church they had apple pie and homemade ice cream. I had alittle of each. Today I am at work and work Monday -Thursday, off Friday and work Saturday. My friend who's husband got sick, he passed away Saturday morning. The funeral is tomorrow and I have someone coming in to cover so I can go to the service. Tonight after work DH and I will go to visitation. I am worried about my friend. Then this evening DH and I are working the firework stand 7-9. It is for the Cosmpo group. Last year I did enjoy the evening we worked, but it just gets to me the money people spend on them, just to blow them up. Last evening when we got home the kids around our house were shooting them off and my dogs go nuts barking and do not want to go outside. I will be so glad when this week is over.

    Pip--Enjoying the pictures, Thanks for sharing. Your poem to Lenny was very heart felt. Your wedding day poem was very touching, you have a special gift with words.

    Sylvia--So glad you and the DGC were not hurt. Know how scary that can be. When that guy ran the red light and hit me I had my DGD in the back seat. When the air bag went off I could not see anything, but hear her crying. Thank God we were not hurt, just banged up. Sure hope you feel better soon, feeling out of control is not an easy thing to handle. I am like you and can not cry most the time.

    Heather--Sorry to hear about your train trip. Love the picture. I can tell they are family.

    Joyce--Sounds like an awesome funeral. Positive memories is the best gift we can give anyone.

    Carol-Peach--Sending HUGs!!

    Welcome to all the new comers. You have come to a great place. Come often and get to know us, this is a fantastic group for friendship and support.

    Allison--Sending HUGS!! Know you are better then that and I care very much about you.

    Teri--Sounds like you had a great time.

    Margaret--Thanks for sharing the pictures. I love old houses and hope I can get a loin someday soon.

    katiebug--I thought the red door was for luck and health.

    Nancy--Hugs!! So glad you are doing so much better now.

    Mai--Glad to hear you are getting things sorted out deciding what to do with things.

    Lisa--I am so looking forward to the next book, I enjoyed the first one and I admit I did not see that ending coming.

    Happy Birthday Renny and Allison. Do something special for yourselves.

    Am feeling kind of funky today, Can't put my finger on it, so hoping to get to bed early after we are done at the fireworks stand. Thanks for all the sharing and caring. I love this group.
    Blessings, Vicki GI NE
  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 17,368 Member
    :::: lifting up my leg, marking my spot:::::
  • GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS
    GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS Posts: 2,573 Member
    Sorry, this is a rant and rave, so if you don't want to hear it, skip over it.

    What does one do, when DDnL comes in to your home and tells you to tell "your" husband NOT to make, jokingly or otherwise, any remark to a "Freshman 15+" college DGD and he says he hasn't. Admittedly the first time she came home (and had put on a few pounds, he did kid her about watching out for her weight). Easy to put on, had to take off and she is only 5'-nothing (as she says). Built like both her great-grandmothers on both sides of the family. Puts me on the spot. This DDnL is 'never' ever wrong, it (whatever 'it' is), is always someone else's fault, never hers, never ever says, "I did not know that ... I'm wrong, I made a mistake, please forgive me, I spoke out of 'turn' . . .". I'm made to feel as if I am the 'fire-breathing dragon MnL from Hell'. They live next door; I don't go there unless invited except to get in a pool that DH and I paid 1/2 on (for DGDs). She is, herself, very over-weight and has been since her first child was born - never lost her pregnancy weight and has a sweet tooth that is unbelievable. Won't even stop buying 'junk food' even though youngest DGS is overweight - for her age and Pediatrician has put her 'on a diet' before. Seem upset that I am 'on a strict diet and I have been having success at this'. DOS has paid for her to 'go to various diet places' and she has given up every time. I'm dipping into my savings in order to go through his 'medically necessary weight loss' plan in order to bring down cholesterol (very high); because I am allergic to any of the well-known lowering meds that are on the market.

    What to do when DOS (who works for him - DH) '*kitten*' about his wife, to him; and, he (DH) brings it home to me to *kitten* about. DDNL calls DOS several times an hour - to ask, 'what are you doing'? WORKING, dammit, I'll see you when I get home. We can talk about it then. I can look at him (DH) and tell what type of day he is having or had. I give him a lot of room, to work it out and hopefully, when he comes in and takes a shower - his pissiness has passed. I've told him, 'tell DOS to handle it'. She's HIS wife - we're not his sounding board - but, we are - but as soon as we say anything that he takes as being a 'negative' point - he takes up for her. But, DH is passive (sometimes 'passive/aggressive') and he says, he can't say anything to DOS because 'DOS loves her, don't 'cha know' and if he does he will never speak to us and we won't be able to see our DGDs. And then DOS with call his brother and then they won't speak to us either ... is that what I really want?" She has made the comment to me before, 'that she knows if I did not like her, I'd run her off with a stick.' WHERE THE HELL IS THAT DAMN STICK? This and other personal things gets plastered all over 'social networking site' that I deleted because of her (mainly). OH $#*T - what am I doing? ... the same thing? I never know which side of the bed she has woken up on or what, if anything or 'injustice' - God Forbid - her boss has dumped on her? She left this job and because at the 'new' one, she could not pass a required testing; and went back to him. Says that 'if' she ever left - they would 'go under'. I've said, 'never say, never - everybody is expendable. Just to prove a point - stick your finger into a bowl of water and see how quickly it gets filled once you pull your finger out. Might make waves ... but when you get 'fired' again (or sent home because of a posting made on FB during work hours, you'll find yourself without work; and you won't be able to 'buy' a good referral for another job. Sometimes when working you work for someone who will take advantage of you, knowing you don't have the skills to work someplace else at a higher rate of pay than what is being made, now.

    She has convinced DOS that we love our DYS more than we do him - not true. Love them equally, just differently because they are polar opposites. They have always had a very close relationship; although oldest son always fusses about being 'identified' as "DYS's brother". You'd think at times we were raising Cain & Able. DOS has ALWAYS been his 'Daddy's boy' and DYS has always been 'not a Mama's boy, in the sense of being a Mama's boy - just had to keep a close eye on him because he is 'not afraid of anything' not really a 'dare-devil' so to speak; just won't back down about things. I lost a baby during 5th month of pregnancy before DOS was born. We never hid that fact from either of them. DOS would ask, 'if you had not lost that first baby, would I have been born'? Impossible question - how do you ever expect me to answer that? You are here because God put you here; maybe I wasn't prepared to have a baby at that time in my life.

    Sorry - I just had to get it OFF my chest - I've cried all day about it. On top of that I woke up this AM sick as a dog; have a UTI. Medicine, can't start working quick enough. I now have to laugh - to keep from crying some more. Just very pensive at this moment. I know that she is 'one' if not the 'biggest' [no pun intended] 'stressor' I have - which is not good for my Bipolar disorder. Round and round we go, I'd like to step away from this Carousal for a while - but I think I have a shoe string caught in it.

    Today I am definitely on a roll, as ... SLUTS
  • terri_mom
    terri_mom Posts: 748 Member
    I can’t start another project at work this late in the afternoon, so I’m going to read posts backwards, and respond as I remember (I get caught up and forget to type, just keep reading and reading).

    Heather – Hugs of strength !

    Renny – I love that song! Happy Birthday !

    MNMargaret – Amazing ! ! ! What a brilliant decision and result! It took my breath away.

    Yvonne – Congrats on biking to the event. Baby steps with social anxiety is a good thing, too. I’m proud of you!

    Cheri – How exciting that so many of your family are on the “same page” regarding health. That is amazing support you all have for each other. I’m envious.

    Miriam – I know it is time-consuming, but have you considered electronic photo albums? My Uncle does it often. I’m not sure how, but I imagine it requires quite a bit of computer programs and such. My Uncle took several boxes of photos of many families in multiple directions for his Mom, and scanned the pictures, so the electronic album shows a different picture every 15 seconds or something like that.

    Oops! Time got away from me (and everyone knew I was going to be gone last week, so the phone practically never stops ringing). Gotta get myself off to DS's baseball game.

    Hugs! Terri
  • Charm4u76132
    Charm4u76132 Posts: 94 Member
    Marvelous Monday to All. Welcome Newbies. Happy Birthday, Renny. o:)

    Thank you for the support and caring shared here. Sorry to hear some others went through similar painful situations. There is actually a term for that situation: Parental Alienation.

    Anyway, I'm feeling much better. The IBS subsided and my energy has returned. The scale was down 0.8 lb. this am. I've been up and down on the same 1 or 1.5 lbs. for the past 2 weeks. Only -1.5 lb. to go and I'll no longer be in the dreaded obese category. I'm really motivated to keep it going. Really want to accomplish it this week.

    At 6 pm CT tonight, I'm starting to make up the 135 minutes of walking that I was physically unable to do because of the health challenges last week. Since I only need to do slow steady cardio (50-65% MHR), I'm splitting it into 2 sessions. Will do 70 mins. tonight and 65 mins. tomorrow. Will also make sure I get my usual 240 total minutes of walking in this week.
  • Charm4u76132
    Charm4u76132 Posts: 94 Member
    Progress this Month:

    Started my Journey to become Slender & Fit again on 6/1
    Shed 9 lbs.
    Started using MFP and Joined this Group
    Honestly tracked Everything
    Consistently Walked for a total of 240 minutes each week at 65% MHR (range from Health Coach was 50 to 65%)
    Drank much more Water and lots less red wine
    Eating Healthy and less Fats (based on my DNA test results)
  • GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS
    GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS Posts: 2,573 Member
    Marvelous Monday to All. Welcome Newbies. Happy Birthday, Renny. o:)

    Thank you for the support and caring shared here. Sorry to hear some others went through similar painful situations. There is actually a term for that situation: Parental Alienation.

    Anyway, I'm feeling much better. The IBS subsided and my energy has returned. The scale was down 0.8 lb. this am. I've been up and down on the same 1 or 1.5 lbs. for the past 2 weeks. Only -1.5 lb. to go and I'll no longer be in the dreaded obese category. I'm really motivated to keep it going. Really want to accomplish it this week.

    At 6 pm CT tonight, I'm starting to make up the 135 minutes of walking that I was physically unable to do because of the health challenges last week. Since I only need to do slow steady cardio (50-65% MHR), I'm splitting it into 2 sessions. Will do 70 mins. tonight and 65 mins. tomorrow. Will also make sure I get my usual 240 total minutes of walking in this week.

    Thank you - I knew someone would have an answer for me. "Parental Alienation". That's a good one; I'll have to remember that one.
  • Charm4u76132
    Charm4u76132 Posts: 94 Member
    Would love to hear from you all. What are your Start-Stop-Continue Goals for July?!

    My Goals for July:

    Start eating a small breakfast or drink a protein shake within 1 hr. of waking.
    Start eating more regular meals and snacks throughout each day.
    Start trying some Zone friendly meals and snacks to see if I have better results.
    Start making meals and snacks at home.

    Stop not having breakfast.
    Stop going for longer than 1 hour after waking to have breakfast.
    Stop not eating almost all day, until 3 pm, and then eating bad food choices (high fat, high calorie restaurant meals).
    Stop eating at restaurants.
    Stop drinking red wine for 40 days to see if I shed more pounds and inches.

    Continue slow, steady cardio by walking 240 mins. weekly at 65% MHR.
    Continue doing one high intensity cardio session every 10th workout as prescribed, based on my DNA results.
    Continue eating healthy. (40-35-25 or 40-30-30 based on my DNA results)
    Continue drinking 8-9 8 oz. glasses of water daily.
    Continue Honestly Tracking Everything on MFP.
    Continue Sharing here in this Forum.

    Hugs, Nancy in FW, TX
  • Lestan48
    Lestan48 Posts: 489 Member
    Tuesday here in Tasmania and shopping day, need to take care as only $200 in grocery account bah!
    7the day of juicing and today's is "Asthma Help", lemon juice, tomato and melon.
    Need to buy more fruit for juicing as going fine
    Only walking to0day, shopping and dog walk this afternoon
    Food = 1636 cals OK, tracking food, exercise and household stuff IS helping
  • Charm4u76132
    Charm4u76132 Posts: 94 Member
    Wanted to share a quick Progress at Work story with you all here.

    Had a meeting last Friday afternoon. Was helping my team by volunteering and doing something outside of my usual work duties. Asked the guy who normally handles this where to find the detailed information needed. He kept saying, 'it's in there' 'or it's right there' but he would not explain exactly where this was posted online so that I could find it. I kept offering to help and let him know that I didn't mind finding the details and filling out the forms. Finally, he decided to gather the information and fill out the detailed form himself because he's very familiar with it.

    Old Behavior: I would have worried myself sick all weekend and lost sleep over this. My stomach would have been in a knot. Would have walked over to his desk on Monday morning with my tail between my legs and apologized for not being able to help (translation: I'm inferior and too dumb to help). NOT TRUE anymore!

    New Behavior: Made a firm decision not to worry. Did not allow myself start worrying. Told myself that somehow he wasn't willing or able to explain to me exactly where to find the information. Also told myself that he had a choice, and he decided to go ahead and do the work himself (it's work that's part of his normal job duties). Refused to allow myself to feel inferior or guilty--including this morning when we were all back at work! Did not mention anything to him about this task today. I will not bring it up.

    Thanks for letting me share here. This is a big step! Hope you all will share your progress and successes here, too.

    - Nancy in FW, TX
  • per9sist8ent
    per9sist8ent Posts: 6 Member
    Hi all, First time here. Will try to keep up with the conversations.... Because of health issues, am having
    difficulty now figuring what to eat and it's playing havoc with my past weight loss (now wt. gain!).
  • miriamwithcats
    miriamwithcats Posts: 1,120 Member
    Terri, I did scan one album's worth of photos for my sister. They were ones of her growing up. Time consuming. Maybe a good winter project this year.
  • Charm4u76132
    Charm4u76132 Posts: 94 Member
    Mia in MI. Congratulations!!! Thank you so much for sharing about unpacking and reorganizing your home.

    True Confessions Time Here, Too.

    I have moved several times in the past 10 years due to job changes. The past few times, I just stopped unpacking boxes. Moved again this past Feb. but have barely unpacked. Currently have about 20 medium size boxes stacked against the living room side wall. Another small stack near the kitchen. 2 full boxes next to the TV. 2 more hidden in my bedroom closet. Unfortunately, my bathroom counter and kitchen island are completely cluttered and it looks like a bomb went off.

    Part of this is obviously procrastination on my part. Some of it has truly been a physical lack of energy (confirmed by my hormone blood test and discussion with my physician). Some of it has been that I hardly have any furniture and only 2 closets in my lovely 1 bedroom apt. Although, I do have lots more cabinet space here than in other apts. Some of it has been that I went back to work on a very intense project. So, I'm working the usual 8 hours per day but also have just over a 2 hour commute each day. As of 6/1, my focus and energy is on my new health and fitness journey. So, I spend time several evenings making sure I get my 4 hours of walking completed every week. Relaxing is also now part of my agenda and I honestly don't want to spend my work day evenings working to unpack stuff.

    1 month ago, I made great progress in the bathroom. I totally unpacked 4 bathroom boxes that were stuffed full of multiple personal items (various cosmetics, hair products, first aid supplies, etc.). I worked very hard for 12 hours straight one day and totally exhausted myself. Then I went to work on that Monday morning--but never finished the remaining tasks. I simply need to find places to put away the items that I wiped off and put all over the large bathroom counters, organized in groups (all make up together, hair care in another spot, etc.). There is one small plastic storage bin with assorted cosmetics that I need to sort through, wipe off and also put away. This doesn't sound like it should be that hard--or take that much time. However, I have not gotten back to it yet.

    Worse is my kitchen. Barely unpacked anything. I need and want to wipe out the cabinets with lemon scented Lysol before putting away my kitchen items. However, this project never got started. I'm embarrassed to truthfully say that I have a large counter and sink full of dirty dishes. I definitely need to get my kitchen set up so I can be successful in my new and continuing journey back to health and fitness.

    Also, I washed my sheets late last week. But then got sick on Thursday and have not even remade the bed yet! Will do that tonight and post my successful follow through here later.

    Anyway, this work project is supposed to be completed the end of August and I will roll off (e.g., my contract job will be completed). So, I have decided to finish the bathroom and kitchen over the July 4th weekend. Also want to clean my apt. while I'm at it. The other boxes can wait until I'm finished with the work project and have time. Ultimate goal is to sort through every box, decide what to keep and what to donate. Don't think I have any items that need to be thrown away.

    Fortunately, I live with my sweet Yorkie and she doesn't even know or care! Glad I can honestly share about this with all of you here.

    Going to start my walking, so signing off for a bit. Thanks, Nancy in FW, TX
  • skuehn48
    skuehn48 Posts: 3,078 Member
    Hi all: OK I was promised cool, cloudy weather when I moved to the PNW and it has been really hot and humid, more like SD weather with no AC. Yikes! I have been really good drinking water, not so good with food but not eating after dinner. Exercise is hard even in the morning with this heat although I did some yoga yesterday and I have been working in the yard and also still putting things away in the house and readjusting where furniture is placed. Guess that will just have to be my exercise for now.

    DH and I have an appointment to talk with someone tomorrow about changing our Medigap insurance. Our current insurance is associated with a particular hospital system in SD and won't cover us beyond 60 days here.

    Renny - Happy birthday!!!

    Pip - Don't know how you ride as much as you do in this kind of weather.

    Anybody know how I get my fitbit to change time zones? I have reinstalled it here on new computer and tried changing my personal info to new address to no avail.

    Healing angels to all who need them and congratulations to those with victories, Sue in WA
  • janemartin02
    janemartin02 Posts: 2,653 Member
    Good news,they shocked mom`s heart,normal rate and blood pressure.She lost a lot of the fluid.
    Sounds good.Tx for the prayers and support.
    hugs jane
  • margaretturk
    margaretturk Posts: 5,296 Member
    Heather beautiful mural in the restaurant. I am glad your grandfather made it through WWl. That trench warfare was hell on earth. I mentioned Iypres before. They have a museum there that showed the deplorable conditions those men fought under. Your grandfather more that earned that metal. I know if my oldest brother had gotten this metal it would have gotten lost among his other things. I have also seen how he has treated other family heirlooms, and it is not a pretty sight. My dad was very humble about his war experiences and rarely talked about it. It was important to me to honor him in this way. It is unusual for me to have this. Usually these types of things are past down to sons. I do plan to give it to a great grandson someday. So I need to keep doing the right thing to stay healthy so I am here to do it.

    Gritsandsluts I know when I get that upset the first thing I have to remind myself is to breathe. Good luck families do seem to know what our triggers are and like to push them! I also keep trying to remind myself of one of my favorite quotes I have shared here often. "Just because I see the hook does not mean I have to bite."

    Catching up on my own gardening and paperwork. When I went to the compost pile today the man who runs it and I got talking about deer and rabbits. He said it you mount a half bar of Irish Spring and place it near something the rabbits or deer are eating it helps to deter them. Has anyone ever heard of this? The rabbits are the problem for me this year.

    :heart: MNMargaret
  • miriamwithcats
    miriamwithcats Posts: 1,120 Member
    Giggling at your dilemma, Nancy. Things just don't seem as important, do they!
  • megblair1
    megblair1 Posts: 1,226 Member
    Happy Monday it was an oddly busy day. My best friend met me at the remodel place and I finally picked everything, then all three of us (the designer went with me too) went to the plumbing place where I made final decisions on the sink and faucets. The sink…get this…is made on order so will take 5 weeks. So in the meantime I can get the wood floor refinished and the tile laid throughout the downstairs where we already have vinyl. Then we went to lunch; I had a jalapeno cheese burger and salad, then went home and spent hours grading 15 discussion boards. Bleh. Actually it wasn’t that bad; only took 3 hours.

    Michele: If I had your pool, I don’t think I’d ever come out~

    Margaret: love the pics, especially the pink flamingo! We have two chairs in our bedroom that are Florida Keys type print with lots of pink flamingos. Totally does not go with the rest of my house but I simply could not resist them! Hmmm we have a red front door and just paid off our mortgage.

    Melting Gail: what type of recipes are you interested in? Specific types of meat? Casseroles, salads, I have tons of recipes to share but give me an idea of what to send!

    Lori: happy belated birthday!

    Miriam: you are so right…life is way too short to be miserable…wish DD#1 would figure that out.

    Nancy: amen sister! I was in a similar first marriage and would never ever put up with that sh** again. You want to be critical then the chore is yours from now on. I am so glad DH now is so wonderful. My last straw was when he beat me for the final time….he was choking me too for being upset at finding out he had a girlfriend and I said “Congratulations. You have become your dad”. He hated his dad for cheating on his beloved mother. He knocked me out. When I came to, he was gone and that was the end of him. I think he was so humiliated he couldn’t ever face me again. HE didn’t even come get his clothes.

    Joyce: strapless bra

    Pip: lovely poem

    Cheri: glad you had a good time!

    Sylvia: hope the van repair goes as planned

    GRIT is your blood sugar too low?

    Janetr: great nsv!!!

    Peaches: (((hugs)))

    Kate: I used to tat. I hope it relieves your stress. It gave me stress LOL

    Mnmargaret: wonderful memento!


    Renny: happy birthday!

    We are both sort of at our wits’ end with DD#1. She and BF were supposed to hang out all day Saturday and his boss came over and spent about 30” talking to him about work. After he left, she refused to speak to him the rest of the day. So yesterday he was here all day helping DH with the jeep (long story and big project) and she refused to come over because she was mad at him, but kept calling him and us yelling that he wasn’t home. Sheesh!
    OK well tomorrow is another day and another chance to do better than I did today. Eating…pretty low, but steps are low and no excersise other than a walk. Harumph! Take care, Meg from Omaha
  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 17,368 Member
    stats for the day:
    ride hm 2 gym - 10.24min, 17amph 2.9mi = 100c
    spin - 41min, 85ar, 97aw, 10-15g, 17.2mi = 316c
    ride gym - wk - 51.01min, 13.3amph, 11.3mi = 434c
    ride dome 2 hm - 16.34min, 9.3amph, WINDY = 170c
    total cal 1020

    charm4u - as far as the stop/start/continue - i am at the point where i am on track so i guess i am in the continue mode, just keep doin what i'm doin. :0)

    skeuhn - i'm from california, the central part. so i LOVE the heat, it doesn't bother me. i have been riding for a few years year round so i guess i'm just used to it, it's just what i do.

    janemartin - sending positive thoughts and prayers for you and your mom
  • pipcd34
    pipcd34 Posts: 17,368 Member
    miakoda40 wrote: »
    Peach – Sending virtual hugs to you. Cleaning out the family home can be very hard.

    True confessions time. I moved into my house 20 years ago. I had a large stack of boxes that I had never gotten around to unpacking. This stack took up most of the room I use for my computer. Then my Mom needed more care than she got in her own home so about 8 years ago we moved Mom out of her house. More boxes and stacks of stuff which went into my library. Then 3 years ago we decided to repair walls and paint half of the house. More stacks of boxes into the guest bedroom. Also, over the years as I got stuff that I couldn’t immediately find a home for it was added to the piles. Result – 3 rooms in my home piled high with stuff shut behind doors because I didn’t want anyone to see the state the rooms were in.

    Two years ago we cleaned the public parts of the house and our bedroom for our annual party. I declared that the areas that had been cleared would stay cleared and we could not pile stuff up as we were accustomed to doing. This was a declaration I had made every year that we had the party, but this time it stuck. Cleaning the house for the party this year was a breeze as all I had to do was vacuum, dust and clean the bathrooms. It was such a joy I decided to tackle the guest room this year. Starting in May I hired someone to come over for 2 hours each week to help move/empty/refill boxes and generally keep me on track. This has worked better than I had hoped. I was going to be happy if I got one room cleaned out this year. The guest room was done in 4 weeks. This past Saturday we finished the last of the stuff in the computer room. I still have lots of boxes that I don’t quite know what to do with the contents, but there are much fewer of them and they are all labeled so I know what is in them.

    The next step is the library. I dread this room because it is mostly stuff from my parents’ home. I know this room is a ticking time bomb filled with emotions and it will be much harder to take a stand that things must go. I’m going to deliberately take a 2 week break from clearing rooms before I start to tackle this one.

    I am amazed at how much lighter I feel as I see stuff leaving the house. As I'm losing weight I'm losing the clutter. I know I have a long way to go before everything either has a place it belongs or leaves the house, but I am delighted at how far I have come in just 2 months. I have downgraded my mental image of myself as a hoarder and now see myself as a packrat. LOL!

    Note to self: If I ever am in need of a new husband, #2 must not be a packrat. 2 packrats living together makes for very cluttered living.

    Mia in MI

    June goal - log food every day
    Word of the month – persevere

    i'm proud of you for tackling that portion of your life, it must be overwhelming! you are going to be so proud when you get it all done!! awesome job! keep it up!
  • GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS
    GRITSandSLUTSandWINOS Posts: 2,573 Member
    Thank you Margaret ... I'll write that one down. It is really, sometimes, hard not to 'bite' when I really want to physically bite. It was like a 'bomb' going off; did not expect her to just show up and drop that little nugget on me. By the time she got it 'out of her mouth' I was literally 'white knuckling' the kitchen counter. I think she realizes that she 'stresses me out' and tries to work it to her advantage. She has been rather 'divisive' in our family since they met and married 16 years ago. We've always been a close tightknit family unit. After a near-fatal auto accident; DOS told her that he wanted to wait for me to get a little better before introducing her to the family. She showed up and introduced herself as DOS's 'fiancée'. At that time, he was going through a divorce, not of his choosing really since he and his 'ex' had a young child. A couple of Thanksgivings ago, she and DOS were arguing in our house - I just dropped my head and shook it. She jumped up and ran out of the house saying as she went that I had said something. Son went after her and she went home in a huff. DOS came back in and said, 'see what you have done? Now what I am supposed to do?" I said, "GO HOME!" Come down later and you can take your Thanksgiving dinner home with you. DYS was not involved romantically with anyone at that time; and I heard from over the sofa; 'if THAT is what it is like to be married - I want no part of it'. Thankfully, when he did find that 'Ms. Right' he fell and fell hard. She is a lovely young lady. I emphasize 'lady'. But, in saying this ... I have 'let go' of my sons - they are ''grown" and on their own, with their own families. Sometimes I wonder 'what is the deal here'? I still think that family and in-laws ought to be required to live just out of walking-in room (for either of them). LOL! ". . . I'll think about that tomorrow ..." (Scarlett O'Hara)
  • janetr7476
    janetr7476 Posts: 4,001 Member
    Our house and the orchard were on the 6 o'clock news with the story of the accident involving the police car. They were across the street filming it live as it was aired on TV. NOT with me. Lol
  • bwcetc
    bwcetc Posts: 2,839 Member
    Happy Birthday, Renny!

  • Charm4u76132
    Charm4u76132 Posts: 94 Member
    Just finished 1/2 of my make-up walk for tonight. Taking a short break.

    GRITS - You can do an online search and find lots of info. about Parental Alienation. In the early to mid 1990's it wasn't known. In more recent years the Mental Health & Counseling Professionals have defined it and thoroughly researched it.

    Sorry to hear about the difficult family dynamics. Suggest you take yourself out of the middle. For instance, when DnL instructs you to go tell DH something, you can politely let her know that she needs to communicate her thoughts and feelings directly to him. Caution: People do not like it when the dynamics and your role changes.

    One tool that someone passed along when I was dealing with a similar situation, was to write out a very short script of what I wanted to say. That way, I wasn't tongue tied or fumbling for words when I had to communicate boundaries to my daughter. She threw an absolute fit, but I held firm and merely repeated my short phrases. After 3 times of saying it, I told her in a business-like manner that we needed to end the conversation on that topic. Said I was going in the kitchen to finish the dishes (or whatever). Then, I calmly walked away and did just that.

    You no longer have to be caught in the middle. You have a right to determine what you will and will not do. You can set boundaries and hold firm. It may not be easy, but is worth it in the long run.

    Good luck to you! - Nancy in FW, TX



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