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nd293

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Everything posted by nd293

  1. All of this except I like peas - don't cook them first, or they'll be mushy. And I prefer to add the cheese for just the last minutes so it doesn't burn. Shepherd's pie needs a sheep, so if you can't get lamb, a cottage pie with minced beef is what you're looking for :-)
  2. Ours never started up again. Then they got sick (at various times) and died. We did not have success with chickens...
  3. Is he generally respectful of others? If so maybe discussing the schedule explicitly might help. Everyone here is generally considerate, so it's usually enough to stand outside the door and yell "There's a queue forming! Hurry up!" (Sometimes followed by the "Put down your electronics!") This generally means things are wrapped up quickly. For bathing and showering there are times when we can take our time, and times when we simply cannot. It wouldn't work otherwise. So if dd wants to shower in the evening she has to let everyone know so that those who might need to brush teeth before bed can do so first. Dh is usually out the house before we are awake, but if he leaves late chaos ensues because he doesn't follow the unwritten rules and will shower when kids need to brush their teeth before leaving for school. He certainly is not inconsiderate, he just isn't in sync with us in the mornings. I had to tell him explicitly what was ok and what wasn't to ensure that we all get out the door on time.
  4. I frequently stand outside the bathroom door and yell for them to throw out the phone RIGHT NOW. We also have a 'no phone' rule although it's strictly for practical reasons (4 people, one bathroom) so they're not punished when they break it it. Drives me nuts. 45 minutes just couldn't happen, though. The next in line for the bathroom would make life hell!
  5. This is a really horrible thing, but other people reading it is not something you need to worry about. If it's poor quality, why would they wade through it? And anyway, it's kind of creepy reading about a friend's personal life - at least, that's what I think. When a close friend self-published a book about her life with her deceased husband I definitively did not want to read it. I'm so sorry this happened to you.
  6. Two of mine have Velcro on the straps. It's very common. I like that it's much more adjustable - great if you have sensitive feet and like your shoes 'just so'. But the Velcro starts to get dirty and stops sticking properly. It's so annoying! One is a pair of sandals with Velcro on the over ankle and back straps, the other are Mary Janes. They're good quality leather shoes from specialist shoe shops, too. ETA: ds9 is all for the easy life and still wants Velcro sneakers but it's getting really hard to find them in his size. He finds it annoying to redo laces several times a day when he goes outside.
  7. Oh my gosh YES! You can download the app and do 5 minutes of certain languages to see how it works. It was so, so weird to learn a language like that! There's a documentary about his method (I found it on YouTube) where he takes his method to a small group of 'failed' language students in a UK high school and teaches them over 5 days or whatever.
  8. I'm obviously living in a bubble because I only read about this a couple of days ago and don't remember seeing it, although vaguely do remember telling one of my kids to stop throwing a water bottle around the other day. I'll have to look (listen?) when I'm out and about. Won't happen in my house because I don't do well with annoying noises, from people talking to me onwards ;-)
  9. With the HP - check that it will work with only one ink cartridge. Ours will not. So if one ink cartridge runs out, even if it's the colour one you never use, that's it. You just get an error message and can't use the machine at all. I've loved HP before but after this experience I'd be very hesitant. And a single extra large black ink costs more than the machine.... I bought a replacement machine after mine broke because it was cheaper than throwing out the used but nearly full ink cartridges.
  10. I have an unopened bag of brown rice. I might just donate it. I always think we'll eat brown rice but no one actually likes it. We were supposed to be moving only probably won't be because the house hasn't sold after 3 months. And we're going away in 4 weeks for a month and may or may not be packing our stuff into a storage container before then. Either way it seems better to have less stuff in the pantry. Probably half of the food containers are empty already. The things I still have a way to go on are red lentils, couscous and quinoa (the last probably only one meal). From the fridge: probably the korma paste and the mayonnaise next. And maybe the can of beetroot. Ideas welcome!
  11. My skin is thick, and 16 year old girls mostly make me want to yell, not cry, and if they're under the age of 18 and living in my house I'll tell them whatever I think needs to be said, and expect them to follow instructions or suffer the consequences! Mostly it doesn't come to real conflict, though, as I've followed this approach for years and dd knows what's expected of her. Sleep is definitely something I insist on, mostly because the crankiness resulting from lack of sleep impacts directly on me.
  12. Glad it worked out! When we lived in the Middle East there were lots of feral cats (open street bins so lots of cats) and I knew several expats this happened to, with no happy endings.
  13. Last Christmas (in Australia, anyway) you could get personalised name labels printed for large bottles of Nutella, in the style of the real label. They stuck it over the original. Made an awesome gift for my Nutella addict. I recently saw teeny tiny Nutella bottles, one serving (a spread serving, NOT a topping serving, if you've been following Nutella news). It was supposed to be for ds's stocking but sadly we had a Nutella crisis and I had to raid it.
  14. The magnesium seemed to do it for me. I was at the same stage: next step the Holter Monitor. I took a double dose of magnesium daily for the first week and noticed a big improvement, then settled it down to one daily. And it was completely gone within another few days. Mine is a 'high strength' 600mg magnesium which was 4 different types of magnesium by the looks of it, mostly magnesium oxide. Interestingly at the same time we were looking into the heart thing I was diagnosed as having low ferritin levels (stored iron) and I read iron and magnesium deficiencies tend to go together.
  15. Well don't tell him what you heard here! Those (wise!) older female friends are making sure you have his sympathy. You should get home afterwards and take to your bed to recover while he cooks, feeds everyone and cleans up! And obviously ask for chocolate to relieve the emotional distress.
  16. I almost exclusively use PayPal. If that's not available I do a combination of what's been mentioned: I never save my credit card details to the store, but type it in each time. I do use my visa debit, but most funds are in another account.
  17. I'm up to the point where I can "run" (jog? stumble?) for 8 minutes, then another 8 minutes after a break to walk and remember how to breath. So, not fit, but definitely no longer a proud couch potato. Adding to my running slowly over time I'd say that I haven't experienced any achiness. Before that I was doing a fitness class and that definitely led to both sore muscles and aching in joints (knees and hips). I do tend to get back and neck aches anyway, especially at night, but if anything I get them less now that I'm moving more.
  18. The weightloss programme I was on had lots of lunch recipes with bean or chickpea based salads. I also really enjoyed an open sandwich on pumpernickel bread - roast beef, beetroot, leaves, horseradish or mustard, tomato. On rice cakes: turkey, sprouts, avocado and cranberry jelly or avocado, tomato, onion and Tabasco. Or use a very thin wrap (mountain bread here in Australia) and fill with salady things - tuna nicoise is great (tuna, egg, olive, tomato, leaves) or chicken salad using yoghurt instead of mayonnaise, plus a little sweet chilli sauce. All these are from recipes that came in at 350 calories or under. ETA: I forgot Vietnamese spring roll wraps - the rice paper ones you wet - lots of recipes online.
  19. One thing I did was switch from regular chocolate to high quality dark chocolate. It satisfies the craving (once you get use to it!) without making you crave more, if you know what I mean. I only have a piece once a day, after dinner. That's a family change, although the kids have regular chocolate.
  20. Buy smaller plates. Change everyone's eating habits to healthier ones, not just your own. Cut out bread, or whatever might be your standard easy, go-to carb. Up the vegetable content. Learn new ways of cooking that up the flavour-per-serve ratio (Asian cooking is great for this).
  21. I don't, and neither does dd. We do sleep with clothes on (at least underwear and tops). If I'm planning on staying in pjs for a while I'll often slip a bra on underneath just because I look kind of old and decrepit without one after years of breastfeeding.
  22. I don't think it's necessary, but I see the logic. I lost some weight about 2 years ago. I've found a plateau slightly above that minimum where my weight is stable because of changes I've made to my lifestyle and eating habits. But obviously my current habits aren't at a level to maintain a lower weight. I want to lose a bit more, and think it's good that I have a realistic picture of what current habits can and can't maintain. So if I want to go lower, I should make peace now with the changes that will be required to maintain at that level.
  23. I just turned 45. I think I'm still young. My daughter informed me on my birthday "You're halfway to 90!". End of feeling young.
  24. Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World is non-fiction, but fascinating and amusing. From Wikipedia: Pollan presents case studies that mirror four types of human desires that are reflected in the way that we selectively grow, breed, and genetically engineer our plants. The tulip, beauty; marijuana, intoxication; the apple, sweetness; and the potato, control. I believe one of his books deals with gardening. Everything I've read by him is enjoyable. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating deals with nature and illness. It's a lovely read.
  25. I might be wrong but it sounds as though you get her way too much stuff and she doesn't value it. Stop buying stuff? That seems like the obvious solution. If she has 3 pairs of jeans and she gets paint on one then she wears a pair of jeans with paint on. If she cracks the iPhone screen she uses an iPhone with a cracked screen and if it breaks she can have no phone or a 'dumb phone'. If she wrecks the headphones she buys new ones or she listens to her online classes without headphones. It's hard to see what the issue is here. Just let natural consequences teach the lesson. Don't replace stuff and have her figure out how to earn to replace the rest. You can't make a naturally careless person care (my dd is exactly like this) but they will learn to prioritise care of certain items that are important to them.
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