Jump to content

Menu

PiCO

Members
  • Posts

    2,321
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by PiCO

  1. Hi,

     

    Are there any members who have family businesses, that are the sole support of the family? We have a small business, but it is not our main income source. Wondering if we should try to grow and make more of a go w/ of it....looking for inspiration and tales of success (and trials too). Thanks!!

     

    I have my own business. I love it, I don't think I will ever work for someone again. This business has been the sole support of my family since (late) dh was laid off of his job in 1999 or so.

     

    As an example of how owning a family business can be a great asset- I don't know how I would have made it through dh's illness and subsequent death if I had had to go to work every day. When dh was diagnosed, we set the business up to run on its own- put managers in place, got "off the schedule", so all we were doing was having meetings and accounting, stuff that could be done on a flexible schedule. So when I was widowed, my income did not change but I didn't have to show up and work 9-5 to make ends meet. I have no idea how people do that.

     

    I've been on my own for 7 years now, and I am only just now getting involved with daily operations at my business. I had a manager leave (to start her own business many states away!), so I took her job over. It's been great- I'm really loving being back at work.

  2. I'm 30 weeks pregnant and "failed" the 1-hour glucose for the 5th pregnancy in a row. My # was 154 (if anyone has any insight into how bad that is, I'd love to know what that actually means). According to the American Diabetes Assn. 180 is the number to "beat" but my drs. office says 130. :confused:

     

    So the nurse called today to tell me that I have to take the 3 hour test. Every time I have passed the 3-hour test with no problem. In fact, they made me test early with my last pregnancy and then again later on, so I've had this done 5 times and it always results in nothing. My blood pressure is low, I feel great, weight gain is normal. I REALLY REALLY don't want to spend half a day taking this test yet again, arranging child care for the day, you get the picture. My last baby was 8 lbs. even, so not huge ( I had one that was 9.5 but 1 week late). The other 2 were 8.6 and 7.15 respectively.

     

    Anyway, the nurse was actually sympathetic and I have a tele-appointment next week to discuss this with my doctor. If anyone has any further help/support/arguments that I could use to convince her that I don't need to do this I would be so thankful! OR tell me that I'm crazy and I should just do the test (I can take it!).

    Thanks,

    Sarah

     

    I would refuse the test. I would tell them to do an HbA1-c if they want to see how your actual glucose is. Or get a glucose monitor and check yourself after a normal meal (as opposed to after a huge dose of sugar.)

     

    I wish I had know I could turn these tests down when I was pregnant...

  3. Yes, work environments are hostile toward men these days. That is a sad fact of life, and it would serve any man well to consider this and protect himself accordingly. As in (almost?) any other instructor situation, it is inappropriate for a young girl to be alone with an adult male instructor.

     

    Call me ridiculously sexist and paranoid, I don't care. I'm not. In this country, at this time, a man who places himself in a situation with a young girl alone is foolish.

     

    Unfortunately, I have to agree with this. My company policy is for no one to ever be alone in a private situation (i.e.- office with no windows) with a student. I would recommend any driving instructor have a third person in the car at all times, for his (or her) own protection.

     

    However, I sent my dd off for two hours at a time with a male driving instructor without a second thought.

  4. I've done a number of Habitat projects over the years and had no idea that there was any Christian affiliation whatsoever. It wouldn't have mattered to me personally, but I have friends of other religions who did Habitat with me & they wouldn't have participated in anything that was in any way Christian evangelism.

     

    I'm glad to hear that not all Habitat for Humanity chapters are the same as my local one. Even sounds like most are not.

     

    My local chapter would never be mistaken for a secular organization.

  5. But if you've sent your child off to high school at a school, what are some general supplies that you would recommend? He'll be taking Honors Geometry....do you think he'll need one of those stupid, fancy graphing calculators? I suppose a backpack, right? What kind of notebooks? Binders, maybe with loose leaf? So clueless, lol!

     

    Any advice?

     

    At the high school dd went to, each teacher had a list of stuff they wanted her to have. They gave out the list the first day of class, and were expected to have the stuff two days later. So if I wanted to take advantage of back to school sales, I had to see into the future. :glare:

     

    She did need a graphing calculator. Sometimes the school provided a planner/organizer, but if not he will need one. I would get a variety of school supplies while on sale- loose leaf paper, spiral notebooks, pencils, etc. and then pick up any specific needs later.

     

    Oh, and most classes had some kind of fee attached. High school is expensive.

     

    If your high school has a specific list, you might be able to find it on their website.

  6. You know what? The OP asked for the Catholic teaching on the subject. Not your opinions. And not you bashing the Catholic Church.

     

    I'm overly irritated about it today. But jeez. Keep your negativity to yourself.

     

    Threads go off track all the time. I don't think people are "bashing" or being "overly negative", they are just stating opinions. Perhaps you should take a :chillpill:? Or ignore people with opinions you disagree with?

     

    I hope your day improves!

  7. It's a habit that is biologically important for men. It has been proven that men need to release sperm from time to time or there can be health consequences. I don't think that would be the case if God was so opposed to self brewing.

     

    I remember reading a study that it's healthier for women to have orgasms on a regular basis as well. When I was in college, I found it easier to concentrate on my studies if I had a physical release periodically. I figured it was better to brew my own tea than drink around. Same now, as I am a widow. I can't imaging going for so many years without a release, but I was not interested in brewing with a partner.

     

    I think the religious aversion to self-brewing is based on the early church's thought that if people are self brewing they are not brewing together and breeding more. (Just my opinion.)

  8. So, how 'bout you? Are you where everyone thought you would be? Or was it just my (highly dysfunctional) family that made their opinions on this known?

     

    Yes and no. I'm exactly what my brother thought I would be. I always joke that he should have filled me in, so I could have majored in business.

     

    I'm not what my father wanted (he had a new family though, and both kids are what he wanted.)

     

    I think my mother just wanted me to be happy, so she was right also!

  9. Sounds like an instructor who is doing their best to enforce the normal policies of the gym without knowing about your previous conversation with the owner. I would talk to the owner about what happened, remind her of your previous conversation if needed, and ask about how to handle the class this week since having him do the girls class is not an option. Give her the chance to make it right, which I am assuming she will do since she was so accommodating the first time you spoke.

    :iagree:

    I'm also curious as to what happened?

  10. I'm looking at buying some Trentinoin (SP?) cream from amazon. I am really struggling with blotchy skin, age spots, redness, etc. and NOTHING works though I can at least keep my skin soft with organic coconut oil.

     

    Just an FYI- I changed my diet to low carb paleo last summer, and one of the side effects I've noticed is my skin cleared up a LOT. My face used to be very red and blotchy, and now I hardly need to use cover-up when I get dressed up. Even moles I have had on my arms and hands all my life have faded, some even virtually disappearing.

  11. Interesting how there's an assumption (if stated) that the teacher is a woman... I did it myself. Lauren, is the the case?

     

    I thought about that before I posted. I assume the teacher's a woman because in that generation most teachers were women because women didn't have as many options as they have today.

  12. I recently cut out artificial sweeteners and we've been eating traditional foods but I went overboard somewhere with the potatoes, corn etc. I've gained 15 lbs. :( I've got to go back to low carb eating. My body just feels better that way. But I've always done low carb with tons of splenda, diet soda, etc and I don't want to go back there. We've started using stevia which is fine for low carb but I'd love other tips for how to eat low carb and still eat real foods. Thanks for any help!

     

    Go to Paleo or Primal diet sites. There are a TON of recipes on the www. I usually just google "Paleo (whatever meat I have on hand) recipe, and get a ton of ideas.

  13. How old is she? My dd had warts on her hands (a LOT), and someone told me that a specific antacid drug (can't remember the name off-hand) would help attack the warts from the inside. I googled the dose and tried it. We also went to a dermatologist, who confirmed this- said it worked in over 50% of children.

     

    We did both the antacid and the dermatologist, and eventually the warts went away. We had tried everything else imaginable before resorting to drugs and aggressive treatment.

  14. How would you feel if your third grader had an 80 year old teacher in public school?

     

    There is one in our town and it really blows my mind. Maybe I haven't been around enough spry 80 year olds, although, I did actually work in an assisted living.

     

    If she still wants to teach, I would bet she's great. Also great for the kids to see that you can stay active and engaged when you're 80.

  15. Thank you for all the advice, everyone! I feel a little better after sleeping on it. She is still sleeping...

     

    To answer some of your questions:

     

    I have been clear with her (since she was 12...) that she must support herself or be in college full time after she was 18 & a high school graduate. That's why this threw me for such a loop.

     

    Ma23peas, you have a good point. I did end up getting my own ride both ways, but I should have made it clear to dd that she was my ride.

     

    I'm not going to write her up as an employee, because employees were not required to go. I required her to go as part of the ownership team... it's a family business. I did tell her that last week, but I did not spell out the requirements. She has attended these events before, and behaved well and had fun, so I didn't think it was going to be a problem. She was my designated driver last year as well.

     

    It's not like I'm a big drinker- I had 2 glasses of wine over 2 hours, so legally I could have driven myself. I just wanted to be a good example for the young people who work for me. That didn't work out!

     

     

    I think I'll have a meeting with her and discuss what living at home for the summer as an adult will entail. (Chores, part-time work outside the family business, working in the business, family time.) I will explain how "home" has changed now. I will explain that as of September she will need to be attending college full time or working full time, and moving out of her childhood home. And I will apologize for not asking her to be my driver.

     

    Any additional advice is welcome!

  16. I can't believe I'm asking for help on this one- she's only been trouble for about 2 months when she was 16.

     

    She just graduated from high school. She's planning to take a gap year and get a job in the hospitality industry- hopefully on a cruise ship. When we were at breakfast with a family friend, when asked what her plans were, she said she was going to start looking for a job "in the fall or maybe next spring."

     

    WHAT!?!?!?!? Are you kidding me? You're planning to hang out and play with your high school buddies (who are all starting college in the fall,) and not even look for a job until maybe next SPRING!?!?!?!?

     

    Excuse me, but you need to have a job by the fall, or you're going to one of the colleges that accepted you.

     

    We had a brief discussion about this, but not much. I was planning to discuss it further tomorrow, as I am super busy at work.

     

    Fast forward to this evening... I host a party for my staff at a local restaurant, as we just finished up an important project. I told her a week ago she was expected to go, because she works for me (minimally) and this was my dinner plan for tonight. I told her what time we were going. When it was time to go, she acted surprised- "oh, I thought it was optional..." Well not for you sweetheart. I told her she was going to drive there, because I was going to have a glass of wine or two. She dug in her heels. I told her she could come later, and I got a ride with an employee.

     

    Dd shows up with an attitude, and sits down next to me, pulls a book out of her purse, and proceeds to start reading. I told her if she's going to read, she should sit at another table because I need to socialize with my staff.

     

    She sat by herself and read the entire evening. Near the end of the night, she stomped over to me and said, "I'm leaving. You can call me when you're ready to go." And left. I just got a ride home when the event was over 20 minutes later.

     

    I got numerous comments from my staff, many of whom are dd's age or younger. I am so mad at her for being such a stick in the mud and drawing attention to herself in the process. I know I made it clear to her a week ago that she was expected to go to this event, but I did not make it clear that she was expected to be social- BUT she is an extrovert and I am an introvert, so I didn't think it would be a problem for her.

     

    So my question is- how should I address these issues with her? 1. She needs to do something, it's not OK for her to live at home and free load if she's not working or going to school. 2. She needs to get a job that's not working for me, so she has actual work experience. 3. Her behavior tonight was unacceptable, especially because it affects my (the family's) ability to produce an income.

     

    I'm really mad right now, so I need to calm down... any advise is welcome!

  17. All things considered, I think I handle change well, but I will confess that I *still* prefer that old (and, yes, I understand, archaic) board format. I kept track of posters, topics, interests, etc. so much better then.

     

    Me too. But there were fewer posters back then also. I started posting when my oldest was entering 3rd grade (when I started homeschooling,) and now she's a high school graduate!

     

    And, goodness, that was all such a long time ago, wasn't it? I think my first posts there were a dozen years ago.

     

    *sigh*

     

    If it weren't for your replies to some of my posts, I probably wouldn't have stayed. I'm not sure if people are more accepting of opposing view points now, or if my skin is just thicker. Probably a bit of both.

  18. I know a woman who, more than anything, wanted children of her own. She isn't the most attractive woman but there were a couple decent guys over the years who wanted to date her. However, her standards were so unreasonably high that she refused to even date them and she is past childbearing age now and still alone. Those guys have since gone on to marry others and have great families of their own. It's sad to me. I would have a lot of regrets if I were her. Not comparing this at all to your situation, just sharing "out loud."

     

    I know a woman like this also. She's very bitter. I think if she just would have dated men who weren't "perfect", she would have discovered it's not all about looks and social status.

     

    My acquaintance did end up marrying, but not well (I think he's emotionally abusive.) He has kids from a previous marriage, and she loves them...

×
×
  • Create New...