:grouphug: Wish I could share my mom with you.

Ugh. But that's part of being a landlord. Just stick to the facts, and let her know what she needs to know so she can fix it. She's lucky that you have a pest control guy to check things out - otherwise she might never have known about the termite signs.

:grouphug: Oh, that's horrible. A few years ago, we had flu strains A and B at the same time, and I thought the same thing. Last year, DS had both strains at once again. It was awful. Reading your words really reminded me of how bad it was. The crowning top on all of it last year was seeing my mom develop pneumonia as a result, and the fear I felt for her. No library book is worth that. :( You know what? I'm thinking the kindle and the iPad might be just fine for our book fix for the next few weeks. If I *must* have a new book, we'll use our Amazon Prime and order it. It might be paranoid, I know. I was planning on picking up our books after reading this thread. But the last few responses have really reminded me of just how awful it was. So it looks like I'm caving to the paranoia. Call me Germaphobe. :D

Yikes. :ack2:

Yes, she is!

Oooh, I have totally thought of doing this recently! I settled for scrubbing the heck out of any produce we eat without cooking. If our cashier had been that sick, there's a good chance I'd have been using wipes on all of it, too. I have never been a germaphobe, but I can see how it happens. We were all so, so sick last year (and the other years, too, but last one landed some of us in the ER, and the misery was simply beyond anything I've ever experienced). I will do anything to avoid going through that again. I must have whined here till everyone was sick of hearing it, too. So, see, I have the hive's interest at heart, too!

Aha! Thank you. I will leave the books in the care for a bit before bringing them in, too. Perfect. All this, and I know it's not likely to catch the flu or anything else from a library book. It's probably more likely to hitch a ride on us on the way home from the grocery store, but at least this makes me feel better about it.

It sure does. :( Thanks for saying this, it's good to know someone understands.

Oops, I was trying to multiquote and respond to everyone, but somehow I've never mastered that skill here. Thanks, everyone for responding. :) My plan is to leave the kids with DH, and run to just pick up the books we have on hold. I'll run in and run out, and wash hands afterwards. So we won't be wandering around or hanging out in the kids area. I'm more worried about what might hitchhike into the house on the books, you know? I think I'll use the clorox wipe on the covers idea - thanks. We always did that with books for the little ones, but not for the adults or older kiddo. So that should help. Funny, as I was typing this, my mother called to say that she is coming to help out again (for fun, no one's currently sick) but as a precaution, her doctor wrote her a prescription for Tamiflu, just in case things get dicey here again - so she can fill it and take it at the first sign of symptoms. Apparently, even my mother feels the mild PTSD from last year. (And, yes, I know PTSD is real, and I'm not making light of it - it was bad last year, and we all felt traumatized by the time it was over. We had 6 weeks of serious illness.)

It's nice to know that I'm not alone in the paranoia, if indeed it is paranoia. :)

I think I'm paranoid. :leaving: DH and I have an annual tradition that I'd like to shake this year. Every flu season, he leaves the country and within hours/days ... our kids catch the flu or the norovirus rips through our house, or some other germ-induced disaster strikes. It's not fun. Both kids are prone to very high fevers, DS has severe asthma, and DD vomits with every illness. I am immune compromised and catch everything. Last year my mother came to help out, and not only did she catch it - hers turned into pneumonia, despite vaccinating. This year, we've upped our immune boosting plan, and we've avoided crowded germ-filled places. I do not want a repeat of previous years. DH is leaving in a few days, and I've turned into the germ police. I'm due to pick up our library books today, and what should go through my head but... are there germs on these books??? Really? I can't believe that even entered my head! Now I have to ask... Has anyone else worried about this? Is it a rational thought or I am going way over the top here?

My husband is adopted, his birthparents chose adoption so that they could finish school. My SIL is adopted - her birthmother was a young teen. I am an adoptive parent. Of course, I am grateful every day to be parenting my children. I am glad that my children's birthparents had opportunities and choices, and counseling. Neither experience has changed my very strong feelings on this topic. DH has always felt similarly. I am also the (step)parent of a great (now adult) kid who was born to a teenager. My oldest friend was conceived as a result of a horrific rape, and was abused horribly as a child, and has never been accepted into his family as a result of the circumstances surrounding his birth. His life has been hard. None of the above have made my feelings re: pro-life or pro-choice issues change. None of them. FWIW, I fully support PP. They were my only source of consistent medical care (annuals, etc) for years as a young adult. They diagnosed my endometriosis. In fact, the recent threads remind me that I need to make a donation, so that women who need care can get it. ETA: In case it needs to be stated outright, I am adamantly pro-choice.

Agree about the clutter. People laugh that we clean for the maids, but it's not cleaning, it's just picking up. Ours do bed linens if we leave them out. We have weekly cleanings (major allergies) and our maids do some extras. Think about what you'd like, and when they come out for a consult - discuss it. Ours use leather conditioner on the couches and vacuum under the cushions each week. I think that might be considered extra by many, but they don't charge us extra for it. It's liberating. Enjoy it.

Agree with the distilled water. We loved ours for years. DH built a wonderful solar fountain that is part of our landscaping a few years ago, and we just have that one outside now. But the indoor fountain was nice. Be sure to protect your furniture from tiny splashes, too.

The chocolate hand care plan, maybe? I like that.

:grouphug: Sometimes people say such stupid things. I'm so sorry for your loss. It's hard to imagine what you went through without tearing up. It's going to take time to grieve. Please don't listen to the crazies while you grieve, they are not worth the time spent listening.

Agreed on the Prom. And "bullying is good for them, dontcha know?" Says my former hairstylist. :)

"How will he learn to stand in line??" :glare:

Our wardrobe choices sound similar. Right down to the shoes. :) I'm not a fashionista either. Most of the time I dress like I did in my undergrad days at a hippy skippy school, much to my parents' dismay. Really, one of those makeover shows would have a field day with me. The 40-something college student. Can you take a look at your long flowy dresses and see if any might work for the weather? Maybe add in a nice flowy cardigan? Or come up with a flowy new top to go with your black skirt? Actually, that's probably what I would do. I have several black, long skirts and a few nice flowy v-neck velvet tops. They always seem to work. If you need to shop, hmmm... I always seem to check April Cornell but a lot of her clothes are too stuffy for me - but sometimes I find something I love. Maybe you could find a top somewhere to go with the skirt? For the shoes... I understand the dilemma. Is there anything in your closet that might work? If not, how about a great shoe store nearby? I'm thinking this would be a great time to find a really nice pair of boots to pull out for these occasions. Tall ones to wear with the skirt. Heels are up to you. Tights if it's cold, but if you get tall boots and wear a long skirt, you could get by without. Okay... Now I'm sure my suggestions won't agree with the previous posters' at all, so I didn't read them all. I got stuck on the idea of wearing anything labelled trouser socks. (Sorry, PP! I'm sure they are lovely, and kudos to you for not dressing like a college kid!)

Same here. The ease of clean up wasn't a good enough trade off.

We had similar experiences in the SW a few years ago. The wait times....argghhh. Then they sent an obviously drunk locksmith. Yep. Drunk. It was a disaster! We went with an alternative after that. Much better service. I hope you can find something better, too. That kind of wait in extreme cold is not acceptable.

Wow. Your DD and my DS sound so similar! We opt out of flu shots for him, but it is agonizing. The severe asthma makes me second guess it all flu season. But the other issues are severe, too. We have different specialists recommending different things. This year, and the last two, we went with no shot. Our doc that we most trust and respect wins out. Jean, the above is what I wanted to tell you... It is such an individual decision and there won't be a right choice. What does your favorite doc say? What does your instinct say? I have a friend who was hospitalized after swelling from the flu shot this year. It was no picnic. :( And may I join the over 40 part of the falling apart club? ...and how do we lose our membership in the falling apart part of it??? I'd like to *not* fall apart this year for a change!

This is what our estate atty recommended as well.

At least it's no longer in the house!

I am a coffee snob. My main advice, if you want an excellent cup: Skip the K-cup madness. :) Freshly roasted and ground beans are key. Pre ground beans equals pre-staled. Find a great bean supplier, and have them shipped. The cost will be comparable to buying high end in a store but the taste is so much better. I like Camano Island Roasters or Counter Culture, and we pay extra for organic, shade grown fair trade beans. Worth it. Both companies roast the beans the day before shipping. Other companies do the same, those are my personal favorites out of many. Oops, you asked about machines ... But so much of a good cup is the bean. :) We use a Jura Impressa S7. It's pricey, I know. We bought it refurbished. We wanted espresso options, among other things. But I loved our Cuisinart Grind and Brew!