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foxbridgeacademy

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Posts posted by foxbridgeacademy

    My daughter wants to major in history.

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    DigiPentold me that anyone can learn to code. What the games no industry lacks is people who know stories. He suggested history and literature focus—classical education. Of course she would need to do some coding classes. But I thought that was an interesting comment.

    Actually the IT guy at DH's work has a degree in History.

    • Like 9

    Which holiday would you eliminate?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I'm tired of all the holidays. There are too many of them to make anything feel special, and I'm tired of having to do all the things and eat all the food and buy all the stuff. I feel so bossed around, lol. Between birthdays and all the holidays, we seem to be celebrating something at least 2-3 times a month. It's ridiculous. Life's not a party, people. But then maybe it is?

     

    I'm partied out.

    What you do is make them choose.  Thanksgiving or Christmas?  If we do Thanksgiving Dinner then for Christmas we either do Chinese takeout or pancakes and that's it.  Easter you can have a bunch of candy but only if we skip the big to-do and have ham sandwiches.  Birthdays (if we can't afford to eat out) the main attraction is cake and ice cream, no one cares what we had for dinner.  Systematically lower their expectations now before they're grown with spouses and children and you end up feeling like you're on KP duty cooking for an army.

    Which holiday would you eliminate?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted · Edited by foxbridgeacademy

    *Columbus day followed by Black Friday, then Valentine's Day.  I actually don't have a real issue with Valentine's Day except that it's my anniversary and I hate when people think it's cute/stupid that we got married on it.  We didn't do it on purpose, DH was shipping out the following Monday and it was our last day to "tie the knot" so to speak.  

     

    *I'd happily support an Indigenous People Day.

     

    **Valentine's day is also my brother's birthday... mine's Veteran's Day... Sister 1 is Groundhog Day, and sister 2 is Summer Solstice but you didn't mention that one :laugh: .

     

    Would you eat this?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

     No I'd throw it out.

     

    I doubt there's anything wrong with it, like it won't make you sick (as long as the cream and other ingredients weren't near use date) but after 9 days in the fridge I doubt it will taste very good, unless it was in an airtight container, having soaked up all the odors and such in the fridge.

    s/o Were you young when you decided you wanted to be a SAHM (if you're a SAHM)

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    No I was sure I didn't want kids.  Then I was sure even though I had them I was not going to be a SAHM, in fact DH stayed home for about 4-5 months when we couldn't afford daycare and both of us work.  then he found better paying work and just kept making more and more. We paid almost all of my paycheck to daycare so it just made sense for me to stay home plus I didn't like the educational system we were in.  Now I love it and couldn't imagine having spent the majority of my waking hours away from my kids.

    Family of 3 (sort of) toiletries and cleaning stuff budget?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    For my family of 4-6 

     

    For all purpose cleaning solution I use Lysol.  It's concentrated so I fill a spray bottle mostly with water and add in the solution to fill it up.  We go through a couple diluted spray bottles a month.  The big bottle usually lasts me 3-4 months but I can make it stretch longer.  

     

    We use anywhere from 4-8 rolls of paper towels per month and I've found Brawny to be just as good as Bounty, whose quality has suffered in the last few years IMO.  Otherwise I have a TON of white washcloths from walmart that I use for cleaning.

     

    I used to buy dawn dish soap but I like the 7th generation better and it seems to actually last longer, I don't use dish soap often so the extra expense is minor.

     

    We go through almost 1 big tub of Cascade Complete per month.  I've tried the cheaper brands (don't work) and the boxes of powder (costs just as much in the end since I over pour).

     

    1 bottle of ECOS rinse aid is less than $4.

     

    TP is where we spend a lot of $$ about 1 per month but we're still adjusting since 2 of the teens move back up North... I have surplus and I may not need to buy as much.

     

    Laundry soap has been ALL pods $9.00 because it's cheap and DH usually buys the "sundries".  We go through about 1 per month and 1-2 bottles of gain fabric softener.  I had been using Persil laundry detergent last year (then we got extra kids) and couldn't afford it (price has gone down on it).  But I unpacked some sweaters from February and they still smelled amazing so we're switching back. 

     

    Toilet wand refills run about $5

     

    I will occasionally throw a dryer sheet in with a load if I think about it but for the most part that's not a real big cost.

     

    So...

    $  1.50 all purpose cleaner (diluted)

    $  7.00  paper towels

    $  3.00 dish soap

    $17.00 Dishwasher soap

    $  4.00 Rinse aid

    $ 19.00 TP

    $ 10.00 Laundry soap

    $  5.00  Fabric softener

    $  5.00 Wand refills

     

    IMO this is a lot but I'm not sure where to cut back.  We don't do Clorox wipes or things like that and in all reality there is enough surplus of most things that every 6 months or so I get to skip buying it all (never the same month though) so I'm obviously over estimating what's needed, still $70 a month is a lot to spend on paper and soap.

     

    Would you buy this house?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted · Edited by foxbridgeacademy

    Sounds perfect.  I would have no issues with putting  my kids together(currently 14 and 16) in their own apartment as long as it was safe and well maintained.  At 17 DS or DD by themselves in a garage apartment would be fine too.  We hope to buy a house in 1.5 years and build DS (and DD if wanted)  a tiny home.  

     

     

    ETA: clarity

    Two women lost at sea for 5 months

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    They've got a book and maybe a movie in this.

     

    I did find it odd they took a year's worth of food with them. Kept them alive, but that was a lot of time to prep for for a.much shorter intended trip.

    If I were going on a month or two trip with the possibility of then taking off again I'd pack a lot of extra food with the idea that I might not get what I like in the next port.  

    Adult Children Former Rooms and Personal Belongings

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    For my almost adult DSD who went in July back to Ohio to visit her brother and now refuses to come home.... We waited a couple weeks then I went in and cleaned.  She had food covered dishes (from months previously that I asked about several times) hidden in drawers and under her bathroom sink. I waited another month then boxed it all up and DS moved in to the room, it's much bigger and had it's own bathroom.  We are keeping her stuff in DS's old room until February when we move.  If she hasn't made arrangements to get it by then it will all go to goodwill.

    Family Size

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I have 4 ranging in age from 22-14  and when the youngest was about 1.5 y.o. I had to have a LEEP done. The Doctor offered me a thermal ablation (needed it) and tubal.  I jumped at the chance.  We were poor, the employment in our area was sparse and low paying, hormone contraceptives made me ill, and I could not imagine at 30 wanting more kids.  Fast forward and I have alternately regretted and been thankful for the decision. We have been through some very tough times that we might not have come through so well if we'd had another baby.  We would not have been able to take the chances with Dh's career to get to where he is if we'd had another baby.  We could not have done as much for our kids if there'd been another one.  But I still feel like there's a piece missing, you know?  If someone were to drop a baby in my lap and say "here she's/he's yours" I'd be scared and worried but pretty happy too.  This is why I'm looking forward to grandchildren, baby fix without the all the work.

    I have had a headache for like 72 hours

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    Not to be competitive, I promise, but I had a headache for 3 weeks, no abatement. I went to the Chiropractor who did something to my neck and the headache went away.  My sister had a headache bad enough she contemplated taking her whole bottle of vicodin just to get it to stop.... when she explained to the Doctor that she wanted to die it hurt so bad he finally took her seriously it was a pinched (or something like that) cranial nerve.  DH get's sinus headaches that then turn into debilitating migraines (throwing up, light sensitivity, unable to sleep due to pain).  Decongestants and nose sprays help if he catches it early.  So don't assume it's just a headache it could be something more serious.

    • Like 1

    would you or do you take advantage of this service?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I do use the online function to make my grocery list with exact prices but I don't trust them to pick out my food or keep it at the right temps.  I saw the clicklist kid last week wandering around produce with ice cream in his cart.... by the time he was done it was probably half melted... no thanks.  Also, I'm not going to pay someone to do something I sort of like doing.  If I still had little kids or had a disability.... or even just had a job I might feel differently.

    No references may be my downfall

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    This. It’s a huge red flag to employers/volunteer coordinators if people don’t have a few people outside their family who know them. Truthfully, it’s a legal way of weeding out people who have a mental illness or significant family troubles(such as an abusive husband). Everyone knows people won’t put down a bad reference, so it’s a given they’ll all be good. But when someone doesn’t have ANYONE to put down—that’s a red flag for employers that there is likely something else going on with this applicant.

     

    I’m not saying that it’s right. It’s not. But it’s legal and it’s common. I currently have two jobs, and volunteer at the school, and none of them would have even looked at the rest of my application without references. I went back to school two years ago for Human Resources before I switched into the education program, and this phenomenon was discussed in three of my HR classes.

    And this is why I lie.  I don't have friends outside my family.  One, they're usually more trouble than they're worth and two, with DH, 3 DD's(14-22 y.o.), DS, 2 sisters and a mom, all of which  I'm close with, why would I need or have time for anyone else?  

    • Like 1
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