So I see where you can reserve in advance (30 days prior). Can you do that for after concert?

Okay, I hadn’t really thought about that. So I guess I should plan to drive and get parking now. Thanks so much!!

I wish we could. We should have booked our hotel the moment we got tickets. But we didn’t. I checked hotels a few weeks later when I realized and they were already super expensive for the one night. And now there are no options in walking distance (for 5 people). And to split up would cost each of us $700 or more.

So I’m old (lol) and haven’t taken Uber much. I also live in a more rural area where Uber just doesn’t happen. Dd and I will be going to cincinnati in the summer for the Taylor Swift concert. Her good friend, friend’s sister and their mom are going too (so five of us). We have a hotel about 5 miles from the venue. I would really like to Uber to and from the concert, because parking just seems stressful to me. I’m not too concerned about getting there, as we are going super early to dinner before the show (right by the stadium), but how would getting an Uber after the concert work? I’m just clueless about such things. If parking would make more sense, I should probably get a spot soon. I started looking today and some of the available parking spots are far from the stadium!

Yes, I would be so much happier. I am going to pursue this. I would love to feel happiness and peace in my home.

This is it! I get so overwhelmed by all the things that need to be done, which means that most of the time nothing gets done. Over the weekend, I cleaned out my bedroom closet and ended up with 4 trash bags of clothes to donate. But the whole time I was working, I kept seeing other things in my room that needed to be cleaned - the windows and blinds are so dirty. I think I could focus more on decluttering and even decorating if I wasn’t so overwhelmed with regular cleaning.

In the thread about paying for outside services, many chimed in that they hire house cleaners for their home. I have always wanted to do this, but felt like I should be able to handle it myself. However, I’m considering looking into it. I work full-time. Most of the time I’m home, but my job is demanding and can be stressful. My husband works out of town and is gone for two weeks, home for two weeks. I have one kiddo away at college and the other is 15 and super busy with life. Our house is small and I dislike it (if I’m being honest). We rented it for several years with thoughts that we would be moving to another area. Then we planned to buy a home, COVID happened and dh lost his job, so we bought the house we had been renting because it was a good deal and I was tired of renting. We are slowly trying to fix it up and I’m working on decorating it better. But it is cluttered and I just can’t keep up with it. Also, because it work from home, I’m here every day, looking at this house that I don’t really like. So I guess I’m wondering, is there someone that I could hire that would help with some deep cleaning along with regular cleaning? Best way to even find someone?? I guess since I’m home and my house is small, I just feel like I should be able to do it. But I can’t.

I am trying to clean my closet out and get rid of clothes I no longer wear, don’t fit, and/or I just don’t like. I’ve found I have several cheap t-shirts that I originally bought to wear for layering. I would love to buy some that are nicer quality and might actually hold their shape. Do you have any favorites?

My birthday is the week before Christmas and my only sibling’s birthday is a week before mine. So having all December birthdays probably made the gift giving feel more equitable.

I graduated with two kids who had birthdays on February 29 (and they both hated it!), so when my first pregnancy due date was February 26 on a leap year, I freaked out! But no worries, ds was born exactly two weeks late, so I ended up with a mid-March baby. My birthday is a week before Christmas. When I was a kid, it really didn’t seem like that big of a deal because Christmas didn’t seem to last for two full months back then. I celebrated my birthday and then it was time to move on to Christmas. Time also moved a lot slower back when I was a kid, so maybe that was part of it too.

This has been an enlightening thread! I’m 47 and it was suggested by my PCP that I do Cologuard last year (which I did). She said that in three years we could decide whether to do it again or have the colonoscopy. I have no family history, so I guess I just wait the three years? I assume my insurance wouldn’t cover a colonoscopy any earlier? After reading here, I now I wish I would have done a colonoscopy instead.

Wednesday B - yogurt with keto granola (side note, I was previously only drinking coffee for breakfast, but I find that I feel so much better in the day now that I’ve started adding yogurt) L - giant salad with nuts, blue cheese, chicken, and vinaigrette S - strawberries with a peanut butter and chocolate spread (made with stevia) D - chicken and rice soup

Tuesday B - yogurt with keto granola, coffee with 1/2 and 1/2 L - large salad with chicken, apple, acv and mct oil dressing D - leftovers of chicken Parmesan, zucchini noodles, and a tiny bit of dreamfields pasta before bed (right now!) - bowl of plain popcorn

Jumping in! My goals are to - 1. Keep my blood sugar under control. I’m 47 and so far it’s fine, but my mom is battling many health problems due to the fact that her diabetes was ignored for several years (grrr to her previous doctor for this!). My dad also has diabetes and my brother does as well (although he has worked and worked, and we think he may have reversed it! 2. Help my 15 year old dd. She inherited her dad’s body type and it is very easy for het to put on weight. She likes to eat junk food and to go to Starbucks with her friends, so it’s a struggle! If anyone has suggestions for helping with this age (items to pack in a lunchbox, etc) I’m all ears. 3. Lose weight. I’d really like to lose about 15 lbs. but this is really secondary to becoming healthier. Yesterday (Monday) - B - coffee with 1/2 and 1/2, yogurt with a cut up apple L - giant salad with chicken breast, nuts, sprinkling of blue cheese and balsamic vinegar (no oil) Snack - on the run, so I grabbed some pepperoni and a few cheese cubes D - chicken Parmesan (made with an almond meal coating), zucchini noodles, and a tiny bit of dream fields pasta (not ideal)

Oh my gosh…I had one of those! I completely forgot about it, so I must have gotten riding it in one of my many moves. I graduated in 1994. (love the trip down memory lane!!!)

Thank you!! Very helpful 😊

Once you start working on your planner, I’m curious to know what you will do with the My Gratitude, What Am I Passionate About, Skills to Learn, and My Affirmations prompts? I’m thinking I will just leave those blank for now, but fill them in as something comes to me throughout the year. Thoughts? Also, I’ve been having fun thinking of my goals for the year in the 8 given categories. Right now, I am writing them in notecards and will transfer to my planner after I’ve sat and thought on them a bit. So far, I really like this planner!!

I just received my Clever Fox planner today. I keep staring at it, but not writing anything, because I have an overwhelming fear of messing up a new planner! 🤦‍♀️

We bought my dd’s homecoming dress and her winter formal dress online at lulus.com. It had a great return policy (free returns in the first 10 days of receiving item, I believe). I think they carry many styles and the prices weren’t ridiculous (neither dress was over $100). Good luck! All of this dress shopping stresses me out!!

Well, that’s true. I guess I was referring to the stress she feels at school. Because her stomach still bothered her while we were on vacation it made me think that it is not all anxiety-related.

You are probably right. I do think that having stomach issues can actually make you anxious. And I know for both of my kids, they do/did not like to use the bathroom at the high school. Also, some teachers are very strict about the number of bathroom passes available per semester, and it just makes going to the bathroom at school stressful. However, we were just on vacation at a beautiful resort in Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic, and dd still regularly complained of her stomach hurting (not super often, but she did mention it a few times). She definitely wasn’t stressed and we were having a wonderful time. I think the problem is that I struggle personally with meal planning and having a good food schedule for my family. When I look at food elimination diets, there are just so many options. I personally like to eat a lower-carb/carb balanced diet, so i should be able to put something together, but i keep getting overwhelmed with information. I think I just need to come up with a plan, see if I can get her to agree, and stick with it. Now to find that plan…

No we haven’t. I brought it up with her pediatrician in the past and she didn’t seem to think it was necessary. But maybe I should look into it?

I’m talking to her about this now. So, did you find something to guide you or did you just cut out all dairy and gluten? Any tips?

She is home from school now and told me she has had diarrhea twice today. She had a 24 hour stomach flu last week (I assumed at the time). We were stuck in the Baltimore airport for two days (thanks Southwest Airlines!) and the day after we got home she had a day of vomiting. I assumed she picked something up at the airport, but her stomach has been “off” since. However, her stomach issues have been on and off for the past many years (the thread that I linked in my OP was from 6 years ago. Right now, the pain is constant.

I just googled histamine intolerance symptoms and found this list - headaches or migraines nasal congestion or sinus issues fatigue hives digestive issues irregular menstrual cycle nausea vomiting Dd always has headaches and complains of being tired/exhausted. She also itches all the time (her pediatrician has her Zyrtec once or twice a day). I wonder if this could be the issue? And I hope I didn’t come across as uncaring when I say she complains a lot She is just a very dramatic person - always has been. There is always something hurting, so it has been challenging to know what needs serious attention vs what will just go away in its own. I am concerned about her stomach aches and want to help get her better