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Laurel

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Posts posted by Laurel

    Audio book suggestions

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    May not be at all what you are looking for, but I'm listening to Trevor Noah's autobiography Born a Crime. He did the narration, and I have to say it's one of the most compelling audiobooks I've listened to in many months. (The audio version runs just under nine hours.)

    Yes! I just started listening to this yesterday morning, and I want to tell everyone I know about it. I was hesitant to get it because I thought it would just be another celebrity/comedian memoir. But the reviews were so great and I had an audible credit to spend, so I took the chance, and I've been listening every chance I get. It's well-written and deals with heavy stuff, but it doesn't seem heavy. And, of course, he's funny.

    • Like 2

    looking for some lower carb breakfasts, not eggs

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    Do you bake the butternut squash and then freeze it?

    Yes. Ideally, I cube it and then roast it. (Often I'll make it with leftovers.)

     

    I will add that I am not terribly picky when it comes to texture of foods after freezing. Squash seems to be fine, but things like zucchini and tomato can be very watery when frozen and then defrosted. But I like the taste, and I am slightly picky about source/quality of ingredients, so that's where my priorities lie.

    • Like 1

    looking for some lower carb breakfasts, not eggs

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I make what I call "breakfast bowls" - ground meat/sausage sautéed with some veggies. I make a big batch, and freeze in individual portions. I defrost the night before and sauté that morning, though you could microwave it.

    Some combinations I like:

    Ground beef with butternut squash and spinach

    Italian sausage with zucchini and tomatoes

    Pork roast with green beans

    Turkey with sweet potato and greens

    • Like 2

    Edited title---Teens and texting

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    I disagree completely. They have been given boundaries....mostly by her parents. I expressed concern months ago but no one would listen to me. Her parents had a rule....just not every day texting and not past 10. So guess what? Every other day from 8:00 a.,m until 10: 00 p.m. Sometimes I would take his phone during school hours....but I felt no one else was seeing this as a serious problem.

     

    We had a big issue with school...lack of getting it done last Friday. So after the day was over I went to our website to see how much he had been texting, 300 texts while we were working with him to get caught up on school.

     

    And then nothing. They went from 300 texts a day to nothing. I knew something had happened or they were communicating another way. Both. Her parents decided she could,only text him one day per week. So tonight Dh went through his phone and discovered they have been texting via words with friends, Dh and. Dss are out of town. Poor Dh is just sick,

     

    Not sure what will happen now. Clearly they have crossed the line of being trustworthy.

    If school work is the issue, then institute a policy of no phone until his work is finished.

     

    With only allowing texting one day per week, the teens were backed into a corner and probably feel like they have no choice but to disobey. (And I would clarify that it's not your dss's job to make sure she obeys her parents rules, so I don't think him texting/responding to her texts makes him untrustworthy.)

    • Like 11

    Need audiobooks for Dummies 101

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    Ok....I downloaded the Overdrive app. Then I went to my library page where I put a hold on the audio book I do want....Only #35 in line and they have 6 copies.

     

    I search around but everything I was interested had a wait list ðŸ˜...Or was a Smut book. Anyone have any good older titles that might be available?

     

    Today I will check out that kindle whisper sync thing.....I have a kindle and 500+ books somaybe I can do it that way.

    How many holds are you allowed with your library system? (10 is common.) Max out your holds, so you will make progress in each hold line as you wait. It's very rare for people to return digital items early, as they naturally return themselves at the end of the loan period, so it takes more work to return them early, so each person will probably have the book for a standard time (1, 2, or 3 weeks depending on what your library allows).

     

    With Overdrive, you should be able to set search filters so it only shows you books that are available. And as you see books that you think you might like, you should be able to add them to your wish list as well, so when you need a new book you can go there and see what's currently available.

     

    And, echoing others, get a free trial of audible, and you'll get a free audiobook to get you started, while you wait for your library holds. They also run a lot of deals/specials, so you may find very cheap audiobooks that you are interested in as well.

    Recommendations for Activities in Maui

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    Here are some: https://www.tombarefoot.com/things-to-do-in-hawaii/island-category/maui/2/unique-tours-and-activities/51/

     

    Once when I went someone gave me a gift certificate to an orchid farm. Well, a g.c. to have some orchids shipped home from the orchid farm, since anyone could go to the farm free of charge. Whale watching was fun as well.

    That's a nice list, thank you. I hadn't seen that one as I was searching online. I think they would enjoy zip lining as well.

     

    As far as snorkeling, they will definitely go (and he will wear a life jacket), but they'd prefer to go on their own rather than a tour, I think bc of that. I would love to go on that tour myself.

    • Like 1

    Recommendations for Activities in Maui

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    Bike ride down the mountain! It's easy, coasting the whole way, except for a brief pedal ride up a small hill. Gorgeous scenery and a lot of fun.

    Biking is a great idea. (As an aside, this is their belated honeymoon, and BIL proposed on a weekend biking trip, so this would be a nice way to bring things full-circle.)

    • Like 1

    Recommendations for Activities in Maui

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    My sister and her husband are headed to Maui early January. For a Christmas gift, we would like to provide them with an experience, and I was hoping to get recommendations for things to do (and especially good companies to go through).

     

    They are active people who love the outdoors. They've both been to Hawaii several times, but this will be their first time to Maui together. They do plan on going hiking and snorkeling, and have a couple restaurants in mind already. They have no interest in a helicopter tour, and my BIL can't swim.

     

    I'm open to suggestions at any price range.

     

    Thanks!

    Anyone have an Amazon Echo? Do you like/dislike it?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    Can I do a bit of hijacking here and ask some questions about it?

     

    Do you have to have a smart phone in order to use the features like shopping and to-do lists?

     

    How about for playing music? Do you have to set up playlists and connect it to them? Or can you just ask it to play a song and it will find it on Amazon Prime music or whatever?

     

    If we had one, those are the main things we would want it for, but we do not have smart phones, only computers.

    You can access look at your shopping and to-do lists on the amazon website.

     

    Playing music is very easy to do directly with the echo, no need for a smartphone. Just say the song or artist and if it's available, it will play. (If it's not available free with prime music, she plays a sample.) And there are lots of playlists already made, so if you just want a certain genre of music it's easy to ask for that too.

    • Like 2

    Anyone have an Amazon Echo? Do you like/dislike it?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    We love ours. You don't need a subscription for news; it's a standard feature. We probably use it most often for a timer, and also to keep track of shopping lists. It's great to be able to add things to the list even when my hands are dirty in the middle of cooking. We also stream music, and I use it as a speaker for my phone for music/podcasts/audiobooks. (I like the audible app interface better, and while you can listen to podcasts directly on the Echo, it's much easier to find them on my iPhone.)

    Oh, also, a favorite feature - with the Alexa app I can turn music on remotely when I'm not home, which really freaks out DP when he's home alone.

    • Like 1

    Amazon Subscribe & Save - what do you buy?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    As others have said, these are not monthly things, but enough so I can always find at least five things we need each month:

     

    Toilet paper

    Toothpaste

    Deodorant

    Body wash

    Q-tips

    Trash bags

    Dish wand brushes

    Dish detergent

    Laundry detergent

    Cat food

    Fish tank stuff (and occasionally fish food)

    Hand soap

    Chai mix

    Crystal light

    Coconut oil

    Vitamins

    Face wash/masks

    Shampoo and conditioner

     

    Those of you buying paper towels - that's one thing I don't ever get because they seem more expensive than I've seen in stores. (We also don't use paper towels very much.) Is it convenience, or have you found them to be a good deal?

    • Like 1

    Can messy people truly change?

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    DP and I are definitely better than we used to be, by far, but no where near perfect. People coming over unannounced/unexpected is fine (as long as they're not getting in my car!) There was no magic bullet, or moment, or system. It's been a slow, gradual process that hopefully will continue. I've developed some good routines (for me), that have spilled over into how DP acts, and it's easy to get back into the swing of things after an upset (like an exceptionally crazy week, or when we've been sick).

     

    You made the comparison to losing weight, and I think it's accurate here. The people who are the most successful at keeping the weight off are the ones who slowly make gradual lifestyle changes. It's easy to maintain a new system for a week or three, or a couple months. But when life gets in the way, it's hard to get back to it.

     

    Have you read the blog A Slob Comes Clean? That might be the kind of conversion story you're looking for, with a heavy dose of reality.

    • Like 1

    If you don't use a microwave...

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    Toaster oven is great to reheat food. I love my Breville, though if you didn't want to spend that much $$, I think any toaster oven would work. I use it almost every morning to heat up my breakfast (usually leftover frittata, but also great with baked goods like muffins), and we use it often throughout the day too, to reheat or cook almost anything that fits in it. Much faster to preheat than the regular oven, and as our oven isn't fancy, the Breville has way more features.

    • Like 2
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