I need motivation. I have been slacking because I’m feeding extra people and I’ve been looking for easy. I’ve fallen back into a lot of sandwiches, burgers, etc. I NEEEEDDDDD help! I know how to eat well, and usually do it, but I just need inspiration. It’s not that I’ve gained much weight, but I’m getting flabby in the belly, and I feel like garbage. Can anyone help?

Went to Gulf Shores about a month ago with my dd and her dh and his family (they invited me to tag along because the house was so big). It was a 9 bedroom house that slept 30 people. I think they paid about $650/night for the place, which worked out to $650 per family because they stayed 4 nights. (They let me and another dd’s oldest 2 kids crash for free, but we only stayed a couple nights). The house was 3 stories, had 2 kitchens, baths for every bedroom, most being en suites, had its own pool, and the walkway to the private beach on the Gulf was about 5 steps from the back door. This was an awesome setup, but Gulf Shores is usually not our go-to for beach stays. We typically stay in Destin/Miramar, and pay about $1800/week for a 3 bdrm condo in our favorite spot. This is usually In early May or early September.

Well I plan Disney trips, and I, for one, have not encouraged a single person to travel. I know I wouldn’t go to Disney wearing a mask, least of all when it’s 100+ degrees and 90% humidity. I think it’s a recipe for disaster. Small children are not going to be able to vocalize if they are struggling with those masks on in that heat. People will be taking them on and off for eating, drinking, breathing, etc., and then they’ll be full of all the germs, not to mention sweaty and wet. I have zero clue how they think this is going to be helpful. We go to Disney at least once/year, but we won’t be going again until it’s back to normal. Maybe I’ll finally get to travel to some other places. 😜

Well, knowing a couple of elderly people (relatives of family members’ spouses) who have had some serious harm done by well-meaning “help,” I’d get on top of it sooner rather than later in any way possible. The damage done could be irreparable.

I used this with my oldest child for years. I’m considering taking a break from R&S with my grandson and using this for a while, then maybe just hitting the 5th grade R&S book around 5th/6th grade. I was just wondering if anyone was still using it, and what they thought.

Using SOTW with my grandkids (2nd and 3rd/4th). I’d like something similar that has a bit more of a Christian approach and maybe not quite as much classical focus (but not watered down). Any ideas?

I did not, but maybe I can find it and watch it.

Thank you! My oldest dd is using it with her kids (pre-k and 1st), and I’ve been toying with it for my 2nd dd’s kids (I teach her two oldest kids - she works with the 5yo on the spectrum and has an infant - they live in a house on our property, so it works out nicely). Honestly, I’m just bored FOR them (we use R&S for math, English, spelling). Don’t get me wrong, I think the teaching in R&S is sound (I used the English with my own kids back in the day), but it is pretty dry and boring. I’d love to find a different approach that would still be solid. I mean heck I used LLATL with my oldest dd with a little R&S mixed in later, and she was by far my most well-rounded when it came to all things grammar. I’ve thought about doing that with them. Sorry - I’m rambling. Thanks for your input!

This exactly. I have some close friends that are just not at all the way they try to portray themselves, and it has really caused me to question the friendships. I guess I’m just finding myself wondering what to do, so backing off makes a lot of sense. I’ll check out the podcast too. Thanks for all the great suggestions everyone. I feel like I’ll have a lot to keep me busy!

Well I’m fairly open-minded, so feel free to share. Yeah I have unfollowed so many, and just really learned things about friends that has made me question friendships. It’s all a lot to deal with. I am thankful for my relationships with my daughters and my grandkids (my son is kinda wrapped up in his own thing, which is fine), and my core group of ladies that I see and talk to regularly. They keep me sane.

I do love Ravi Zacharias ministries. I was so sad when he passed.

You sound more like me than a lot of people. I’m extremely pro-life myself, and have been since I was a young teen. I’m not anti-war under all circumstances, but I definitely lean really close to you on the other issues. My problem is I tend to ramble and rant with my thoughts when I am passionate about things, so I know I don’t come off the right way. At least I’ve learned to just keep stuff to myself if I can’t be civil.

I totally get it. I have been here a LONG time. Although I don’t particularly think this is the only time it’s been like this, I do avoid the boards a lot more now just because I don’t always want to get in the middle of stuff (not to say I never do). Sadly, I’ve unfollowed a lot of people on social media recently, and also started avoiding that as well. I just feel like I’m often right in the middle of a lot of issues, so a lot of the drastic stuff on either side just winds up making me frustrated and angry. Luckily, I’m home schooling a second generation of kiddos (two of my grandkids for my dd who has a new baby and a 5yo on the spectrum), so I have been able to participate in that way, and I’m enjoying it.

I’m looking for some podcasts to listen to. I like more practical “teaching” as opposed to straight preaching, but Biblically sound. Does anyone have anything they would recommend? I need a break from social media before I have no friends left at all, and I have really been wanting to focus on more faith-based things.

Do you like any or all of it?

Any suggestions? Just wanna drill facts like the olden days. 😜

Well, I’m in the not wearing mask camp. I absolutely cannot breathe well with them on. I also see the misuse of masks any time I am out, and cannot help but think it’s a false sense of security for a lot of people. I’m a heck of a lot more careful without my mask than others who think they’re just fine even though they take their masks on and off, touch all over them constantly, wear them around their necks then put them back on their faces, etc. My solution is shopping right when stores open in the morning (I’m shopping once about every 10 - 14 days), keeping my distance, and getting in and out quickly. I online order as much as possible, and if I go anywhere else, it’s only places where I can be outside and masks aren’t required, or to the homes of very close friends and family. My nephew is the head anesthesiologist at his hospital (here in Louisiana, so plenty of opportunity to work directly with Covid patients, and he has had contact with every, single one because they only have a few staff anesthesiologists). Also, because he is the head of the anesthesia group, he has been on conference calls from all over the country, and developed his hospital’s protocol for care of those patients. He does not wear a mask in public, nor does his wife/children. My grandson’s other grandfather is a pediatrician. He does not wear masks in public, nor do any of his family members (and he has a chronic immune illness as well). They both wear them with patients of course. None of the nurses or NPs in my family wear them in public either. I’ll be curious to see what happens down the road with other viruses and illnesses when we have basically eliminated any exposure to germs for an extended period of time.

Well and it opened our space so much then lightening the colors made it feel bigger as well. We did a total reno when we bought the house, but at the time the budget was tight and we did not replace the funky cabinets. This time we just decided we were doing everything we (well, everything *I* ) wanted to do. We spent about 40grand, but if my husband wasn’t so handy, it would’ve likely cost us 90-100. There was nothing we didn’t redo. Anyway, didn’t mean to hijack the thread, but I do think it helps to show what a difference you can make.

So this is what we came from... I tried to put them in order when I chose them, but it didn’t work apparently. The first and third pics were taken from one angle and the 2nd and 4th from another.

It definitely looks blue. I really love the shade also. I just found some before and after pics and I’m sending them to myself on my iPad so I can upload them here.

lol I usually just don’t have all that stuff sitting on my island and table. My stuff won’t pass a white glove test, but it’s usually clutter-free. 😜

Yes - that’s it!

Thank you! I love it so much. It was AWFUL before. I can’t even believe I ever chose what I did. The milk paint was such a good choice for me because I was putting in all new cabinets, and it was easy to work with on the raw wood. It’s different if you’re painting over stuff. I’m sure you can find a color like that in regular paint of course, but I love how the milk paint goes on like a stain.

Instead of doing 100% pigment when they mixed the color, they did 75%. It just made it a slightly brighter color.

Okay, I am not a remotely picky eater, but sardines are just something I’ve never been able to embrace. What’s the trick?