I share your fear Creekland. It seems big news stays big for no more than 4 weeks, and most people think the situation is over once the media is done chewing it up and spitting it out. But for those affected, it's life changing or at least majorly life disrupting. But even "knowing" that, what can one person do? It's a lot to try to hold in one's mind.

I'm sorry. I hate those, too. Any vivid dream leaves me disoriented and tired afterward. Fortunately, I'm easily distracted, so all I need to do is get some coffee and hop on the interwebs. If something does keep bugging me, I pray. Rinse and repeat if necessary. ymmv. :grouphug:

Good luck!! :)

I don't iron. I didn't own an iron for about 7 years. I got a hand-me-down and have used it...maaaaybe once. I'd rather just wash and tumble something to get the wrinkles out.

I just have to randomly add, though, if someone is already talking to me in a clearly patronizing way, and adds "sweetheart" to it, I'm going to bristle a little. Maybe on the inside, but it'll happen. And then being leered at and called even innocuous terms is just...gross feeling. So if OP was experiencing either of those already, it's more than the word, ya know? It would be natural to not appreciate either of those contexts.

I should probably do this, just in case. But I don't wanna; it's just one more thing to do. I'm sorry your info is compromised, mathnerd. :(

I'm having trouble due to the tongue twister effect and occasionally adding letters that aren't there (seeing "furry" instead of "fury"). ;)

:lol: :lol: :lol: I'm more likely to be called that by older women, though. I guess the most offensive would be Babe or Baby--I have trouble interpreting those as anything other than a come-on. The others are just over-familiar. I mean, older women have called me the last three, even peers occasionally. It's colloquial. But from family or acquaintances. From a stranger it's a bit forward. And yes, male vs. female and age changes how I'm likely to take it. I just avoid Walmart altogether; problem solved. :D Not a head-turner, so I'm generally safe anyway. ;)

I've explained multiple times to my reactive child that it makes my job harder to sort out what's serious and what's not when they react to everything like it's serious. And we've discussed The Boy Who Cried Wolf a couple of times. A while it's my job to check things out and help them figure out what's a big deal and what's not (and I'm only human), it's not the rest of the world's job to do that, and I let them know all of that (matter-of-factly). Interestingly, or maybe not, this child is quieter the worse an injury is. I'm sort of like that myself, though. I do also make the sick boring, like gardenmom. My mantra there is, "If you're too sick to work, you're too sick to play." ;) But I try not to brush things off; I take temperatures and check out hang nails, bug bites, etc. None of mine really demand the doctor. The reactive child just simply has undirected angst. One of the other ones asks about every little thing: if it will be ok, and what does it all mean, and do we need a doctor...but it's all very calm and vaguely worried. :)

But admit it, sharks make everything cooler... ;)

:grouphug: That's nuts. I think I would have frozen in that situation.

I missed all of that completely. And now I want to go watch it. :D

I used to function under the philosophy that if I put myself down enough, nothing anyone else could say would hurt me. And I did expect perfection from myself, or more like universal acceptability. My faith has changed/is changing that, gradually and in stages. That may or may not be helpful to you, though! And yes, this was modeled for me by a parent, but not directed at me.

Awesome!! Way to go! I have lost my drive to such things, which is sad; our master really, really needs new flooring.

Happy birthday!

Aww I love the considerate disclaimer. :D ETA: in the OP, that is.

I wouldn't, but that's because they aren't they type of shoes I wear.

I'm sorry. :grouphug: I decided a long time ago that I'd prefer either honest sympathy and compassion or none. Most of the time, it's none, or not quite what I'd like. But then, that works both ways, and I'm glad not to get huffed at, so I try to return the favor and succeed 99% of the time (I think). It is...lonely? or something, sometimes, though. He has learned that sometimes it's better just not to say stuff if it's going to be rude, though (and usually succeeds). I don't know what it means, though, or if I'm wanting too much. So it is what it is. :)

Our kitchen is a galley kitchen and perfect for a gate. Ours was 48" tall and I had it up until the youngest was 5. And I did keep them pretty much everywhere with me.

Prayers!!! :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

And with one of my favorite handles on the board! :D

I'm right there with you!! Mornings are awful for me, too. But my days go a bit more sideways a bit more often than yours, it sounds like. :D If you have a bit of clear space in front of a TV, Moms Into Fitness is good. I have her boot camp DVD and it doesn't require a lot of space to follow (space is a huge issue here) and the duration can be customized (it's HIIT cardio with some core work). Another thing I'm working towards is weightlifting (one of the two reasons I'm building a Murphy bed, wherever that thread went). I definitely wouldn't drive anywhere for regular sessions, either. Just getting people in and out of the car is almost a workout slot in itself. One thing I really want to do is get out about once each week and hike with them. My kids have a rest time after lunch, and whenever I have exercised, it has been during this time. When I exercise with them, it's typically immediately after that rest time, but this is less successful. We've run laps around our yard, weight trained, and done that DVD together. It is harder for me to get a focused workout this way, though (but probably worth the trade off). Another option is perhaps breaking during your morning for "PE" and then shifting the balance of academics to the afternoon. My personal issue these days is simply time management; we year-round for about 2 hours/day (plus grabbing those learning moments whenever they pop up), and they help with chores and meals...I have no excuse at all. :( I don't know if that's at all helpful, but at least you're not alone!!

$2000 for rent sound nuts to me, but I live in a low COL area, outside of any cities and our mortgage is about 40% of that (but for less than 1500 sq. ft.). Median for Atlanta is $55,700ish and for my county it's $62,500ish. We've lived on well below either of those for most of our married life and haven't really suffered in any palpable way. BUT...we're relatively healthy people, family nearby to help if something went sideways, etc. It's a tenuous position, but if I have a choice between meat and beans for protein, I'm not going to feel poor, kwim?

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Nope, but we have had established eating times since they were little (which did include snacks about halfway between meals). So if we ate breakfast at 7-8, there'd be snack around 10ish and lunch at noonish, nap, snack around 2 or 3, dinner around 5 or 6. That's slowly phased out over the years so that we typically eat 3 meals per day, with maybe an afternoon bowl of popcorn or pita chips. Not everyone's philosophy, of course, so...do what works. ;)