Not sure if this would be helpful in trapping a rat, but we've had lots of success with the mice that like to think our place is their place. Whenever we put traps out in the past, my husband would bait them with peanut butter or cheese and the darn critters would eat the food and never get trapped. So, and not sure where my husband got this idea, but he started super gluing peanuts to the traps where the bait would go and then set those out. They get the mice every time! Sometimes within minutes of setting the traps out. We had two mice a couple of months ago, put the traps out and the mice were caught within two days. I know rats are much bigger and you need the rat size traps, but wonder if it would work as well? Anyway - you have my sympathy and hope you can get rid of the thing! Chocomom63

Thanks everyone for your comments - I appreciate all you've said. I am the kind of person who feels that if you tell someone you're going to do something you do it. And if you change your mind or something comes up where you can't then you tell that person instead of leaving them hanging. So, yes, that hurts. It's more than that but I'm not going to go into it here because I just don't have time and I also feel very vulnerable letting too much out. The money part hurts because we've had some incredibly hard times recently - even not having enough food to eat - so that plays into it somewhat. I've never asked for anything from any of them. She asked this one time if she could take my kids shopping and I said that would be great and even told my kids. To have her diss us just hurts.

So, last October, my sil asked if she could take my kids clothes shopping to which I said an enthusiastic yes. Mostly because buying clothes, shoes, and coats is expensive, but also because I like her and I always thought we got along well. I don't have any friends and so getting together would be fun for me too. Here it is a year later and she has never contacted me back about it. She had originally said she'd let me know when things settled down. But nada. So, I asked my husband if she had said anything to him about it and she did (this was back in June and true to form my husband never says anything to anyone unless asked directly). She said she still plans on doing it but her life is so busy with travelling the world and buying stuff for all her other nieces and nephews that she just doesn't know when that will happen. (I'm paraphrasing snarkily here) Personally I don't think she wants to do it and I wish she'd just say so. By the time she gets un-busy my kids will all be in college. Isn't that what you would think? Should I just stop expecting that things will be different and move on? Oh, and she has the money so that's not even an issue. It's complicated as to why this hurts so much but it would take too long to outline all that. Thanks - I'll read your responses as I can. I'm rarely here anymore because all hell broke loose over the summer and I'm still playing catch up from that. :-P Chocomom63

Yeah, I don't want to head out alone which is why I'd rather just stay in to eat. They'll have breakfast in the hotel so I won't have to worry about that. I'm not sure about the fridge having a freezer but I'm going to find out since someone mentioned ice cream. :-) I've been to this hotel before and they don't have vending machines on any of the floors which annoys me. I think they sell you snacks at the front desk and they are very expensive. Vending machines in hotels are one of those fun things I enjoyed as a kid because we rarely had candy and snacks at home. Oh and great idea on keeping enough food around - will remember that. Thanks.

Yogurt and ice cream - mmmm. :-) There's this great gelato called Talenti that is awesome, but I'm not sure if they have a freezer in the fridge - I'll have to find out because that gelato is awesome.

Great ideas! I had at first thought about keeping it healthy, but thought I'd see what you peeps thought before I went with that idea. Glad you were able to have a getaway too. I have 6 kids at home and they're all teens so they'll be fine without mom. I might even be missed when I get back. :-)

Absolutely! I have that little bottle of champagne but I had thought about taking a couple little mini Corona's too. Thanks - I also hope it's a time of good relaxation for me. The last little while has been quite stressful and this month has been terrible so I'm ready for something better.

Hehe - no apologies about Cool Ranch Doritos - it's a favorite at my house. The ham and swiss sandwich idea is awesome and I know just how I'll make that: chiabatta roll with butter, ham, and cheese. :-)

Ooooh - like that!

I hadn't thought of ordering Chinese and we have a couple of really good places. Thanks!

...what foods would you take along? I am going on a getaway next weekend ALONE in a hotel...ALONE. It's for rest and relaxation and after an overflowing toilet this afternoon I really can't wait. I plan on mostly staying in and watching dvd's, reading magazines, etc. I am going to bring some snacks, water, etc. but I'll need a lunch and two dinners. If this were you what would you bring? I'll have a microwave and a refrigerator to work with. Why am I not going out to eat? I won't have a car (we only have one so my husband will need it to ferry kids around) and also I just don't like going to restaurants alone. One thing I do have is a small bottle of champagne leftover from New Years. :coolgleamA: So, any help would be appreciated. Oh, and please please pray that nothing gets in the way of this retreat because I'm almost going crazy crackers around here. Thanks.

I did (waving hand wildly in the air) - all pictures of the Osmonds. :-)

Crushes past and present: Davy Jones Donny Osmond Barry Manilow - OMG I will never live that one down! Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran) George Clooney Brendan Coyle (Mr. Bates on Downton) If I had to have a girl crush it would be Audrey Hepburn. Love her!

:grouphug:

I didn't want to just not respond and I've thought carefully over what I want to say and kind of pinpoint my feelings and wants and needs. It has actually given me things to think about. I got a better night of sleep last night and that helped a little. I am beyond cranky - I'm carrying a lot of anger around due to a myriad of things and not just home life. I pulled a book off my shelf about anger that I haven't really read and so I'm going to do that this month. It's time to address these things and move on. The one thing I want to say is that, for me, getting a job would increase my stress and not decrease it. It is not something I want to do right now either. It's coming as the kids are getting older and moving on, but it's not for me right now. I'm not going to go into my marriage problems here but they are deep and I've done all I can think of to try to save it. I'm kind of done at this point. Elroisees I agree with the exercise thing - I think it's something I have to do to help with the stress and my weight problems. I've been doing a little yoga lately and it really helps. Glad you found something that you enjoy and glad your husband is on board so far too. So, thanks again for all your perspectives and most especially your hugs - that's mostly what I needed and I guess I should have put a JAWM on it. Sorry.

nm

Hey, thanks so much for the hugs and help - really, really needed it! Jean in Newcastle - your post made me laugh and then cry (which I also needed). After I cried, I talked with my kids about the problem (another day the toilet didn't get flushed and the plumbing in that bathroom is terrible) and I apologized for yelling. Then it was time to make supper and the girls helped with that. I vacuumed after supper and I still need to make a menu plan for next week - at least I have all the lunches for the next 5 weeks planned out. Tomorrow I get to get out of the house and go grocery shopping! Yeah - with a kid! Because they need a one on one day with mom and I don't mind as they are all pretty fun to shop with (and the promise of a Starbucks Frapp helps too). Sunday I can actually relax - hopefully. This month has just been uber crazy and stressful and the toilet thing sent me over the edge. Creekland - I agree - it IS time for a vacation! My oldest son gave me gift cards and a 45 of the Go-Go's "Vacation" as a hint. :-) All I want is a weekend in a hotel to just watch movies I like, eat food I like, and read books and magazines that I never have time for. I also have made lists of my needs and ways to nourish myself so it's time to plug some of those things in as I can. The thing is, it can be really tricky when you have 6 kids and your husband isn't really which means I'm a single parent 99% of the time. Still - I need to try. Anywho - this is getting long but thanks for listening.. I have no friends and no family for support so the hard days are really hard. I know others here have harder issues than I do, but when stuff is difficult for you then it's hard no matter what it is. :grouphug: to all!

Isn't there a place where tired overworked moms can go? I want a ticket there *tears*

Wow - thanks for all your replies, stories, and the help on what to do. I'm pretty sure it's a black snake and everyone else in our household is content to let it be since they are beneficial. In fact my boys think it's rather cool to have a reptile around. :-) If I see it again, I'll try to get a better look make absolutely sure it's nothing poisonous although I hope I don't see it again. A little scary. Interestingly, when I left later to go to the store, a little green snake showed up on our doorstep! What is with all the snakes today?! I want to say that I do try to live with nature as much as I can. Sometimes i wonder if St Francis tells his animal buddies to come to our place because he knows we are a little more accomodating. Heh. If the rain is bringing them out we're in trouble - we are expected to get another 3 or more inches of rain during this next week. Could get interesting around here. Anywho - thanks again everyone! Chocomom63

About an hour ago, when we were leaving to go pick my dd up from school, one of my other dd's opened the front door screamed there was a snake and slammed the door. Sure, sure, I thought - some piddly little thing. So, I opened the door and HOLY MOLY - it was a huge black snake! After a few seconds it slowly slithered into a hole in the rock that surrounds our front door (gee, isn't that swell). I'm really kind of freaked out, but the internet says they aren't poisonous and are actually beneficial (they eat rodents). Has anyone had any experience with these things? If so, did you have a pest control service get rid of them? And do we have to worry about them getting into the house or will they stay outside? We've had a lot of rain in our neck of the woods and I'm wondering if that's brought these critters out. Anywho - any help would be...well, helpful. :-) Thanks! Chocomom63

For my dd13 it has been the noise - by the time she's been there a month it will probably be just background noise.

I wanted to wish you and your kids good luck today! ((HUG))

Thanks ladies for sharing your dropping off fun and games and also your children's experiences in transitioning from homeschool to public school. It's a real learning curve isn't it!! Yesterday was much better. I cried off and on between Thursday and yesterday, but I think it was needed. It's been a very stressful summer and not just with the school thing. -DD13 (8th grade) - She told me yesterday that school was "boring as usual" but was full of stories from just about every class. Except Spanish - she wants to quit that. She's learning very simple phrases so I'm not sure what the problem is and she's not specific in what's wrong. She has "her peeps" that she's been eating lunch with all week so I'm hoping that continues to be a good thing. Mostly she is taking in the whole experience and finds it all really interesting. - My twins were getting too bored with their big sister gone, so I decided to do a little school in the morning and take them on errands to buy school supplies. We also had a park day this week. I think it helped all of us to keep busy and not miss dd too much. I believe I will start our homeschool a week earlier since they seem open to that. - I found a different route to take to school so I hopefully won't have any...people...behind me honking their horns loudly for 20 seconds because I'm not moving fast enough in school rush hour traffic. The new route seems like it will work out better. And the dropping off is much simpler than I thought and I'm glad you all have brought up what to do on rainy days - I need to find that information for us! While I'm still kind of wishing I hadn't let her go to school, I think the experience will be good for her and stretch her in ways that she needs. And she still has all of us and my brother to encourage her. I need to know when to stop giving advice though and let her figure things out on her own. She will. So - only 176 more days to go. :tongue_smilie:

NM - it's just been a bad morning. Thanks for the help and the hugs - hoping it will get better eventually.

Another title would be - I See It's All About Survival. So, I'm only one day in and I can see how challenging this is going to be and I'm talking about just getting my dd to and from school! Yesterday we walked and I misjudged how long it would take and she got there late. Today I dropped her off and realized I had no idea how the drop off line works - I think you just pull up into the drop off space. And then make sure you don't get hit by traffic while simultaneously trying to get out into the street and not back the line up. :confused1: Okay, so that's going to take time to get in the groove with. Her classes went all right yesterday, but it was a long day for her. She definitely likes one of her teachers so that's good, and the others seem fine. I tried to ask questions and give advice that didn't overwhelm, but I feel like I'm doing that anyway. I want to hear about her day, but don't want her to feel like she has to talk either. She was happy enough to talk all about it and I want her to have that time to debrief if she needs to since this is a whole new environment for her. Making any sense here? What things do I need to know for this time of transition? I keep wondering, "Am I doing this right" (which is funny because that's probably how I felt when I started homeschooling). I'm so worried about not doing something right that I'm sure I'm going to make myself crazy. HELP!