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pinkmint

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Everything posted by pinkmint

  1. We checked out the local shelter yesterday. We may have lost our minds but we're seriously considering adopting a pregnant stray that came to the shelter. She is a beauty for one thing, a stray, which is a plus for potential rat-hunting disposition, very sweet and friendly and the kids like her. We're thinking of letting her have the kittens at our house, let the kids pick their favorite so she can have a friend to live with, and then finding homes for the others when they're weaned.
  2. For me personally the important thing is that the leggings not be skin tight (I buy my leggings one size up because I like them better that way). If they're not skin tight and not see-through then I'm content to wear leggings a lot. I think there's a lot of misplaced hating on leggings/jeggings. Like I said if they're not skin tight or see- through what is the difference between leggings and other pants except lack of pockets and that they're fitted from the knee down? Skinny jean hating is the same to me. Skinny jeans are just jeans that fit snug from the knee down.
  3. Thank you, all. I found a small local place that will come and scope out the problem for a low fee. I want to know what we're dealing with. They're coming Wednesday. I'm glad we're not the only ones who've dealt with rats. It's one thing when you have ants or even mice but full-on rats... They're known for spreading deadly disease and biting too. Sure, we live in modern times with sanitation and medical advances, and we're a relatively clean and tidy family but I've seen Lady and the Tramp (the rat scene) and the episode of Little House on the Prairie where rats get into the local flour supply and the town people get deathly ill. Anyway, any other tips on finding a good "ratter" cat appreciated. That's one thing we're seriously considering now. I'm impressed with what I've read about how effective cats can be on rodent control.
  4. I've definitely thought of calling a professional. I think that's a cost-prohibative option though from what I've heard about what they charge. A cat seems like a natural solution, and my kids beg us almost daily for a cat. They've got allergy issues though and I don't know how my kids would react. Maybe we will take them to a shelter and pet store to spend time with cats and see how they do.
  5. Question first, explanation following. How dangerous is rat blood? We just got internet. Settling into new house slowly. I love it. What I don't love is that we apparently have rats. Not mice, RATS. First spotted 2 nights ago. I was spacing out on the couch as DH was getting kids ready for bed and spotted a thing scurrying along the wall under kitchen cabinet. Freak out, do research, buy traps, locate holes behind oven, buy hole filing supplies etc. So while we're waiting for an important hole-filling item to ship from Amazon, we're setting the big rat snap-traps at night. Woke up this morning to find one of the traps had been set off and it was upside down with no rat in it. Hmmm. Sleepily but nervously look around. Notice big fat deceased rat on the floor by the couch that 3 year old almost stepped on (DH disposed of it). Then notice trail of blood all over from the kitchen to living room. I used latex gloves and disinfecting wipes to clean blood off the ceramic tile floor, but this guy struggled all over the place. There's blood on some household items and toys. Should I bother cleaning those things or throw them away? Reading up on the diseases and behaviors of rats has not been reassuring. Black plague anyone?
  6. Aww thanks, Garga. If I can get weird and pensive for a bit, I think about my posts over time on this board. I think about how I felt around this time a year ago. Some of you encouraged me to go back on antidepressant meds (I did last August) and I don't know if it's only that, or mostly that, or a little bit that but I am doing so much better. Our circumstances have also improved (we got a house). I think a lot and sometimes wonder if me being on meds is an "unnatural" state. My despair was so overwhelming, such a powerful fog. I was not at all able to pull back and think objectively. Life is pain. It doesn't feel that way right now. Of course there are sorrows, but they are not taking over every corner of my mind. I think about how I'm not really "me" if I post happy positive things here. Being happy and positive is kind of strange for me. Will a change in circumstances bring me back to death valley? Will getting off meds make me my "true self" again and choked by despair? Anyway today is a big packing day and I need to get to it. Just some thoughts. I'm hoping I can accept being happy for what it is. And I thank you all again.
  7. LOL. I do like turquoise. But IMO there's a right and wrong way to do it. But yes, I am with you. It was scary. Much more pleasing to the eye now.
  8. And fyi in case anyone wants to know: Sunburst mirror purchased 5 or so years ago at Marshalls, pair of paintings purchased at Home Goods ($20 for the pair), fake peony purchased at Hobby Lobby, small glass vase from Target, clock from Target, gold vase gift from about 10 years ago.
  9. Hoping this works. Tell me if the Links work, I tried to pin my own photos to my Pinterest which is new for me. I wanted to show you what I've been doing the past couple weeks. And to thank you all for the housewarming gifts you've so graciously sent my way. As I've mentioned before, I enjoy stretching a dollar and am fairly good at it. The first photo should be from the house listing. I don't have a better straight-on photo of the fireplace before I changed it but you can get the idea. The second photo is from last night. http://pin.it/VBH7250 http://pin.it/V9UQL4C Yes there are important little repairs that are in progress around the home. Thankfully DH and our friends are good at those things. I do what I'm good at. If you know My Little Pony I'm basically Rarity. Lol. In all seriousness a place of beauty does something for the heart and soul. I wanted to show you, my friends, my progress and tell you that you have helped make this possible. PS we bought a house if anyone missed that :) http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/642360-happy-update/
  10. Mortgage payment will be a little higher than rent. But we recently finally figured out how to get our electric bill under control (it was $300 + a month thanks to our confusion upon moving to TX how to pick a good electric provider, and is now less than 100 a month) so it just about evens out. What I like: the area is a big part of it :) . The town itself, the neighborhood, everything. The street we've lived on all this time has probably 50 housing units crammed together in one block and I don't think I've ever walked to the mailbox without 1 to 10 cars passing by, often speeding. This new place is near a freeway, but tucked into a quiet residential street that gets almost no traffic. And there's only a handful of houses. There's breathing room. It's got 1950's and 60's ranches... not super well kept but like I said, shabby in a good way. It has character and charm. It's kind of country-fied considering that the Dallas area is not as country as people think. The house inside is a bit rough.... but nothing to the point of being dangerous. It's pretty dirty, the tile floor is busted up in spots, but honestly DH is extremely handy (not all guys are) and I am the one with a good "eye" so we cannot wait to put in the labor. We plan to paint it ourselves too.
  11. I am a blessed lady. Beyond what I deserve.
  12. Thank you so much, all of you. I'm so glad to be able to post a positive life update. So many of you have been a help and encouragement. A house is nice, but I must say friends may be an even better "possession"
  13. Long story short: WE GOT A HOUSE :hurray: :svengo: Slightly longer story: I'm not sure where to start. I have to get this out before my 3 year old comes stumbling out from his nap. I still am having a hard time believing we are first time homeowners. Granted there are more important things in life, I could die tomorrow and not be able to enjoy my "dream come true", it's not some people's idea of a "nice" house, homeownership is hard (I could refresh people's memories about the joys of low-budget renting!) etc etc etc. With our budget (low $100K) and living in a very "hot" real estate market, I was cautiously hopeful. We had been approved for a state, income-limited grant for first time buyers, our tax return was coming and we were hoping for a shot at putting a small down payment on a home of our own. We started looking at houses which were 99 percent in undesirable areas. Late February a listing came up in a nearby town, next county over, which happens to be a town we felt we could pretty much forget about. It's where a lot of young families are moving, good school district, houses snatched up within hours of being listed with multiple offers etc. Anyway this house was in a shabby (but in a good way, not a drive-by shoorting way) part of town with older, smaller houses. I figured we still had no chance. Well closing day was one week ago. I felt like I couldn;t talk about it here because I was overwhelmed with the closing process and how they make sure you know anything could go wrong. I am gleefully putting together a to-do list, and even though I'm recovering from pneumonia (I have no idea how it happened but here I am on "atomic bomb" antibiotics as the doctor called them) I can't want to roll up my sleeves with DH and kids and make that place a home. Move in is later this month. :hurray: I started to be okay with DH and I being early 40's/ late 30's (respectively) and home ownership never happening. Can't help but wonder if that's part of it, but whatever it is, why ever this happened, it's wonderful.
  14. I am of the view that women and men can be friends but that we should be wise and realistic. Spending alone time should pretty much be avoided. I know this view is unpopular but that's ok. For what it's worth, every single male (what I thought was) platonic friendship, they ended up making a move. Many many times this happened in my life. Personally I think people are often naive about these things.
  15. Thinking of you and praying. (((Kelly)))
  16. I also want to add that I'm pretty confident a lot of this is my own doing. I wish I had never exposed them to certain things (like Doritos) because they became fixated on those food items, and sort of forgot that they were willing to eat other more healthy things. They know when I try to sneak a whole-grain version of something and refuse. If I don't buy they're preferred bread they instantly know without seeing the package the moment they taste it. So I have relied on certain not-ideal foods as a way to get them to stop complaining and eat something when their grumpiness from hunger is basically ruining our day. Is it good that I do this? No, it's not. I feel I am in too deep now and don't know how to get back or if I should even try.
  17. Oh and of course carbs, carbs, beautiful carbs. The more refined the better. Bread, crackers, Doritos, sugar etc. By the way they're all thin too. 2 yo is more beefy in body type and actually was more willing to try foods but the other 2 have been an influence on him these days and he seems to refuse foods at their leading. They will eat pasta with butter and kraft parmesan (they won't eat out if it's not kraft, they can tell), mac n cheese, certain brands of keilbasa sausage (they happen to like the most expensive brand) They will eat a couple fruits, carrots, guacamole residue on tortilla chips, whole milk.
  18. As to Catwoman's question, my kids will all eat almond butter jelly sandwiches (oldest can't have pb), they all eat fast food chicken or rotisserie chicken from the store too. So trying to work with that I've prepared chicken every which way and every which cut. Plain to savory, sweet, etc. They largely want nothing to do with it. They like very salty processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, sometimes salami... Let me come back I've got my toddler to tend to...
  19. Yes, the blood sugar levels and throwing up in the morning has most definitely been a thing. I'm glad to hear it's not just my kids! Maybe I need to let go of the idea of a proper family dinner, and / or the idea that my kids gladly eating what I prepared means we love each other and if they won't then it doesn't. I may just need to sort of let this one go. But I would like some sort of reasonable and realistic compromise so that we at least eat together.
  20. I'm sure this scenario is not new and I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm also sure I've been enduring this for a long time and because of shame, failed attempts to remedy it and cycling back to apathy (fine, eat a almond butter jelly sandwich for dinner every night of your life), I have not addressed it much. I've heard lectures and pep talks from people who "Don't take no sh*t" from their children in this area. Eat what I make or go to bed hungry, end of story. What is this pansy world coming to that kids get to call the shots at dinner. I can see what they are saying. The reality of trying to implement that is... I guess it just takes way more than what I have. And it basically makes dinner a horrific thing every night. Or I'm doing it wrong. Or I'm just not a good mom. Then there's the other end. Don't give them hang-ups about food. Don't require anything. Let them have a diet that consists of literally 3 things as long as they're getting healthy carbs, proteins, fats etc somewhere. For the record I am making honey mustard chicken thighs and broccolli for dinner. There's a 100 percent chance they won't eat it. Let me add that I am... I guess the word is weary. I feel resigned to the fact that in this area of parenting I don't know what I'm doing. My own childhood we often did not have dinner at all because of a parent with bad priorities. Anyway, any thoughts?
  21. Didn't read all comments but skimmed... am I the only one *currently* living in a one bathroom/ one toilet home? Anyway, we are 5 people. One toilet in our dwelling. And the toilet is the important thing IMO. I do not feel sorry for people with 1.5 bathrooms. Lol. It can be very hard at times. It's not a great toilet in the first place, so besides having to hold it while someone finishes, the toilet has a weak flush and clogs regularly. Overall it's pretty minor compared to other stuff but I guess it just depends on your ideas about standard of living. I would say get a good strong healthy toilet if at all possible if you're only going to have one.
  22. Murphy and others who are ok with waiting however long it takes for a child to be ready to potty train... Are you ok if and when you have a child who's content to be in diapers until 4 or more years old? Saying that pushing them to train before they're ready makes it worse now makes me wonder if I have set him back. I do try to get him to go in the potty. I don't know.
  23. We are currently using these: https://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Sports-Training-Pants-Bundle/dp/B012U6XBQG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487683986&sr=8-3&keywords=gerber+training+pants (they are cheaper at Walmart) To me, these are basically cloth pull-ups. They have padding in the crotch. But not so much padding that he thinks he's wearing a diaper when he goes. I'm just trying to figure out if a pull-up would do anything helpful in this situation where a child is not motivated to go in the potty.
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