I'm sorry they are being that way, Dawn. My dad is at a private pay facility (Texas) but they willingly do the work to get as much covered by insurance as possible, as far as OT and PT and such. They also allow outside PT in although prefer their own staff, who, again, are covered by insurance. Your facility seems unusual, but maybe it's a Florida thing?

Great to see you! Have been wondering how you were. Glad things are going better!

Does she like shoes? My 22 yo loves shoes, and we just got her new tevas for her birthday. Also a snuggly Vera Bradley blanket. She also got a case for her AirPods that looks like a Gatorade bottle. And a Starbucks gift card. All of these were her requests.

You are supposed to feel that your mom lacks (or chooses to disregard) appropriate social skills. You might not want to go over at meal time.

I would use your notebook, personally, but I'm a paper person. Just date (and maybe time) your entries, like you would if you were in class taking notes. Maybe then take a few minutes at the end of each day to put Joe's extension in IT on the phone number list I already have posted, put the to-do list on my whiteboard calendar/to do list, and leave the new hire's name in the notebook, knowing it's there. Cross out the stuff that is completed. Maybe use a highlighter.

I broke a lease once and only had to pay one extra month’s rent, not the whole rest of it. She should talk to the front office.

I agree that your mother is trying to set up something. If I were you, I would do something different for Thanksgiving. If you dread it, you shouldn't do it. There will be pushback at first, but what a wonderful holiday you would have without your mother. Go camping, stay in a bed and breakfast, leave town, don't drive to Mother's. Something different that won't make you miserable. You matter. Your feelings matter. Your holidays matter.

Pumpkin patches, cooler weather, the routine of school, perhaps more alone time (unlikely sigh). I did get some fall themed hand sanitizer recently; that made me happy. Time to start with my fall scented wax cubes. Maybe we can usher fall in earlier 🙂 I am currently listening to Christmas music. Too soon?

Without dimensions of couch and musical things, I can only make a couple of observations. 1. It would be logical to have the bikes in the lower right hand corner, right near the entry hall. I agree that it should be a hook hanging from the ceiling. 2. It would be logical to have a kitchen cart or table in the lower left corner, along the left wall, or in the bottom middle between the two doors. Wayfair was my friend when we downsized. I could find things that met exact length, width, and height specifications. I got a six inch wide, couple feet long table for next to my couch. I looked at a lot of kitchen carts, and your budget will determine how you go with this. I ended up with a regular counter height table from Furniture Row, that has little shelves down one side, where we store bottles of water and cans of beverages. I

I think we live in very different places, but our balconies always have a storage closet. Also, there is always a "roof" to our balconies. Some apartments, you can rent garages and also extra storage areas. I imagine your complex will have some kind of options like that.

Oh one other apartment thing to think about: The size of the kitchen. We actually moved from our first post-house apartment after 8 months to a bigger apartment (same complex) because I could not handle the tiny kitchen anymore. So make sure you have adequate counter space. Or room to put a table in to use as counter space. This is a BIG DEAL for those who like/need to cook. We also moved because we were on the 3rd floor (no elevators) and grocery day was really hard. But honestly, the kitchen was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Apartment dweller here, after 22 years in a house. My vote is you will figure the noise thing out. I recommend the washer/dryer in unit for sure. I also think the balcony would be great, both for smelly stuff and the aforementioned dog planter thing should incontinence become an issue. As far as allergies, mine are the worst in the family. We replace the cheap apartment air filter with a Filtrete brand good one for allergens. We also vacuum regularly. (And the place is smaller than a house so much easier to keep clean!) That said, I am on a smidge more allergy meds than before. Sometimes eyes are an issue, and I have prescription drops but rarely have to use them. Also on Singulair and xyzal. And asthma inhaler. So you figure it out and adjust. We really love apartment living after years of maintaining a house. No mowing! We have a pool and fitness center! Very convenient location!

We have had luck with zinc oxide based sunscreen, like Aveeno and Cerave.

Kale chips?

You know how you can look at the Common Data Set for universities and find out which things are most important in the admissions process for freshman? Things like grades, letters of recommendation, interest, etc. are rated as Very Important all the way down to Not Considered. I am looking for that for grad school and not finding it. I do have a couple of schools in particular, and they are part of a larger university system. School of Health Professions, so not typically in the city where the original university is. Any wisdom, Hive?

Gently, yes. ((Hugs)) I think she was just excited about the books. Your answer (that you spoke initially ) was fine. I wouldn’t have added that last bit.

So I just wait to give him the information until he needs it. Or if I’m afraid I will forget to do that, then I text or email it to him so I can tell him when I want and he has the information. We also keep a written calendar and written shopping list. I do not take it personally or as a sign of disrespect.

Lol is it a man? I have found that unless dh is ready to hear something, I am wasting my breath. He must actively be interested in the info or needing the info almost immediately.

Big hugs. We put my dad in Assisted Living last November, and it has absolutely been the best thing for him. They are on top of his medical issues. They manage his plethora of medication. They are trained to manage his showers (three times a week) and his falls (none so far). They are on top of getting him physical and occupational therapy when they see that he needs it, in a way that we didn't know to do at home. It is a partnership, of course, between us and them, but it has been so great. His health is the best possible given the circumstances, better than at home.

I have to have cataract surgery, probably next year. Can you tell me about how they keep you calm when they are slicing and poking your eye? And then I heard if you accidentally look at the laser or whatever, it can blind you. I’m rather terrified.

Obviously do what is best for your kid. I did want to clarify what I did, though. I had dd learn to type in 3rd or 4th grade, and she absolutely typed writing assignments like paragraphs and reports and papers. Small things like spelling tests were required to be in cursive. Anything long was typed. We also did a lot of stuff orally rather than written down. So it wasn’t anything that would wear her down. It just maintained the skill, and she did get faster in time at cursive.

I began homeschooling late in the 1st grade because it seemed like the school was not doing a good job teaching my dd to read. Then I found out she hadn't retained any math. I did put her in a different school for 2nd grade but again, they didn't teach her any math. Or they way they taught didn't work for her. I let her finish the year, and then I homeschooled for most of the rest of her school career, except for an 8th grade year at a private school. (She did learn at the private school but it was very high pressure.) I homeschooled my dd in the high school years. Dh did most of the science. I did everything else. She did not take any out of the home classes or online or college classes. I did very loosely use the WTM, especially for book recommendations for literature and history. We did Mathusee for Math, ultimately after some starts and stops. That worked really well for her and for me. It taught conceptually, which my big picture dd needed. I, with a degree in math, could tweak or supplement as needed. I very loosely used some Abeka for English, just to have an idea of what to teach when. Plus other stuff like Windows to the World. History was a variety of resources, as was science. After high school graduation, my dd attended our local university. (She got a Presidential Scholarship there, by the way.). She recently finished her junior year and has a 4.0 gpa. She is extremely well suited to the college learning environment, and I credit homeschool for that. Plus her math and writing skills are well above most of her peers. She is currently figuring out what to do after she graduates (she's a planner). Her advisor really wants her to consider further education and sent her ideas for Medical School, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy. She's not sure. She's thinking perhaps a Masters in Nutrition. She might work for a year or two first.

I required cursive only after completing the last cursive book. Certainly, I required it for all of junior high. Beyond that, I don't recall. And I do believe that cursive is superior to manuscript for brain training. My understanding is that it makes connections between the hemispheres of the brain in a way that manuscript does not. It was recommended for "non-traditional" learners like my dd, who was a visual spatial learner. YMMV

Never take Sudafed at night. It is great for day. Sounds like you need to see a doctor. They will probably give you a steroid and something for your stuffiness and cough. It might not improve without the steroid.

Aleve every 8 hours. Start a day or two before your period and continue until end of period.