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For myself - I loaded up my Nook with some wild non fiction and a slew of sappy mystery stories. All for free from the library. I plan on reading my way thru the rainy days this fall.

 

I helped DS15 paint a baseball dugout as part of his eagle project. He was under the gun to get it finished in between rain storms.

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I've had a fairly lousy week, so the best thing I have done for anyone unrelated to me is to stay home and not inflict myself on anyone.

 

The best thing I have done to provide a better future for myself was to message Negin and ask for info on dopamine. She kindly sent me a bunch of links which I am reading right now. Thanks Negin! :seeya:

 

Rosie

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What is the most significant thing you have done this week to provide a better future for yourself?

 

What about for other people that you are not related to?

 

Had to quote you b/c it's too late to remember 2 simple questions. :tongue_smilie:

 

I started lesson plans for 5 children. The more organized I am the better my future. :D Plus, I am putting all my eggs in their baskets. One of them has to become successful and take care of me in my old age. :lol:

 

 

I have spent a great deal of time this past week praying for various members here [who have asked for it, oh except for mom of 17 kids person, she didn't ask for it, but seemed to need it anyway. :001_smile:]

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My tactic was similar to newlifemom's. Instead of lesson plans however, I took the kids on a field trip full of beauty and exhilerating to the senses. They'll grow up and be so grateful to me for taking them to such wonderful places, they'll fight over who can take care of me in my old age.

 

As far as making the world a better place...I never spoke on my cell phone while making a purchase from a human being. :D

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For me? I attended church.

 

For others? I am coordinating a back to school party for area homeschoolers and have spent the week making phone calls and picking up coupons and information from area businesses to hand out. I have also become the contact for teachers and groups (BSA, sports leagues, etc) that want to better involve local homeschoolers. Yeah, so much for my plan to sit back and not get involved.

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I still have 3 more days to create world peace. Don't rush me.

:lol:

 

I love this thread, btw. You should do it every week.

 

I've had a fairly lousy week, so the best thing I have done for anyone unrelated to me is to stay home and not inflict myself on anyone.

Me too ... terrible, horrible, no good week

 

The best thing I have done to provide a better future for myself was to message Negin and ask for info on dopamine. She kindly sent me a bunch of links which I am reading right now. Thanks Negin!

 

:grouphug: I hope the info helps.

 

they'll fight over who can take care of me in my old age.

:lol: and I just want to tell you that my dd and I love your user name and avatar

 

I spent 10 hours making 560 bags of cotton candy.

Love cotton candy! In France, as you may well know, they're called "barbe du papa" (Daddy's beard). :D

 

Better future for myself:

trying, trying, trying to exercise more regularly. I guess that counts. :tongue_smilie: Health is important.

 

Better future for those not related to me:

prayed for some, kind thoughts for some (but not all :tongue_smilie:), smiled and was friendly to some - grocery store, etc. - was generous with tips at the grocery store (boy who brings our bags to the car, etc.).

 

But I don't know if all that counts for a better "future" ... is future long-term or short-term? :confused:

 

Such a sweet thread. Makes you learn to appreciate all the small things in life. :)

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I don't know whether I posted this or not before my computer started being nutty...

 

I think my answer is the same for both. I worked out my response for the permanency of "the three." It includes that yes we would like to adopt them and are willing to offer the parents and family a measure of openness in the adoption. Obviously, this is for me because I'm blessed with getting to parent the children. I guess it it is "for others" as obviously the children, parents, and family members are others. Hmmmm

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Prayed.

Real hard.

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

For myself? Took care of my children. LIke Natalieclare, I'm counting on them taking care of me someday.

 

For others? Edited a newsletter for homeschoolers. Oh, and I let a lady who needed to go pick up her kids from music lessons go ahead of me in the the line at Target.:D

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For me, I made an effort to consume less energy in my household to save on bills.

 

For others, I organized meeting rooms, ordered book set from the library, and sent emails about a new book club I'm starting for kids ages 6-9. Financially aided 3 family members, and I participate in a CSA, which helps a local woman who is trying to get a great farm running, which I believe will eventually help lots more folks. I also cooked extra food and brought containers of it to my mother because she likes to eat healthy, but doesn't know how or what to cook.

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1 -- encouraged tntgoodwin to NOT watch a Dallas Cowboys game. I am not related to him, and it definitely would improve his world to avoid watching such an attrocious NFL team. :P

 

2 -- have been running ragged trying to get my Brazilian driver's license. Theoretically this will improve my life, as I'll be able to drive legally. Also this improves the lives of many people here, since I've thus far paid for having photos taken that I didn't need, paid for a medical exam to make sure I have the eyesight and hand strength needed to drive, paid for a psychological exam to make sure I can follow directions and have sufficient patience to endure craziness without resorting to road rage (err, desk rage?), paid for milkshakes to rid myself of the headache acquired during the psych test, and will pay for the privilege of gathering and turning in all of these documents. This helps the local economy. Plus paying for the gas to drive all over creation and do all of this. Many of my husband's hard earned reais (not dollars, since we are in Brazil....) have gone into the local economy this week.

 

3 - I passed doctor info along to a person new to town. That really did help someone, especially since she went to a different doctor she knew of rather than the one I sent her info about.

 

4 - I made myself extra coffee last night so I could relax. That helped me. Definitely made a better future for myself, in the immediate future sense.

 

5 - I apologized to my boys for yelling at them at midnight when they were fussing about going to bed. This improved their future since it will hopefully cut down on any therapy bills they might have otherwise. If mom apologizes for yelling, it's less damaging.

 

So -- were you this productive???

 

(off to read the rest of the thread now and see if I've just stuck my foot in my mouth by taking this tongue-in-cheek rather than sincere......)

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Well, darnit, everyone else was serious......(sigh).

 

So, my serious answers.....

 

for myself, I'm reading. Lots of good books. And sewing, and drinking coffee and maintaining good mental health.

 

for others not related, prayer. Lots of it. For different people.

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I still have 3 more days to create world peace. Don't rush me. :tongue_smilie:

 

:lol::lol:

 

I only have 2 days to create world peace, we are having company this weekend. ;)

 

As for helping the world, I tore down the awful wallpaper in my kitchen that I've been waiting 14 years to rip out. Today's job is sanding the walls. It's done nothing for my health, but my happiness level shot up 100 points to get that wallpaper out, as did the levels of my family members. To quote my 11yo daughter when she saw me, "Mom, you're AWESOME!!" High praise from this child.

 

I'll probably want to spend the next week sleeping instead of starting school. That might be a good thing.

 

On a more serious note, I took care of my family of 7. They need a lot of care.

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What is the most significant thing you have done this week to provide a better future for yourself?

 

What about for other people that you are not related to?

 

Talk about pressure! :tongue_smilie:

 

Um...for myself, I have gone to the gym every morning this week. Gotta get that cardio in for a healthy heart!

 

For someone I'm not related to...you got me. There are still a few days left in the week though, so I've still got time.

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For me:

I started packing to move to another state to start a new life with my family where my husband can be involved with our family more.

 

For others: two things

1. I am bringing a meal to someone who just had a baby.

2. I brought the hammer down on my 3 year old and she is spending a lot of time in time out but is learning to be a person that other people enjoy being around. Yes, you're welcome little lady--you will thank me later! (this is also because we woke up and realized we had a little demanding bossy nightmare on our hands who we have to spend a month or so in a motor home with!)

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Guest Barb B

For myself - trying to stay cool (honestly - 109 degree temps here STILL). Others - trying to turn off unneeded appliances . . . and saving water - so Texas doesn't have rolling black outs.

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This week dh and I did the planning necessary for our 2011/2012 4-H competitive rocketry team. Our three boys plus four other 4-H members will be entering the contest again. Kids who place well by the time they graduate from high school can count on significant college scholarships and the educational process is AMAZING! We've also begun planning for our annual youth science experiment which we do with 35 - 40 students ages 5-18 from our county. It's a big deal to pull off; it's also HIGHLY rewarding too!

 

This is our second week back to the schoolwork and it's going well. My 9th grade DS is studying US history and we've had some fantastic discussions that I believe will help him grow into a responsible, mature citizen of the world. Additionally, so that he doesn't forget America's "place" as not the end all and be-all of human civilization, he's still sitting in on his younger brother's SOTW/Kingfisher World History/DK World History lessons from the same time period. He seems to be getting it. Netflix has provided many fantastic documentaries for us thus far.

 

Our pastor and his wife are out of town for two weeks. She is an avid, organic gardener and also pregnant...MEGA MORNING SICKNESS! Poor pastor, who is NOT a gardener and normally not attentive to plants, has been working in the garden all summer because she's too sick to do it herself and he knows how much it means to his wife. Then the church decided to send him to a two week conference at a seminary and he didn't want to leave her there with their two little girls, alone and miserable. So, he flew her to her parents for a visit. It's been horribly dry here (until Tuesday and we've had some nice rains for the past three days) so they would have lost the garden and the produce if someone didn't take care of it. Unbeknownst to them, dd has been weeding and watering. The boys and I have been harvesting and preserving. When they return, they'll have 21 pints of green beans canned on the pantry shelves, four onions and a host of cherry tomatoes dehydrated, and sweet corn in the freezer. I'm really happy to have the opportunity to help her out. She's dear friend and a sweetheart of a lady.

 

 

Faith

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The time I spent with Liberty Belle yesterday.

 

Five weeks ago, we brought a filly (about 3 years old) to our farm. She was probably a week or two from starvation. From March to June, four of her seven pasture mates starved to death. The pictures are heart wrenching. In five weeks, she has probably put on 300 pounds and still has 200-300 more to go.

 

Each of our three horses have a story to tell. Our first had a bad injury from a previous owner, the second was badly abused in the Walking Horse community (sored feet, etc.) and now Liberty went through extreme neglect. Their stories are going to be used for summer camps for foster children...showing them how through faith/love/compassion we can overcome anything that is thrown at us.

 

My work with Liberty has been slow but steady...it is hard to work with her in the stall because she becomes 'right' brained and yields off of fear. So, I work with her in a 2 acre paddock where she has every right to run away from me (still have not been able to put a halter on her). But yesterday, at liberty (meaning no rope/halter) we had the best session of communication. She learned how to do circles around me, at first they were 10 feet away from me..and she recognized the clue to stop. Then, as she became more confident..her circles were 2 feet from me. Her eyes were on me - waiting for a cue. We finished with her letting me rub her neck and mane...her eyes went soft, her head dropped low and she licked and chewed ( a sign that horses are taking in all that they've learned ).

 

Each step we take with each of these horses will hopefully have a huge impact on the future children who walk through my farm gates...it's a ministry all of us are in together and praying for continued health for this little one. When she came in July, she left her mother for the first time, seeing her cry out for her mother on the trailer is an image I will never forget and hits me deeply that is how most foster kids feel on the inside..I'm taking that with me every step we take to train these horses.

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What is the most significant thing you have done this week to provide a better future for yourself?

 

I tore the porch off our house. I'm pretty proud of that. DH helped with some heavy lifting. But he doesn't like heights (we had a balcony), weighs twice as much as I do and the porch was rotten and pulling away from the house. So it was best that I do most of the work. This is our first major diy project.

 

What about for other people that you are not related to? Probably nothing. Been busy with the porch and other family obligations.

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Well, I have continued spin classes which I started a few months back to help me lose weight.

 

For others, well, I pray for the Native American babies in the neighboring county that I knit baby items for, and I have helped a new friend out by keeping her daughter while she works since her sitter is out of town (not sure if this counts for the first or second ? since my 11 yr old dd LOVES playing with her daughter and they play quietly for hours)!

 

Have a great weekend,

ReneeR

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What is the most significant thing you have done this week to provide a better future for yourself?

 

What about for other people that you are not related to?

 

:lol::lol: Convinced hubby it should be his job to change the sheets mid week instead of leaving it for the weekend for me.

 

Offered to write a letter of recommendation for a social worker very important job is being subcontracted out to a company. Listened to another doctor tear up over needing another cardiac cath. Helped another doctor get a hold of her husband, and get her down to the van, as she was very very dizzy. I can't tell you about the patients, and anyway, I'm paid to do that.

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For me:

bought new clothes for my son's OCS graduation this weekend. Seems silly, but I even bought some great matching jewelry. I hate shopping for clothes, so this was a huge thing for me. On a more significant level, I finished organizing/planning for school and even have my bulletin board ready.

 

For others:

My UPS guy told me that his wife plans to homeschool 2012-2013. They have four children. I encouraged him and told him to have his wife contact me if she ever needs help with anything. I am very excited about this! We've talked a little about it before. He found out we homeschooled because he has nearly daily visits to our house. LOL Between redoing bedrooms and schooling, we keep Amazon in business.

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What is the most significant thing you have done this week to provide a better future for yourself?

 

What about for other people that you are not related to?

 

Umm... for both, I volunteered for the first time for the CM charter school where dd will begin school in two weeks. It's volunteering to help before school even starts, so hopefully it will begin a strong positive relationship with the school, and will also directly help the teachers.

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The time I spent with Liberty Belle yesterday.

 

Five weeks ago, we brought a filly (about 3 years old) to our farm. She was probably a week or two from starvation. From March to June, four of her seven pasture mates starved to death. The pictures are heart wrenching. In five weeks, she has probably put on 300 pounds and still has 200-300 more to go.

 

Each of our three horses have a story to tell. Our first had a bad injury from a previous owner, the second was badly abused in the Walking Horse community (sored feet, etc.) and now Liberty went through extreme neglect. Their stories are going to be used for summer camps for foster children...showing them how through faith/love/compassion we can overcome anything that is thrown at us.

 

My work with Liberty has been slow but steady...it is hard to work with her in the stall because she becomes 'right' brained and yields off of fear. So, I work with her in a 2 acre paddock where she has every right to run away from me (still have not been able to put a halter on her). But yesterday, at liberty (meaning no rope/halter) we had the best session of communication. She learned how to do circles around me, at first they were 10 feet away from me..and she recognized the clue to stop. Then, as she became more confident..her circles were 2 feet from me. Her eyes were on me - waiting for a cue. We finished with her letting me rub her neck and mane...her eyes went soft, her head dropped low and she licked and chewed ( a sign that horses are taking in all that they've learned ).

 

Each step we take with each of these horses will hopefully have a huge impact on the future children who walk through my farm gates...it's a ministry all of us are in together and praying for continued health for this little one. When she came in July, she left her mother for the first time, seeing her cry out for her mother on the trailer is an image I will never forget and hits me deeply that is how most foster kids feel on the inside..I'm taking that with me every step we take to train these horses.

 

This was a sweet, refreshing post to me. First, I have no horses in my life right now. Just to hear your stories lets me be a part of that life for a moment.

 

When I did have horses, I studied with Ray Hunt, one of the first and the finest of the horse 'whisperers.' (He doesn't call himself that, would hate that I did, but doing so helps everyone know kinda what he is like.) I love hearing your story about Liberty Belle because you seem to be working with her in a way RH would love.

 

Give that little filly a pat from me today. You've made my morning. :001_smile:

 

Forgot to add...

 

My favorite quote these days, and my theme for this year, is 'the only way to predict the future is to create it.' What I did for me and my family this week is work hard on building my real estate career. Our financial situation was often difficult while we homeschooled, but now that the boys are grown, I have time to work on making dollars. Let me also add....being a homeschool mom of teen boys was a terrific training ground from my career. Often I'm the one 'nagging' the other parties in a home sale contract to meet their deadlines, do what they promised, etc. Homeschooling taught me to keep my eyes on the big picture of the process.

 

For others...I've spent a lot of time in the last few days crying with, counseling, supporting, and encouraging a friend whose husband announced he was seeing someone else. It's broken my heart---and made me furious, too. I can not believe he was so...so ordinary. ugh. It looks like their marriage will heal, but it's gonna leave some scars...

 

Another friend lost her mom this week. Lots of listening there, too.

 

My heart hurts for my friends.

Edited by Happy
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What is the most significant thing you have done this week to provide a better future for yourself?

 

What about for other people that you are not related to?

 

I took a 2-hour dance workshop last night to further my dance education. This helps me and trickles down to my students. Right before the workshop, I taught the beginner's bellydance class. So, health benefits all around and financial benefits for me. I'm going back for round 2 tonight, but this time I'm wearing dance sneakers because my feet are SORE.

 

I also prepped my house yesterday for house guests. I finished the trim paint in the bathroom, steam cleaned the carpets, and made a GIANT lasagna so people could eat heartily if they arrived while I was at the studio. These house guests are friends, not family, so they count as unrelated :D

 

Looking at my manic day yesterday, it's no wonder my feet are sore :-/

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For me, I am exercising daily and absolving myself of the responsibility of getting DS out of bed in the mornings. I'm also reading a book on asthma and allergies (primarily in children but it applies to adults, too) to help me better understand the mechanisms behind these horrid things.

 

For the greater good, I'm sending money to Joplin to help with their reconstruction.

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The time I spent with Liberty Belle yesterday.

 

Five weeks ago, we brought a filly (about 3 years old) to our farm. She was probably a week or two from starvation. From March to June, four of her seven pasture mates starved to death. The pictures are heart wrenching. In five weeks, she has probably put on 300 pounds and still has 200-300 more to go.

 

Each of our three horses have a story to tell. Our first had a bad injury from a previous owner, the second was badly abused in the Walking Horse community (sored feet, etc.) and now Liberty went through extreme neglect. Their stories are going to be used for summer camps for foster children...showing them how through faith/love/compassion we can overcome anything that is thrown at us.

 

My work with Liberty has been slow but steady...it is hard to work with her in the stall because she becomes 'right' brained and yields off of fear. So, I work with her in a 2 acre paddock where she has every right to run away from me (still have not been able to put a halter on her). But yesterday, at liberty (meaning no rope/halter) we had the best session of communication. She learned how to do circles around me, at first they were 10 feet away from me..and she recognized the clue to stop. Then, as she became more confident..her circles were 2 feet from me. Her eyes were on me - waiting for a cue. We finished with her letting me rub her neck and mane...her eyes went soft, her head dropped low and she licked and chewed ( a sign that horses are taking in all that they've learned ).

 

Each step we take with each of these horses will hopefully have a huge impact on the future children who walk through my farm gates...it's a ministry all of us are in together and praying for continued health for this little one. When she came in July, she left her mother for the first time, seeing her cry out for her mother on the trailer is an image I will never forget and hits me deeply that is how most foster kids feel on the inside..I'm taking that with me every step we take to train these horses.

 

Awwwwwwwwwwww :D

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For myself/my family, I've been making an effort to get back into the habit of cooking real meals each evening. We moved a couple of months ago and have been very busy since then (daughter's graduation, two trips to NYC, auditions and rehearsals and shows for both kids, etc.). So, I've gotten very lazy about cooking regularly. So far this week--despite the fact that it's tech week for my daughter and I've been out with her every evening--I've cooked an actual dinner every night.

 

I'm also putting the finishing touches on lesson plans for my son and am making starter notes for all four of his student-driven courses with lists of all of the resources I've gathered on each subject. My goal is to be completely done with all of my prep work by the end of this weekend. We're taking next week off as our final fling before the school year, and I don't want to have to take time away from the family fun for anything school related.

 

Edit: I forgot that I'm also trying to re-lose some of the weight I re-gained during the craziness of this summer. I've been walking longer with the dog each morning and eating more carefully.

 

For others, I'm reading the curriculum I'll be teaching for Sunday school this year. I've also been assisting our religious education director in planning.

 

Edit: Also, my family bought filtering water bottles last weekend, and we've been training ourselves to use those rather than buying bottled water.

Edited by Jenny in Florida
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wow tough questions. I guess the answer to number 1 is I started watching kids again this week to get my business up and going again, as I had put it on hold when Ds got into the car wreck. I also retained a lawyer to start the process of sueing the semi driver that hit ds. It does not make MY future better, but in the end will make Ds's future better. It will be at least 2 years before it is settled, and all money earned will go into trust for ds until he turns 18. The lawyer says the least amount will be enough to cover college and books for 4 years while he lives at home. The most will allow him to own his own home while he goes to college. Only time will tell based on how he recovers etc.

 

For others, I guess it is tied into the above, I started watching kids again, which means I have been able to give very good quality care to other children, give their parents peace of mind while they work, share things with the babysitting kids they would not normally be exposed to or if so very infrequently (based on what the parents have told me).

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On our vacation at the beach this week, for the first time I do no have guilt that we did not ask anyone to join us. It is so important to me to reach out to others, that in the past I have even invited people on our vacations thinking it was a good thing.

 

(I hope) I have come to realize that it is actually a better thing to take a break and relax with just our family so that I can return refreshed and with an attitude of ready to serve again.

 

So that is what I did for me and others without even realizing it. PTL! He knows what we need in order to speak to us at unexpected times.

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What is the most significant thing you have done this week to provide a better future for yourself?

 

What about for other people that you are not related to?

Me - ran a road race, worked on my meditation, studied a bit, pulled weeds/lawn care (builds character or so I'm told), worked on the budget, I'll be going to class tonight. Really nothing too fantastic.

 

Others- I've helped my friend work through a problem. That was really the only time I had contact with people outside my immediate family other than chatting here.

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What is the most significant thing you have done this week to provide a better future for yourself?

 

1. Exercised 1-2 hours a day. I'm determined to get in better shape.

 

2. Kept up with my Bible in 90 Days reading.

 

What about for other people that you are not related to?

 

1. Decorated my husband's public school classroom. I suppose that was a bit FOR my husband but it was also for the 28 little 6yo munchkins he'll have in that room a week from now.

 

2. Visited with a friend whose husband recently had major surgery.

 

3. Packed and sent my husband and son off to Mexico to build houses for the poor. I'm not building the houses but they'd have never gotten there without my doing laundry. LOL. :lol:

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