Ignore this thread!

[Openhearted]

You all are full of wisdom, and I appreciate the hugs and advice. All very good advice too. Somethings have to change, and I know it. I have a hard time because if I'm not doing it, I feel lazy. Also I have a hard time trusting other people. Again, I'm happy to have my ITT Friends. :wub:

[Susan in TN]

You all are full of wisdom, and I appreciate the hugs and advice. All very good advice too. Somethings have to change, and I know it. I have a hard time because if I'm not doing it, I feel lazy. Also I have a hard time trusting other people. Again, I'm happy to have my ITT Friends. :wub:

Imagine you are having to go to an office to do all the work you do. Would you ever be able to leave the office? Take a lunch break? Go home for dinner (not working)? Have time to relax and unwind before going to bed? I'm guessing the answer is no.

 

Managing a household by delegating work is not being lazy or "doing nothing". Don't ever tell yourself that! You still have to know what needs to be done and when, and make sure it does get done, etc., etc. Your work may seem "less active" (cleaning, cooking, etc), but it is still working - planning, making lists, figuring out schedules, making decisions, "being there" for your kids. Someone has to do these things, and in a busy household like yours, it is too much for one person.

 

(((Dawn)))

[KrissiK]

My neck hurts, my head hurts, and I need sleep. But first I have to walk dogs. Possibly alone. In the rain.

 

  

That is a very sad story!

It really is. I could picture that in my mind.

[AMJ]

I should have put a smiley. It's August in Arkansas. A walk in the rain with the dogs is about the happiest ending you can get on a day in August around here!

Of course now I look like drowned rat and smell like wet goat. A shower is in order.

 

ETA: And the de-goating process should help with the stiff neck and headache, too.

 

 

We got real rain down here in TX, today too!  My cat was incensed.  She didn't want to be cooped up indoors and insisted on being outside.  But outside was WET, and the only refuge she had was a corner of the doorway.

 

Let meow iiiiiinnnn!

Let meow ooooouuuut!

Let meow iiiinnnnn!

Let meow ooooouuuut!

[AMJ]

You all are full of wisdom, and I appreciate the hugs and advice. All very good advice too. Somethings have to change, and I know it. I have a hard time because if I'm not doing it, I feel lazy. Also I have a hard time trusting other people. Again, I'm happy to have my ITT Friends. :wub:

 

 

Okay, about this here:  You can't simply be doing all day long, you have to take breaks.  The breaks aren't just for your body to rest (though that is important), they are also for letting your mind regroup.  Taking breaks isn't lazy, and neither is delegating.

 

Keeping track of all that you track is very taxing work, and the more you have to track the more time you must spend in resting, regrouping, and planning.  For every hour you spend doing something during your day you should spend 15 minutes resting and reassessing to stay on top of so many different concerns.  These breaks need to be scattered throughout the day, too, and not just lumped together at the end when you are already past your limit and can't think clearly anymore.

 

You are the general, the one who not only has to see the big picture and be able to strategize, but must also actually call the shots.  Generals aren't expected to fight every hand-to-hand combat themselves; they are expected to oversee the entire battlefield and make sure troops get where they are needed and have what they need to get the jobs done.

 

So stop trying to foot soldier every task yourself and get busy being a general.  DELEGATE.

[AMJ]

Bedtime!  Everyone please have a good night and get good sleep.  See you tomorrow!

[Junie]

I'm here!

 

I slept a lot today -- I guess that I needed it.  Watched some Olympics.  Got some textbooks ready to be listed on ebay.  Listened to some recordings of a choir piece that I will be singing tomorrow.

 

Hugs to those who need them.  Dawn -- I agree with the others.  Delegate.  :)

[Susan in TN]

So if I find a 2010 Honda Odyssey being offered on Craigslist for $3000, I should be a bit wary?

[Junie]

So if I find a 2010 Honda Odyssey being offered on Craigslist for $3000, I should be a bit wary?

 

I just looked up our local Carmax.  2010 Odysseys are listed at $15000 - $20000.  Yep, I'd look for something else. :(

[Jean in Newcastle]

I just got back from the Filipino family bbq.  Everyone really liked my dairy-free Mexicali 7 layer salad.  And my gluten free chocolate brownies. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I hate sweating.  It is 90 degrees. I'm sweating. 

[Another Lynn]

Good Sunday Morning, friends!

 

(((Dawn)))  I would look for help with cleaning and meals as I think it would be harder to replace what you do for your Mom and TLIH.  Though I don't have near the load you do, those are the things I let slide here.  (On the plus side, oldest ds thought the meals at the camp he went to this summer were fabulous.  So, I suppose he's less likely to be homesick for food when he goes to college, lol.)

 

My other .02 is about her house.  I know your brother has a hard time where your Mom is concerned, but knowing that you are handling your mother's care, could he come around to managing the situation with the house?  If he oversaw having it cleaned out and sold, then perhaps the proceeds could be split between him (for getting it done), you (to go to the cost of the addition or other care expenses), and your Mom (in an account to cover future needs).  If he can't be involved that much, then you hire someone to clean it, auction it and you use a portion of the proceeds for the addition and the rest goes into an account for your Mom's future needs.   :grouphug:

 

(((Slache)))  Glad you are feeling better!  Hope it continues to improve for you.   :grouphug:

[Another Lynn]

Also, Susan, praying for you guys - both the car and the van situation.

 

Jean, Notgrass world is heavy on Bible history.  Notgrass American, might work okay if you skipped the Bible lesson (every 5th lesson).  If you're looking for world history, I would look for something else.  

[Susan in TN]

Thanks, Lynn!

 

We are going to a nearby state park to swim in the lake and have a picnic. Have a great day!

[Critterfixer]

Caffeine, baby! Yeah!

DH asked me where to find the butter (in the freezer). I told him to shift sharpish out of the way so that I could get my tea and he did, saying an old maxim, "Thou shalt not get between a woman and her morning caffeine." True that.

DH will make the grocery run and then we need to pick a waterfall or two to go see. 

[Openhearted]

Good morning. It is Sunday.

 

The family is having church at a niece's home today. Not my thing. I will stay home, and do some school prep.

 

I wonder how Ducklings and Tex and JJM is doing.

 

Dh is building the twins a swingset. It has taken him 2 years to do it. So far it has 2 swings on it. He has done a good job. Construction is not his thing, but he is learning.

 

The tomatoes have been canned. 27 quarts.

 

I need a cleaning schedule like focus on one or two things a day, maybe 20 minutes. So it doesn't pile up. If that doesn't work then I will look into hiring someone. We live in such a rural area; it is hard to find someone to drive this far. Meal planning is probably a good idea too.

 

I hope everyone is able to chase their waterfall today. ;)

[KrissiK]

Good Morning!

 

COFFEE!

 

Well, today we are playing hookie from church. Some friends of ours who we haven't seen in years are in town, so we're getting together with them! We were all part of the same adoption class 12 years ago and we just kind of clicked and continued to get together socially. We continued to do so after we started adopting our children, but then one family moved and as the kids got older and life got crazier we stopped getting together, but continued to exchange Christmas cards, etc. So, three of us families, all with adopted kids are getting together for swimming and fun today. It should be good!

Edited August 14, 2016 by KrissiK

[Critterfixer]

 

 

I need a cleaning schedule like focus on one or two things a day, maybe 20 minutes. So it doesn't pile up. If that doesn't work then I will look into hiring someone. We live in such a rural area; it is hard to find someone to drive this far. Meal planning is probably a good idea too. 

I use housekeeping routines. The goal is never to spend more than an hour a day on cleaning. Sometimes it's more like 1.5 hours, but I try to make sure that nobody wastes a lot of time fighting entropy. That doesn't include chore time like dishes and laundry, but all of us work on those, and they get done over the course of the day. I have rooms I work in on different days of the week. Then I don't worry if I have to skip Wednesday cleaning, because I know I'm going to get to it the next week. No cheating or trying to do two zones in one day. And when the cleaning time is done, I'm done. Whether the cleaning is done or not. If I couldn't get it done in that time, it just wasn't going to happen. No big deal. Hit it next time.

 

On meal planning, I have days that I know cooking is going to be out of the question. I have meals that will repeat weekly. We have a baked potato night (top your own!), and we have a pizza night. The big thing for me is not to overplan the meals. I get tired. I love to cook, but I get tired. A tired cook is a cranky cook who overdoses the pepper. So I try to cook a maximum of twice a week. Everything else is leftovers reinvented or fend for yourself. And if I cook, somebody else does the clean-up. I make it easy--dishes rinsed, in sink, etc, but the cook gets a night off of dishes.

[AMJ]

I end up cleaning up others' messes.  How come no one cleans up any of mine?  *whining*  The following is just a vent.

 

Several days ago our cat caught a juvenile rabbit, brought it to our back doorstep, and started to eat it.  I discovered this upon getting home from personal training, and I was HOT and SWEATY and HUNGRY and did NOT want to be greeted by such a sight.  I threw the cat inside, opened the garage, found a small box, disposed of the carcass in the trash can, went inside, scolded the cat (for eating it, since she ALWAYS throws it back up later, usually where I have to clean it up), told the kids to keep an eye on the cat, washed and washed and washed my hands, ate something quick, showered thoroughly, and sat down for a spell, completely forgetting to inform DH of the carcass in the trash in the garage/DH's workshop.

 

Fast forward to yesterday, when DH informed me he keeps moving the trash can outside because it reeks and was drawing flies.  Did I remember the rabbit?  Nope.

 

Today I decided to clean out the trash can DH was complaining about.  It had maggots.  It reeked, even with the lid shut, and the smell wafted across our back doorstep (the entrance we use most).  We also had a sudden increase in mockingbirds going after our back door/ front of garage area again, and when I saw the maggots I had my suspicions.

 

I rolled the trash can to the far corner of the back yard, away from the house and garage.  I dragged the (quite heavy) hose out there.  I remembered the carcass (finally), had DH fetch me plastic bags and the 409, and I cleaned up.

 

I did it now, not later.  I did not wait for the trash guys to come tomorrow and empty the can.  They will not be faced with the full strength of that stench.  With the double-bagging I did there should be far less flies and maggots drawn to the trash can.  The aroma can dissipate and go away.

 

I cleaned up the mess I caused.  Now I'm whining here about it so I can vent and get on with my day.  I need to get in my miles on the treadmill now because I really want to shower, but I don't want to shower AGAIN after walking.

 

 

After this effort I really hope those mockingbirds go away and stop trying to take over our doorstep.  It's unusual for them to be this persistent this late in the summer.  However, before I got that heavy, dirty hose put back on the rack I did get the satisfaction of actually squirting the worst offender.  He managed to fly away to the neighbor's roof, but it wasn't graceful and he was shaking out his feathers a lot once he landed.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I wonder how Ducklings and Tex and JJM is doing.

 

 

 

Quackersh is on a month-long round of visiting relatives. 

 

Tex has started co-op again.

 

Both are fine.

 

I don't know how JJM is doing. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I am staying home from church.  Rocky woke me up in the night and I just could not go back to sleep.  I am exhausted. 

[Slache]

I don't understand what Barb meant when she said they cleaned it out and restocked it but it was a total loss.

[AMJ]

I use housekeeping routines. The goal is never to spend more than an hour a day on cleaning. Sometimes it's more like 1.5 hours, but I try to make sure that nobody wastes a lot of time fighting entropy. That doesn't include chore time like dishes and laundry, but all of us work on those, and they get done over the course of the day. I have rooms I work in on different days of the week. Then I don't worry if I have to skip Wednesday cleaning, because I know I'm going to get to it the next week. No cheating or trying to do two zones in one day. And when the cleaning time is done, I'm done. Whether the cleaning is done or not. If I couldn't get it done in that time, it just wasn't going to happen. No big deal. Hit it next time.

 

On meal planning, I have days that I know cooking is going to be out of the question. I have meals that will repeat weekly. We have a baked potato night (top your own!), and we have a pizza night. The big thing for me is not to overplan the meals. I get tired. I love to cook, but I get tired. A tired cook is a cranky cook who overdoses the pepper. So I try to cook a maximum of twice a week. Everything else is leftovers reinvented or fend for yourself. And if I cook, somebody else does the clean-up. I make it easy--dishes rinsed, in sink, etc, but the cook gets a night off of dishes.

 

 

I love to cook, too, and I, too, get tired.  With the coming school year's schedule I have determined that the bulk of cooking will happen on weekends and maybe Monday evenings.  This is when the grilling will get done, and if I am on the ball I will get veggies and other things prepped so I can just grab and eat.  With my personal training falling in late morning I will want to get food in my stomach as soon as I get home and I will NOT want to have to prepare it first.

 

Cooking, for me, takes some dedication of time to do right.  It requires having the creativity of thought at the time I'm doing it, which I cannot manage if my brain is worrying over a multitude of other things or I'm running back and forth between tasks.  Cooking is a project for me, and I work best on projects when I can work uninterrupted for a while.  Such uninterrupted cooking time is basically non-existent 4.5 days per week.

 

On top of the usual demands for cooking comes the need for me to figure out and establish new meals, new foods, a new eating strategy.  Time is short for me right now and I need my project time to get ready for the school year, but I cannot let the cooking slide.  When life got hectic and I needed more time for other projects and priorities I simply opted for the quick fix foods so easy to buy and store in the freezer, or I ordered take out and picked it up on the way home.  I can't do this anymore.

 

I haven't worked on planning lessons for the past 2 days and I likely won't get to it today, either.  Instead I'm going to try to get the grilled foods currently in the fridge portioned out and try freezing some to see if that helps during the week.  I bought a lot of bagged salad yesterday, so this week's quick meal plan is mainly salads.  It's so blasted hot and humid I can't seem to think of anything else to do, and eating cold stuff means we aren't heating up the kitchen.

 

I'm also trying to work on the backlog of laundry that has piled up.  It has rained the past day and a half and the air is cooler (though just as humid) so I feel a little less guilty for running both the upstairs and downstairs a/c and running the laundry machines throughout the day.  After all, the laundry piled up because we were avoiding running the machines in the latter morning and afternoons while the temps were 100+.

 

If I get this food prep, laundry, bed remade, and my treadmill time accomplished today (and a SHOWER!) I will feel I have done good for the day and I can concentrate on lesson prep tomorrow and through the week.  It's just one week more until I declare our school year started, so I need to get this done.    (My one caveat:  I have acknowledged that if needed I can let slide whichever subjects I'm not ready to start right away on the 22nd.  The girls would appreciate the "reduced start" if I do, and it will buy me the time to get the prep done beforehand.)

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don't understand what Barb meant when she said they cleaned it out and restocked it but it was a total loss.

 

Barb and her family have been gone from home.  Her dd and bf went early to clean the place and restock it in preparation for Barb's return.  While they were there cleaning (or perhaps right after) there was the fire.  The house was not able to be saved. 

 

[Critterfixer]

 

Cooking, for me, takes some dedication of time to do right.  It requires having the creativity of thought at the time I'm doing it, which I cannot manage if my brain is worrying over a multitude of other things or I'm running back and forth between tasks.  Cooking is a project for me, and I work best on projects when I can work uninterrupted for a while.  Such uninterrupted cooking time is basically non-existent 4.5 days per week.

 

Amen! Preach it, sister!

It is creative work. And let me tell you, working on creative tasks is hard work and it is draining. I know why even God needed a day off, y'all.

[AMJ]

I am staying home from church.  Rocky woke me up in the night and I just could not go back to sleep.  I am exhausted. 

 

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

Lullaby, go to sleep, put the dog out, take a na-ap

get some peace and quiet, rest your weary head, breathe deep

Go to sleep, close your eyes, we'll keep humming for you

soothing tunes full of the love that we feel so for you.

[AMJ]

Barb and her family have been gone from home.  Her dd and bf went early to clean the place and restock it in preparation for Barb's return.  While they were there cleaning (or perhaps right after) there was the fire.  The house was not able to be saved. 

 

 

 

Oh, no.  Poor Barb and family (and friend)!  Hugs for them all.   :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[Critterfixer]

I had to send DH back to the grocery store. He was not happy. It was not his fault. But I'm sorry, I won't pay good money for a badly cut rump roast mislabeled and charged as chuck roast. Nope. That's a sacred cow violated, that's what.

[Slache]

Barb and her family have been gone from home. Her dd and bf went early to clean the place and restock it in preparation for Barb's return. While they were there cleaning (or perhaps right after) there was the fire. The house was not able to be saved.

 

Okay. It sounded like it caught fire so they cleaned it out and then restocked it and then the rest of the house burnt down.

 

Sorry, not much sleep here either.

[AMJ]

20 minutes of walking done.  Water break now.  40 more minutes to go.  Dinging dryer.

 

 

Trudge trudge trudge

 

I am imagining myself trudging after some bushwhacker guy with a machete, following a LIDAR image to a formerly unknown archaeology site in the rain forest.  I had finally read October 2015's National Geographic.  

[Ellie]

So, my adventure Friday was thus:

 

Mr. Ellie and I had been out goofing off. As we turned onto our street we noticed an elderly woman walking on the sidewalk across from our house. We never see elderly women walking on the sidewalk across the street from our house, so after we pulled into the garage, I went back outside to see what she was doing. She looked a little bewildered, and as I watched, she shouted, "Help!" So of course I crossed the street and caught up with her and asked her if she needed help. She said she was going to get her nails done. :blink: Y'all, it was probably close to 100, and the nearest nail salon is a mile away. I helped her to sit down on the curb because she was quite shaky I was afraid she would fall. I asked her name, and if she lived in the neighborhood and if she had her drivers license. She looked through her wallet and found some other I.D., and yes, she did live around the corner. She told me some tale about someone sending away the taxi she had called to take her to get her nails done (WTH?). By this time Mr. Ellie had come over to see what was up. :-) Since I was pretty sure by now that she was of [mostly] sound mind and body, I offered to take her to the nail salon. Which I did, but by the time we got there it had closed. I did NOT offer to drive her around looking for another; I took her home instead. She asked me how much she should pay me, and I told her I was just being neighborly. And then I waited until she was safely in her house, and then *I* went home.

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Renai]

I had to send DH back to the grocery store. He was not happy. It was not his fault. But I'm sorry, I won't pay good money for a badly cut rump roast mislabeled and charged as chuck roast. Nope. That's a sacred cow violated, that's what.

 

I'm in awe you know the difference.

 

ETA: Yes, yes, I saw the BOOYA when I posted. I've just been kinda busy. So, for all ya'll ballers out there...

 

Edited August 14, 2016 by Renai

[AMJ]

I'm in awe you know the difference.

 

 

Ahem, um, Renai....  hint hint

[AMJ]

20 more minutes achieved on the treadmill, and then I realized it was still inclined higher from when DH got on it this morning.  No wonder I was struggling more than expected!

 

It's hard to discover previously unknown sites in the rain forest when one's kids are at one's back playing lame shows on the TV and turning up the sound so they "can hear over Daddy's 3D printer and the treadmill".  Turn.  It.  DOWN.  The fabled White City awaits me!

 

[AMJ]

I'm in awe you know the difference.

 

 

Are you away from a computer?  You got a Booyah there!

[Susan in TN]

We are back and have transformed into a small tribe of goats. Showers are being taken in turn with occassional head-butting.

 

My only plans this afternoon are to make 5 or 6 batches of filling for biscuit pot pie and read my book.

 

Speaking of gallons of soup and batches of things, this is one thing that helps keep me sane during the school year - meal planning and meals in the freezer. I have a few standard soups and other recipes that I make every fall to get me through the semester. We have a full-sized upright freezer in the basement which makes it all possible.

 

Dh needs to hurry up in the shower. It's MY TURN!!

[Susan in TN]

I am thankful for clean running water and soap!

[Ellie]

I am thankful for clean running water and soap!

 

Amen to that!

[Susan in TN]

Nicely done, Renai!

 

People are not taking this thread seriously!

[Ellie]

It has been over an hour since anyone posted. People are not taking this thread seriously. :hat:

[AMJ]

I am thankful for clean running water and soap!

 

 

Ah, yes.  I am now clean.  I got in the last 20 minutes of my hour of walking.  DD's bed has been remade and I'll put the sheets on the big bed once they come out of the dryer.  I have showered and started another load of laundry so I can have clean exercise clothes tomorrow.  My hands no longer smell like the trash can did this morning.

 

I have not portioned out different foods in the fridge, but that can wait until tomorrow.  I did eat a nice BIG salad for lunch, with tuna (not canned) as a treat.  I'm thinking a trout salad or trout hash tomorrow might also be quite tasty for lunch.

 

It has rained again for just a bit -- yay!  I'm hoping the forecast promise holds true and we get some rain every day this week.  It will go a long way towards rehydrating the parched lawns and trees around here, and the rain-cooled air is certainly wonderful.  We finally had an overnight low of less than 80 degrees (it was 79).

[73349]

We had a great time swimming with extended family, and when we got home I read most of TWTM 4 (and skimmed the rest). It's good; I'm ready to sell my 3rd ed now. I won't spoil it by saying more here.

[Critterfixer]

We are back from waterfall hunting. The waterfall wasn't all that much (they didn't get the rain there like we did here) but the swimming hole was awesome, and the breeze was almost cool. I am relaxed and ready for bed. But I am also in need of the soap and hot water treatment.

 

[KrissiK]

I'm back! I have not been ignoring this thread. I just think it would be a little rude to be ITTing when I'm supposed to be visiting with friends I haven't seen in years. And we did have a lovely time. Just picked up right where we left off.

 

Now we get to go to DS's school and "meet" his teacher and drop off his school supplies. Tomorrow is his first day and our first full day.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My kids were able to find and recover most of my camp music, but not all.  I will have to make decisions depending on whether we find the rest of it or not.  I have choices. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I just woke up from a 5 hour nap. Dh buffered me from the kids so that I could have uninterrupted sleep, which is key to me functioning. Yay!

[Susan in TN]

Ooooooo I just found out my sister may have gotten a job with a business based in Waco, TX that you have probably heard of but I can't say until she definitely has the job. It's not Baylor University or the Branch Davidians. :D

[AMJ]

We had a great time swimming with extended family, and when we got home I read most of TWTM 4 (and skimmed the rest). It's good; I'm ready to sell my 3rd ed now. I won't spoil it by saying more here.

 

 

Is it much different than 3rd edition?

[AMJ]

Beddie-bye time again.  Nighty-night, all!  Pleasant dreams!

 

[ikslo]

Nobody is taking this thread seriously.

 

Good night.