DeLurker

Finally ordered a raincoat for Kook online - the ones in the stores are way too small! He hates getting wet and I hate a wet floofy dog. Had a hard time finding one with what appears to be a real hood. Ended up having to order an XXX Large - primarily because of his chest measurement and lengths. It should arrive early next week, so I hope it works out.

I talk myself into doing something for an hour or just going through 1 of the boxes. Often, I end up getting into a groove and keep going until I hit a natural stopping point so get more done then intended, but not to the point of overwhelming myself. Put on some enjoyable music, make a nice cocktail and get started. Alternatively, entice yourself with a special indulgence after you finish.

The best part! There used to be some Carvel ice cream stores in South Florida when I was growing up, so we used to get the commercials on tv. The guy's voice was like gravel and that found 100 ways to use the Fudgey the Whale mold throughout the year. When I lived in California, a store opened up a few towns over. I used to take the kids there every once in a while, but I think it was more of a treat for me!

Quoting myself. Found a solution to the enormous kibble problem - I heat up a bit of chicken or beef broth (low sodium) and pour it over the boulders 5+ minutes before feeding him to soften it up. It softens up the outer layers, but doesn't completely turn the kibble to mush. I was able to get his regular prescription food too so blend some of that in right before serving. The cat thinks the dog is getting a wonderful treat so will nose in an eat some of he is able. After reading many reviews on cat litter looking for biodegradable ones, I decided to try a few brands that were recommended in multiple reviews. World's Best Cat Litter (clumping formula) has been a disappointment on odor control. I cleaned the litter pan 5 days ago, put in fresh litter, clean it twice daily and there started to be a bad odor by day 3. I We also tried okocat featherweight. This one worked well and did a fine job with odor control. Catty face is not super picky about litter so I can change things around without him doing a protest. I use Fresh Step Crystals off and on throughout the year since this is what I use when we are traveling by car.

People who know me would drop dead from a heart attack if I had an ornately decorated cake. The fanciest I get is a Carvel ice cream cake (which I love beyond reason). I bought some of the re-usable straws at IKEA, they are not metal though, and gave some out as presents too.

Those are statistical averages based on some pretty substantial numbers. My son was average-average at birth, but in a few months he was close to the top percentile in height and dropped to 40s in weight. The pediatrician said he was fine and not concerned at that point, but to try bumping up his diet (breast milk) by mixing in a small amount of rice cereal. For as long as they charted him, he pretty much stayed in the same percentiles after that - high end on height, slightly below average on weight. I would suggest seeing what your pediatrician has to say and if he/she has any concerns.

Congrats @SuzyRhapsody! This page contains some of my favorite painting tools - the slobproof paint pen, caulk in any color and the Handy Paint Pail. I wish I knew about them when I bought my house a few years ago, especially the slobproof paint pen!

I didn't know Lodge made woks!

My Mom's garage is full of random stuff that doesn't make sense, but if you ever need something and can't find it, she'll have it there or something that can be finagled to work. My ex's grandfather always made the decisions in his marriage. He always wanted a convertible car, no matter where they lived, so they always had a convertible car. Despite being comfortably financially, he was adamant that his wife not buy a frost-free refrigerator which his wife very much wanted. The first time she was defrosting the freezer to clean it after he died, she stopped in the middle of it and went out and bought herself a frost-free model.

@SuzyRhapsody - Oh my! You've packed a lot into those 24 - 48 hours! Rather, your daughter did but you did an absolutely impressive feat of maintaining your composure throughout what had to be a ride on an extreme rollercoaster built on a sheer cliff overlooking a 1,000 ft drop into shark infested waters! I sincerely hope that things go okay for your daughter and, whatever happens, she lands on her feet and a little bit wiser from the experience. Please take this time to invest and enjoy in your own new adventures. Of course, you are still going to be concerned about your daughter but try not to allow that to overrun your thoughts and emotions nor overrule some of the pride of finally being able to purchase your own home (on a much delayed basis).

One possible explanation, other than the pack rat one, is that your parents may have lived through a time where there were some severe financial crisis and just not enough of everything. My Mom has the tendency to keep almost everything, but she also grew up in a time of war where her country was being bombed regularly. She stopped going to school in 1st or 2nd grade because the schools were bombed, but also because she had to work to help support her family. By 10, she was a live-in nanny for an American officer's babies living hundreds of miles from her own home and unable to see them more than a few times a year. I never knew my Mom didn't finish school - I was mystified when she signed up for GED classes and my Dad gave me a very brief outline as to why that was so. There's a lot about her early years that she doesn't talk about. So if she stockpiles canned goods and paper products, I am not going to say anything - I just go through a do a purge of out of date stuff when I visit. She has more clothes and shoes than any one person could ever wear (but all good quality bought at huge discounts because she is still careful with her money), but she also lived through times where there was never enough of even the basics. My Mom's case may be an extreme example, but perhaps there is more than just sentimental value at play with your parents.

@GHScorpiosRule - you were obviously not thinking clearly because of a high fever and bad headache. We ate Christmas dinner at my brother's - I make the main dish for carnivores, a fruit & vegetable plate and my SIL makes a ton of other stuff. This year I made prime rib (which turned out nicely). Regrettably, I did not provide supervision when my brother was divvying up the leftovers and I believe I got shorted. This is going to go on his permanent record and will be brought up at next year's Festivus.

I think that the advice to let her go (so to speak) is best course of action for now - she is the one making the choices and she is at the age where she needs to start dealing with the consequences of them too. It has to be hard to do, but it sounds as if you've been tied up in knots over this for some time. Perhaps not right away, but maybe see about setting up a regular lunch or dinner to stay in communication with her. Somewhere neutral. Don't allow yourself to get too pulled into the events of her life as a parent. Keep the discussions on the shallow level for now and if she starts to open up with you, hold off on commenting with any real depth for now. You'll probably need to practice your poker face and wrestle your own maternal instincts into submission. In retrospect and from an emotionally distant place, is she (or has she been) emotionally manipulative of you? I know we don't like to apply these terms to our children, but I think it is a factor that needs to be recognized if it is there. Not saying "you're just like your dad!", but if someone is trying to hold you emotionally hostage I think there is no problem with calling them out on it*. Congrats on the new home - that is an exciting event for you! It may not be happening the way you envisioned, but maybe that is for the good. It will be "your" home - you get to take all the joy and responsibility that come with it. Allow it to reflect your future and the be the place where you feel safe and comfortable. It sounds cold to say it isn't your daughter's home and when she come she'll be visiting as a guest. One that you are allowing into your home/life . Tonight is Christmas Eve, as if you didn't know. Please don't spend it feeling tortured. Spend it thinking about how far you've come in your life in the last 18 years - from someone who was young, scared and raw to someone who has worked through many of life's hardships and is just about to close on your own home. Allow yourself to imagine your future - it has a house and yard, does it have a vegetable garden? a pet? etc... * I too was in an emotionally abusive marriage that ultimately turned physical. At this point, I am more than likely to tell someone that "I don't negotiate with terrorist, emotional or otherwise."

@SuzyRhapsody - I’m sorry - truly. There would never be a good time for all of this, but being near the holidays makes it sting even more. You have a lot of details that I wouldn’t expect a teen to share so willingly - stuff like the house party, ages of attendees, few girls, drinking...is she sharing this with you? Cause when I was her age, I did not talk to my Mom about anything I wouldn’t want her to know.

@GHScorpiosRule - Genuinely happy for you! It sounds like the firm is made up of decent people who understand and appreciate the value of a good employee - I am so happy that you have landed up there!

OK beer drinkers - Buying a gift for someone who normally drinks Newcastle Brown Ale. Any suggestions for something that would line up with that profile?

^^^^ What @GHScorpiosRule said!

@ginger90 - that sounds sketchy. I have no idea what would be SOP in the field, but this seems to be the kind of situation that all companies providing comparable services would face. My first thought is they are trying to shift liability to you so if there is a serious medical issue, they can say you should have instructed the consumer to call 911 and they were not part of the communication chain. They may also have contractual obligations with the consumer to provide service as scheduled, so by avoiding talking with the consumer they avoid having to hustle up a replacement (although if it is a weather issue, they may not be able to do so anyway).

My cat is very loving, but typically not this needy. He follows me around the house most of the day (but just to supervise) and spends most nights on my lap while I read or watch tv and typically sleeps with me. He & the dog get along well, but have very jealous hearts - if one gets attention, the other has to insert himself into the mix.

A literal pet peeve - I have a bazillion things to do today, but today is also the day that I have the world’s neediest cat! If I sit for anything or bend over, Catty Face is on my lap immediately or has jumped on my back. I had to make a call and even though I was actively petting him, he needed to drape across my shoulders. I love my cat but I have a crap ton of stuff to do.

@GHScorpiosRule - it is always nice to hear someone has landed in a good work environment where their skills and contributions are both recognized and valued.

Monday morning I somehow lost my grip on the milk bottle (Fairlife, so the square shaped one) and frantically went to catch it before it hit ground. I managed to do so, but also managed to tweak some small muscle in my hand. Since then, every time I need to spread my fingers to grab something (anything wider than a coffee can) or I pick up something with just a little bit of weight to it, my hand & wrist remind me that I angered something.

I didn't have to parallel park on my first driving test which is good because I would have never gotten a license. The only time I have been able to do it without spending 5 minutes angling in, inching back, adjusting forward...is when I drove a car the size of a shoe box. My lifelong mission since selling the shoe box has been to avoid parallel parking. I'd rather walk a mile from a parking lot than put my parallel parking skills to the test and holding up traffic forever while I do it. I have infinite envy of those with the spatial skills. My ex had truly great spatial skills and a complete lack of comprehension that not everyone on the road has the same. A friend helped me once go pick up a big couch - she had access to a work van. She backed into this incredibly small and oddly configured loading area with less trouble than I have backing out of my own drive - it was truly an impressive feat! And because I am a small and petty person, it made me immensely happy that I knew someone with better spatial skills than my ex.

Holiday Shopping Parking Lots and dumb ass parents - I had to go out yesterday because I am somehow missing an essential box of my tree decorations and couldn't even put up the second/third rate ornaments I did have because they were completely without hooks (and my box of extra hooks is with the essential box). So the kids and I head to World Market which is in what passes as a downtown area - that means that spread out over a decent area there's a major mall, an upscale outdoor mall, several retail shopping centers (each with a major anchor), movie theaters and a crapton of restaurants. The city planners apparently forbid grid patterned parking lots so all parking areas have funny curves and angle (which is a separate peeve). So DA Parental Unit 1 have decided to ride their bikes to the busiest shopping area at the busiest time of year with their two kids that are still single digits. One of them is still pretty shaky on a two wheeler, so I'm guessing the training wheels were recently ditched. Neither of the kids are big enough to be easily visible in a parking lot - especially one filled with trucks and SUVs. I see DA dad with child 1 traversing the parking lot and so I wait at the 4 way stop so they can safely cross. Because of the stupid angles and shrubbery, I don't see DA mom and child 2 until I am almost ready to go because they are riding so slow (because child 2 is the shaky one). Because I have just pulled into the parking lot, the cars behind me are backing up into the main road and they have no idea why I am not going. A driver at the four way to my right sees them and waits for them to turtle across too. A driver coming from my left doesn't see them and almost mows down DA dad & child 1. After we manage to park & leave that plaza without taking any lives, we stop by Pier 1 to look for a new ornament or two (the kids pick one or two out every year). This is also in a busy plaza - Pier 1, Whole Foods, a number of restaurants and specialty shops,.... When we are leaving, right by the exit from the parking lot a young family with a truck backed into the end space is loading up - there's the parental units, 2 young boys (both under 4) and a baby in a stroller. Because they are backed in and all hanging around the truck bed, there is a sidewalk, a small strip of green space and then an actual road. Neither of the boys are particularly close to their parents and just kind of randomly moving around as small children are prone to do. I don't go right away because I have nightmares about small children darting in front of cars or falling in front of cars. Neither parent bothers to corral their children despite being so close to a road leading into a busy shopping center nor near an exit. Ornament Purchases: My daughter bought a wooden ornament of a duck in a boat (row boat? canoe?) and a radish ornament because they made her laugh. My son chose more traditional ornaments - a glass angel and a pair of christmas trees. I chose a solid wood ornament with a bird on it.

Ran out of Kook's prescription dry food, so grabbed the same brand large breed dry food at the pet store yesterday thinking that would cover a day or two and when I get the prescription stuff I can just blend them together. He was having a little digestive upset last night (kind of burpy) but I did not think much of it. He just finished eating and he's having the same problem again. I'm thinking it has to do with the size of the kibble - it is more than twice the size of what he normally eats. It is probably twice the size of the large breed Nutro I used to feed him. Tomorrow I'll get his prescription food again but will have to figure out what to do with the other stuff. I already threw the bag away and my neighbors tend to have small doggos.